Integrative somatic therapy

Integrative trauma informed somatic therapy 

What is integrative somatic therapy?

A Somatic Integrative Therapist is a practitioner who combines bodybased (somatic/nervous system regulation) approaches with psychological, emotional, and sometimes complimentary therapies to support healing, regulation, and personal growth.  Somatic Integrative Therapy is a holistic form of therapy that views the mind and body as deeply interconnected. It focuses on how emotions, stress, and trauma are held in the body, not just the mind. My approach aims to encourage more somatic awareness, non-judgment, self-compassion and more empowerment to make long lasting changes. 

Somatic work

In ancient Greek, soma means the body, particularly the physical, living body. It is often used in contrast to the mind or soul, such as psyche. In some philosophical contexts, it can also refer to the body as something that carries experience, sensation, and life.  Latin later borrowed the word soma directly from Greek, and it kept the same meaning. It was mainly used in scholarly, medical, and philosophical writing rather than everyday Latin, to refer to the body in a technical or descriptive sense.

Somatics refers to approaches that focus on the body and bodily sensations as a way to understand and support mental and emotional wellbeing. Rather than working only with thoughts, somatic approaches pay attention to physical experiences such as breathing, muscle tension, posture, movement, and internal sensations. The idea is that the body holds information about stress, trauma, and emotions, and that working with the body can help regulate the nervous system and support healing.

What to expect:

I’m a qualified Systemic Coach with training in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy and specialist level trauma intervention.  Additionally, I am currently engaging in psychotherapy and hypnotherapy training. I combine all of my skills and experiences to offer a deeply supportive and integrative approach to my work. My therapeutic approach is trauma approached and client centred, blending somatic techniques, integrative practices, and various tools to help you grow, and create lasting changes.

In our somatic therapy sessions, I help you reconnect with your body, exploring how emotions and experiences are stored physically. By understanding how the nervous system impacts thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, we can begin to jointly explore nervous system regulation strategies that will allow you to make lasting changes in your life.  

Emotions from past experiences, especially trauma or stress, can manifest physically, causing tension, anxiety, or emotional reactivity. My approach, inspired by experts like Bessel Van der Kolk and Peter Levine, uses somatic based practices and mindfulness to soothe the nervous system and foster emotional resilience. The aim of the therapy is to find more inner balance, feel less reactive and create a toolkit of regulating resources. 

Trust-Building: We start the therapeutic process by creating a safe enough space through the use of grounding and stabilising techniques. 

Window of Tolerance: This model underpins our work and is introduced within the first two sessions. The window of tolerance is a psychology concept describing the range of emotional arousal in which you can cope, think clearly, and respond effectively. When you are inside the window, you feel regulated, present, and able to handle stress. Above the window, often called hyperarousal, you may experience anxiety, panic, anger, or overwhelm. Below the window, known as hypoarousal, you may feel numb, shut down, disconnected, or very low in energy. The aim is not to stay within the window at all times, but to notice when you are outside it and use skills to return.

Personalised Practices: Jointly we explore what works for you and explore the practices together to create a helpful toolkit you can use in your life. Resources can include breathwork, gentle movement, somatic practices, yoga, compassion based interventions and mindfulness. 

Recordings and resources: After each session recordings of practices we have tried and extra resources will be shared with you.

Supportive Environment: The sessions can be undertaken in person, outdoors/indoors or online. 

Somatic Work with Clients – The Phased Approach I use

The KOA therapeutic method ©

The KOA Method: A Trauma Informed Somatic Approach for Nervous System Integration

After many years of professional practice, study, and embodied exploration, I developed The KOA Method, a trauma informed, integrative approach grounded in somatic therapy and nervous system awareness.  Rooted in compassion, embodiment, and choice, The KOA Method supports you to reconnect with your body, develop emotional resilience, and create safety from within. Drawing on a range of practices including mindfulness, movement, sound, breath work, reiki, and systemic insight, the work adapts responsively to what best supports you, moment by moment.

At the heart of this method lies a phased approach that honours the body’s natural pace of healing, always centring your agency, consent, and readiness.

This method underpins my 1to1 work with clients.

Somatic Work with Clients – The KOA Phased Approach

Phase One: Establishing Safety and Building the Therapeutic Container

Focus:
Cultivating a strong, collaborative therapeutic relationship and a felt sense of internal and relational safety.

This is the foundation of all somatic work. We begin by creating a therapeutic space rooted in trust, transparency, and mutual respect. Safety is not assumed; it is built over time through consistent presence and attuned relational work.

