What It’s Actually Like to Sit in a Somatic Session
There’s a moment when you start to get curious about this kind of work—
and almost immediately, you’re not sure what to make of it.
If you’ve spent any time online, you’ve probably seen some version of “somatic work”…
people shaking, crying, holding intense positions, or having what looks like a big emotional release.
And it can leave you wondering what this work actually is and whether that’s what you’d be walking into.
Because of that, it’s completely understandable that when people consider a session, there’s often a quiet question underneath it:
What is this actually going to be like?
Some people worry they’ll have to tell their entire story all over again. Others wonder if it’s going to feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or like they’ll be expected to do something they don’t fully understand.
The truth is, a session is often much simpler—and much gentler—than people expect.
We don’t start where you think
When you come in, we don’t jump straight into anything intense.
We start by slowing things down, just enough to begin noticing what’s here.
There’s usually a conversational element. You might share a little about what’s been going on or what brought you in, but we’re not rushing to tell the whole story. In fact, we often pause before you even get very far.
This can feel unfamiliar at first, especially if you’re used to traditional talk therapy.
I remember thinking in my own first somatic sessions as a client, this is kind of strange… I didn’t even get to finish my story.
But there’s a reason for that.
We’re not just listening to what’s being said. We’re paying attention to what’s happening in your system as you say it.
What we’re actually paying attention to
Instead of focusing only on the story, we begin to notice your present-moment experience.
That might include:
what your body feels like in the chair
the rhythm of your breath
areas of tension or ease
what feels steady—or what doesn’t
when you talk about something, what starts to happen in your body
Not to analyze it.
Not to make it mean something.
Just to begin building awareness and connection.
In Somatic Experiencing, we’re gently tracking these different layers of experience—your thoughts, but also sensations, emotions, images, and the subtle shifts happening in your body—as a way to understand what your system is holding and how it’s responding in real time.
The pace is intentional
One of the most important parts of this work is going slowly.
Not because anything is wrong, but because your nervous system processes through experience, not speed. Trauma and chronic stress and the pace of our modern lives keep us moving fast— often too fast— for our system to have time to really process things.
We’re not trying to get to the most intense part of your story.
Instead, we’re helping your system feel supported enough to be with what’s already here.
Especially in the beginning, that often looks like:
helping your system settle
noticing what feels safe or supportive
building capacity in small, manageable ways
It can feel subtle. Even simple.
And yet—this is where things begin to shift
One of the things people are often surprised by is how much can come from very small moments.
Something as simple as slowly looking around the room
or noticing where your body makes contact with the chair
can begin to bring awareness to things that have been sitting just below the surface.
I’ve had this experience myself—walking into a my own sessions as a client with my practitioner thinking, I feel totally fine, this will probably be easy,and then a few minutes into something simple like orienting, something deeper begins to emerge.
Not because anything was forced, but because there was finally enough space for it to come forward.
You’re not pushed into anything
There’s no expectation that you’ll have a big emotional release.
And there’s no need to go into anything you’re not ready for.
We follow your system:
If something starts to feel like too much, we slow down
If something feels supportive, we stay there
If your system needs a pause, we take it
This work isn’t about pushing through or figuring everything out.
It’s about creating the conditions where your body doesn’t have to hold everything on its own.
What people often notice after a session
At the end of a session, I’ll usually invite you to pause and notice how you feel compared to when you first arrived.
What people notice isn’t usually dramatic, but it is meaningful.
Often it sounds like:
“I feel more present”
“I feel like I’m back in my body”
“Things feel quieter”
“I feel more settled… like I have more capacity”
These shifts are subtle but they build over time.
If you’ve been curious
You don’t need to prepare.
You don’t need to have the right words.
And you don’t need to tell your whole story.
We start exactly where you are and move at a pace your system can actually work with.
If you’re ready to explore what this could feel like for you, you’re welcome to reach out or book a session.
