Somatic exploration in New York for getting to know the body you live in
Somatic exploration is an open, curious way of working with sensation, breath, posture and movement to understand your emotions, experiences and patterns from the inside out.
Not everything we know about ourselves arrives as a thought. Some of it shows up as a tight jaw before a difficult call, a sinking in the chest, or a restlessness you cannot name. Somatic exploration makes room for that information. Together we slow down, notice what your body is already saying, and let it inform the way you understand yourself, at a pace that is entirely yours.
“Your body is not a problem to be solved. It is a place where your history, your desires and your intelligence quietly live, waiting to be noticed.”
Somatic exploration does not ask you to fix anything. It invites you to become curious about what is already here.
Somatic therapy as open-ended curiosity
Somatic exploration is body-based work without a fixed destination. It is less about treating a single problem and more about deepening your relationship with your own experience.
In somatic exploration we pay attention to the felt sense of being you: the textures of sensation, the rhythm of your breath, the way your posture shifts when a particular person or memory comes up. This is somatic therapy in New York for people who want to understand themselves more fully, not only for people in crisis. Many clients come because they feel that talking alone has taken them as far as it can.
The work is exploratory by design. We might notice that your shoulders rise whenever you speak about work, or that a feeling of warmth appears when you describe a friend. Rather than interpreting these moments too quickly, we stay with them, ask what they are like, and see what unfolds. Often a gesture or sensation carries meaning that words have not yet reached.
Because I also work psychoanalytically, these bodily moments become part of a wider conversation. What we discover in sensation can illuminate a relationship pattern, a creative block or a long-held belief about yourself. The body and the story inform each other, and neither is treated as more important than the other.
How this differs from somatic work for trauma
Somatic exploration is broad and open-ended. It suits people who are curious about embodiment, feel disconnected from their bodies, or want a richer emotional vocabulary. If your primary need is to feel safer and more regulated after traumatic experiences, somatic work for trauma has a more structured focus on stabilisation. If you are ready to work directly with traumatic material, trauma processing through somatic work is the more targeted option. We can talk through which fits you during a free consultation.
What a session can feel like
Sessions often begin conversationally. At some point I may invite you to pause and notice what is happening in your body as you speak. You might describe a sensation, follow a small impulse to move, or simply sit with a quality of stillness. Nothing is required and everything is optional. You remain in charge of how much you share and how far you go, and it is always fine to say no or to stop.
Exploration within a wider relationship
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I can weave somatic exploration together with psychotherapy and, where it is helpful, medication or supplement support. You do not need separate providers for each part of yourself. This continuity lets insights from the body connect naturally with the rest of your care.
Somatic exploration may suit you if you want to feel more
People arrive at somatic exploration for many reasons. Some feel they live mostly in their heads. Others notice their bodies reacting before they understand why. Some are artists, therapists or seekers who simply want to know themselves more deeply. You do not need a diagnosis or a dramatic reason to begin; curiosity is enough.
- Feeling disconnected from your body
- Struggling to name your emotions
- Talk therapy feels too intellectual
- Recurring patterns you cannot explain
- Physical tension with no clear cause
- Wanting richer creative or erotic aliveness
- Curiosity about embodiment and presence
- Feeling numb, flat or far away
- Interest in mind-body integration
What somatic exploration involves
There is no script. Each session follows what is alive for you that day. These are some of the threads we might pick up as we explore, always with your permission and always at a pace that feels right.
Tracking sensation
We notice where feelings live in your body: pressure, heat, flutter, heaviness, openness. Learning to describe these sensations builds a vocabulary that helps you recognise emotional states earlier and with more nuance in everyday life.
Following impulses
Sometimes the body wants to do something small, like turn towards the window, push the hands together or lean back. We explore these impulses gently, letting them unfold and noticing what they reveal about need, desire or protection.
Breath as information
Rather than prescribing breathing techniques, we observe how your breath changes as you speak about different parts of your life. Breath patterns often reflect how safe, constrained or expansive you feel in a given moment.
Gesture and posture
The way you hold yourself carries history. We get curious about familiar postures and gestures, asking where they come from and whether they still serve you, without any judgement about how you should look or move.
Linking body and story
Insights from sensation are brought back into conversation. A clenched fist might connect to anger you were never allowed to show. These links are made collaboratively, never imposed, and you are the authority on what they mean.
Affirming curiosity
This is an LGBTQIA+ affirming, non-judgemental space for every kind of body. Gender, sexuality, desire, illness and difference are all welcome. Exploration is shaped around your values, not a standard of what a body should be.
