Somatic therapy for trauma that helps you feel safe in your body
Somatic work for trauma focuses on stabilisation: helping your nervous system settle, building reliable ways to ground yourself, and making everyday life feel more manageable.
Trauma is not only remembered; it is often lived through the body. A slammed door sends your heart racing, sleep refuses to come, or you feel braced for something even when nothing is wrong. Somatic work for trauma begins with safety rather than with the story. We build steadiness first, so your body can learn, gradually and on its own terms, that the danger has passed.
“Healing does not start with reliving what happened. It starts with discovering that, right now, in this room, your body can be a little more at ease.”
Every piece of deeper work rests on this foundation of safety, so we never rush past it.
Why trauma therapy starts with regulation
When something overwhelming happens, the body's survival systems can stay switched on long after the event. Somatic therapy for trauma helps those systems find their way back to rest.
Trauma can leave the nervous system stuck in patterns of high alert or shutdown. You may feel jumpy, irritable and unable to relax, or flat, foggy and far away from yourself. Often people swing between the two. These are not character flaws; they are protective responses that once made sense. Somatic therapy for trauma in New York works directly with these responses, using the body as the place where change can begin.
The focus here is stabilisation and regulation. Rather than exploring traumatic memories in detail, we concentrate on helping you recognise your own signs of activation, widen the range of experience you can tolerate without becoming overwhelmed, and develop practical ways of returning to steadiness. This creates a sense of ground you can rely on between sessions as well as within them.
For many people, this phase is profoundly helpful in itself. Sleep can become easier, triggers less consuming and relationships less fraught. For others, it becomes the preparation for deeper processing later on. Either way, nothing moves forward until you feel ready, and you remain in charge of every step.
Where this sits among my somatic services
Somatic exploration is an open, curiosity-led practice for anyone wishing to know their body better. Somatic work for trauma, described on this page, is about stabilising and regulating a nervous system shaped by difficult experiences. Trauma processing through somatic work is a later, more targeted stage in which we gently approach traumatic material itself. Many people begin here and only move on if and when it feels right.
Safety, consent and choice
Trauma often involves a loss of control, so this work is built around giving control back. I ask before suggesting anything, explain why, and check in often. You can decline any invitation, keep your eyes open, stay seated or change the subject. Learning that your no is respected is itself part of the healing.
Integrated with psychiatric care
Because I am a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, I can also consider whether medication or supplements might support sleep, anxiety or mood while you build regulation skills. Any treatment is discussed openly, introduced gradually and monitored closely, always as one part of a whole-person, trauma-informed plan.
Signs your nervous system may need steadying
Trauma responses can show up in ways that seem unrelated to the past. You might not even think of what happened to you as trauma. If several of these feel familiar, somatic work focused on stabilisation and regulation may offer some relief and a more dependable sense of ground.
- Feeling constantly on edge
- Being easily startled
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Going numb or spacing out
- Sudden waves of panic or dread
- Overwhelm from ordinary situations
- Chronic tension or bracing
- Difficulty feeling safe with others
- Emotions that feel out of proportion
Tools for grounding and regulation
These are some of the somatic tools we may use to help your body feel safer. They are offered as experiments, never instructions, and we keep only what genuinely works for you.
Grounding and orienting
We practise gently bringing attention to the present: feeling your feet on the floor, the support of the chair, or letting your eyes rest on things in the room. These simple acts can signal to your nervous system that you are here and now, not back there.
Supportive breathwork
Breath can calm or activate, so we approach it carefully. Rather than forcing deep breathing, which can feel unsafe for some, we explore small adjustments, such as a slightly longer exhale, and notice how your body responds before going further.
Gentle body scans
We move attention slowly through the body, noticing areas that feel neutral or comfortable as well as those that hold tension. Starting with the more settled places helps you build trust in sensation without being pulled into distress.
Finding your window
Together we map what activation and shutdown feel like for you, and the zone in between where you can think, feel and connect. Over time we work to widen that window so more of life can be met without overwhelm.
