Somatic Counseling

"Think with your whole body: tension is who you think you should be, and relaxation is who you are." —Chinese proverb 

Most of us walk through the world like James Joyce’s Mr. Duffy, who “lived at a little distance from his body.” From this distance, our own feelings and sensations might be completely unknown to us. Or we might find ourselves instead completely overwhelmed by moment-by-moment shifts of emotion, or flooded by thoughts that we can’t turn off. Physical discomfort might show up to remind us of our bodies. Dreams and nightmares may arrive to point us toward what we’re missing. Anxiety might call out to us, letting us know that some hidden part of ourselves is longing for care and attention.

Somatic counseling can help you explore the interplay of thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories, images, and movement. It encourages you to be a loving witness to your own multifaceted experience, to cherish your inner life with caring presence and a gentle curiosity. Each session incorporates meditation, imagery, and somatic practices to help you come home to your body, supporting you to release fear, nourish spaces of ease and relaxation, find freedom from old patterns, and develop resources for connecting to your own luminous, embodied wisdom.

My integrative approach is informed by NeuroAffective Touch, Somatic Experiencing, Emotionally Focused Therapy, developmental psychology, Focusing, mindfulness, Saphire Imagery, and various spiritual traditions.

We can also interweave body-oriented, talk-based counseling with NeuroAffective Touch, the Safe and Sound Protocol, and/or NeurOptimal® neurofeedback, which focus on nervous system regulation from the bottom up.

Sessions can help you:

  • Befriend difficult emotions

  • Release stress and cultivate connection and well-being

  • Tend to early relational wounds

  • Get to know your nervous system

  • Access the insights and wisdom of your heart

  • Build your toolkit for authentic relating to self and others

  • Connect to inner guidance through imagery and meditation


“I worked with Nina soon after a difficult life experience, and she helped me transform it emotionally from a painful time into a healing one. Her gentle guidance, excellent listening skills, plus a keen sense of what I needed to do if I got stuck, helped me articulate and understand what I was feeling and how to move myself into a better space. It all was VERY powerful medicine for me.”
—Christina

Interested in working together?
Be in touch!