Adding the body to the conversation
Somatic exploration does not replace talking. It widens what we can notice together, so that understanding becomes something you feel as well as think.
Talk-only therapy
- Focuses mainly on thoughts and narrative
- Insight can stay largely intellectual
- Bodily reactions are often overlooked
- Patterns are described after the fact
- Emotion is discussed more than felt
With somatic exploration
- Includes sensation, breath and movement
- Insight is felt as well as understood
- The body's signals become useful information
- Patterns are noticed as they happen
- Emotion is experienced with support
Beginning somatic exploration step by step
Starting is simple, and you set the pace from the very first conversation.
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1
Free consultation 15 minutes
We have a short conversation about what draws you to somatic exploration and what you hope to discover. You can ask how I work, what sessions feel like and whether this approach makes sense alongside anything else you are doing. There is no obligation to continue.
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2
Getting to know you
Our first session is about your history, your relationship with your body and what feels important now. I will also ask about your mental and physical health so that the work sits safely within the wider picture of your wellbeing and any treatment you are receiving.
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3
Exploring together
In ongoing sessions we move between conversation and embodied attention. Some sessions will be mostly verbal, others more focused on sensation and movement. We adjust as we go, guided by what feels meaningful and manageable for you on any particular day.
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4
Carrying it into life
Over time, the awareness you build in sessions starts to appear elsewhere: noticing tension before it becomes a headache, sensing a boundary before it is crossed, recognising pleasure more readily. We reflect regularly on what is changing and what you would like to explore next.
Francesca Rome-Marie, PMHNP-BC
I bring together psychiatry, psychotherapy, somatic work and whole-body health, informed by years in primary care and further study in gender theory, feminist thought, culture and visual art.
I keep a deliberately small caseload so that every client receives consistent, unhurried and genuinely attentive care, held within one relationship rather than split across several providers.
Clear, upfront rates
I don't accept insurance. Modern Holistic Psychiatry is an out-of-network provider, so sessions are paid for directly. Depending on your plan, you may be able to claim reimbursement through your out-of-network benefits.
Find out how much your insurance may coverNeed urgent support? If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.
Somatic Exploration FAQs
What is somatic exploration, in plain terms?
It is a way of paying close, kind attention to what is happening in your body, such as sensation, breath, posture and small movements, and using that attention to understand your emotions and patterns. Unlike some structured somatic methods, it does not follow a fixed protocol. It is open-ended and led by your curiosity, which makes it well suited to people who want to know themselves more deeply rather than resolve a single issue.
Do I need to have experienced trauma to benefit?
No. Many people who come for somatic exploration have no particular trauma history they want to address. They may feel disconnected, overly cerebral or simply curious about embodiment. If trauma does emerge during our work, we can slow down and shift towards a more regulation-focused approach, and I will always talk with you about any change in direction before making it.
Will I have to move around or lie down?
Not unless you want to. Most somatic exploration happens while sitting comfortably and talking. I may invite you to notice something, adjust your position or follow a small gesture, but every invitation is optional. There is no hands-on touch, no performance and no right way to do it. Some clients barely move at all and still find the work deeply informative.
How is this different from somatic therapy for trauma?
Somatic exploration is broad and curiosity-led. Somatic work for trauma is more structured, with a clear focus on helping your nervous system feel safer and steadier. Trauma processing through somatic work goes further, gently working with traumatic experiences once enough stability is in place. All three use the body, but their aims, pacing and structure are different, and we choose together based on what you need.
Can somatic exploration be combined with medication?
Yes. As a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, I can assess whether medication or supplements might be helpful and manage them alongside our somatic work. Some clients find that exploring sensation also helps them notice how a medication is affecting them, which can make conversations about adjustments clearer and more collaborative. Any change is always gradual and carefully monitored.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no set number. Some people come for a focused period of a few months to deepen their body awareness, while others make somatic exploration a longer part of their therapy. We review how things are going regularly, and you can choose to pause, continue or change focus at any point. Longer 90-minute sessions can give exploration more room to unfold.
Is somatic exploration in New York available if I live outside Manhattan?
I see clients across New York State, and my practice is based at Union Square West in Manhattan. During your free consultation we can talk through practical arrangements and whether working together makes sense for where you live and what you are looking for.
Begin exploring what your body already knows
Book a free 15-minute consultation and we can talk about whether somatic exploration feels right for you.