Parts work
Different parts of you may react to trauma differently: one that wants to fight, one that wants to hide, one that just wants to get on with things. We approach these parts with curiosity and compassion, helping them feel understood rather than overridden.
Resources you can carry
We identify people, places, memories, objects or movements that help you feel steadier, and practise calling on them. The aim is a personal toolkit you can use on the subway, at work or at three in the morning, not only in my office.
Two stages of somatic trauma work
Stabilisation and processing are related but distinct. This page focuses on the first, which is where nearly everyone begins.
Somatic work for trauma
- Aims for safety and steadiness
- Focuses on present-moment regulation
- Builds grounding and coping resources
- Keeps traumatic memories at a distance
- Suitable when life feels overwhelming
Trauma processing
- Aims to resolve stuck trauma responses
- Works carefully at the edges of memory
- Relies on resources already in place
- Approaches traumatic material in small doses
- Suitable once stability feels reliable
Starting somatic therapy for trauma safely
Each stage is paced by you, with plenty of space to slow down or pause.
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1
Free consultation 15 minutes
A brief, confidential conversation where you can share as much or as little as you like about what brings you here. You do not need to describe your trauma. We focus on what you are hoping for and whether this kind of stabilising somatic work feels like a good fit.
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Careful assessment
In our first full session I gather a picture of your mental and physical health, current stressors, sleep, any medication and your existing ways of coping. We talk about how activation and shutdown show up for you, so the work can be tailored from the start.
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Building regulation
Ongoing sessions combine conversation with short, gentle somatic practices. We test what helps your body settle and practise it often enough that it becomes familiar. Progress may be quiet at first: a slightly easier night, a trigger that passes a little faster.
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Reviewing next steps
We regularly reflect on how stable you feel. Some people find that regulation is all they need. Others, once grounded, choose to move into trauma processing through somatic work. That decision is always yours, made together and never rushed.
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 Work for Trauma FAQs
What is somatic therapy for trauma?
It is a body-based approach that recognises trauma often lives on in the nervous system as tension, hypervigilance, numbness or disrupted sleep. In the stabilisation-focused work described here, we use grounding, orienting, gentle breath and body awareness to help you feel safer and more regulated in daily life. The emphasis is on building steadiness in the present rather than revisiting the details of what happened.
Will I have to talk about what happened to me?
No. One of the strengths of a somatic approach is that it does not depend on retelling traumatic events. You are welcome to share your history if and when you want to, but our focus is on how your body is responding now and what helps it settle. Many people find it a relief to make progress without having to put painful experiences into words.
What if focusing on my body makes me feel worse?
For some people with trauma, paying attention to the body can initially feel uncomfortable or even frightening. That is understandable, and we work with it carefully. We start with neutral or pleasant areas, keep practices brief and stop whenever you need to. Feeling some discomfort is not a sign of failure; it is information that helps us adjust the pace.
How long does stabilisation usually take?
It varies widely. Someone with a single recent experience may feel steadier within weeks, while people with long-standing or developmental trauma often benefit from a longer period of regulation work. There is no deadline. We review together how things are going and only move on, or finish, when it makes sense for you.
Can somatic trauma work help with sleep problems?
Sleep is often one of the first things affected by trauma, because rest requires the body to feel safe enough to let go. Regulation practices may help some people wind down more easily, and as a psychiatric nurse practitioner I can also discuss whether short-term medication or supplements could support sleep. Any approach is tailored to you and reviewed carefully.
Is this approach affirming for LGBTQIA+ clients?
Yes. My practice is LGBTQIA+ affirming, and I understand that trauma can be shaped by discrimination, family rejection, medical mistreatment or violence connected to identity. Somatic work respects your relationship with your body, including any experience of dysphoria, and never assumes how your body should feel. You lead, and your sense of self is honoured throughout.
What should I do if I am in crisis?
Somatic work for trauma is not an emergency service. If you are thinking about harming yourself or feel unsafe right now, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911. Once you are safe, I would be glad to talk about longer-term support.
Start building a body that feels safe again
Book a free 15-minute consultation to talk about somatic therapy for trauma and whether it is the right first step for you.