This phase may include:

• Creating clear agreements around consent, boundaries, and pacing
• Reading and responding to your nervous system in the present moment with attunement and care
• Supporting choice-making in sessions to build trust and autonomy
• Identifying internal and external resources such as people, places, sensations, objects, or movements that help you feel grounded or supported
• Using gentle practices like breath awareness, grounding, and sound to support regulation

Examples of practices used in this phase include mindfulness, restorative movement, sound, reiki, nervous system education, and compassionate dialogue.

Phase Two: Understanding the Nervous System – Psychoeducation

Focus:
Helping you make sense of your experiences through a nervous system lens.

Many people find relief and empowerment through understanding how their body responds to stress, trauma, and emotion. In this phase, we introduce accessible education to help normalise your experience, reduce shame, and develop language around regulation and dysregulation.

This phase may include:

• Learning about the window of tolerance and recognising patterns of heightened or reduced activation
• Exploring the autonomic nervous system including fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and rest and digest responses
• Identifying early signs of nervous system activation and building awareness of personal patterns
• Reframing responses as adaptive survival strategies that once helped you cope and survive

Examples of practices in this phase include reflective discussion, journalling, visual mapping, and simple movement to explore states of activation and regulation.

Phase Three: Resource Building and Stabilisation

Focus:
Developing somatic tools and practices to support nervous system regulation and emotional stability.

In this phase, we build your capacity to stay connected with yourself in moments of stress or discomfort. Regulation is not about eliminating difficult feelings, but about developing the ability to stay present and return to safety.

This phase may include:

• Gentle breath awareness, sound work, and grounding techniques to bring you into the present moment
• Exploring movement or postures that create a sense of containment or strength
• Using supportive modalities such as reiki, restorative yoga, or sound to ease the body into states of calm
• Introducing skills for moving between discomfort and safety in manageable doses
• Practising self-regulation and co-regulation strategies

Examples of practices in this phase include yin yoga, compassion-based inner work, breath awareness, reiki, sound, and movement for grounding and safety.

Phase Four: Somatic Processing and Deeper Body-Based Work

Focus:
Accessing and gently processing stored survival responses, emotions, and body memory.

This phase is only entered once we have a shared agreement that there is enough stability and capacity to return to regulation after deeper exploration. The aim is to support you in safely accessing what the body has held—without becoming overwhelmed or retraumatised.

This phase may include:

• Body scans to increase awareness of internal sensations
• Allowing the body to complete unfinished impulses such as the urge to run, hide, reach, or push
• Gently exploring areas of tension, bracing, or dissociation
• Engaging in somatic dialogue by asking the body questions and allowing sensations, images, or movements to emerge
• Working with the felt sense rather than focusing solely on storytelling, while always returning to safety and presence

Examples of practices in this phase include systemic constellation work, deep somatic movement, embodied imagery, sound therapy, and energy-based support such as reiki.

What Runs Through All Phases

Regardless of where you are in your process, the following are present throughout:

• A trauma informed approach that honours your pace, story, and nervous system capacity
• An integrative approach that meets you where you are
• A focus on consent, choice, and collaborative pacing
• Ongoing check-ins to ensure safety, readiness, and integration
• Reflection and integration through journalling, creative expression, ritual, or conversation
• Continuous support of your autonomy and a strengthening of self-trust and agency
• Sharing of personalised resources including recordings, grounding tools, or practices for use between sessions

The KOA Method Is Not a Protocol, but a Partnership

This work is not about following a rigid structure. It is about building a living, responsive relationship with your body and experience. Each session is unique, drawing on the practices that are most needed in the moment, whether that is silence, sound, movement, stillness, insight, or rest.

The body holds wisdom, strength, and the memory of survival. The KOA Method honours this. It meets you where you are and walks with you, gently supporting you as you reconnect with yourself, restore safety, and move toward a life of deeper presence, resilience, and authenticity.

Resources

• Audio recordings of key practices used in the session (e.g. grounding, gentle breathwork, movement sequences)
• Written summaries or prompts to support ongoing reflection
• Suggested home practices, adapted to meet your nervous system where it is
• Additional resources (videos, readings, or links) to explore further if desired

These are offered to help you integrate the session, build capacity gently over time, and return to supportive tools as needed.

The main location I use for my therapeutic work https://www.salisburycentre.org

The Salisbury centre:

https://youtube.com/shorts/g-93wEfJvWM?si=9byoX7J-eKEnvesJ