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Somatic Movement Therapy With Licensed Professionals in Richmond, VA
Somatic movement therapy can be a beneficial approach for a range of diagnoses, particularly those involving chronic pain, trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and stress-related disorders. It is especially effective for individuals who experience a disconnection between mind and body or have difficulty processing emotions through traditional talk therapy. By using gentle, mindful movement and body awareness practices, somatic movement therapy helps clients regulate their nervous systems, release stored tension, and build resilience. The pace of results can vary depending on the individual and the condition being treated; some may experience noticeable improvements in body awareness and emotional regulation within a few sessions, while others may require longer-term engagement for deeper healing and integration.
What is Somatic Movement Therapy?
How is this different from Somatic Experiencing?
How is Somatic Movement Therapy different from Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)?
Is Somatic Movement Therapy more powerful that EMDR?
What is Somatic Movement Therapy?
Somatic Movement Therapy reconnects the self by tapping into the sensations of the body, discharging constriction in joints and muscles, and bringing awareness to the breath to achieve a relaxed and safe internal state.
Somatic Movement Therapy is a body-centered approach to healing that uses gentle, mindful movement to increase awareness of the body and release tension, trauma, or chronic patterns of stress. "Somatic" means "of the body," and this therapy focuses on the internal experience of movement rather than how it looks from the outside.
Somatic Movement Therapy operates from the perspective that the body is a warehouse for every one of our experiences - from in utero to present day. While visible scars are easy to measure on our skin, invisible scars on our nervous system are measured by symptoms of emotional reactivity, dissociation, and chronic muscle tension.
Through this work, symptoms related to shock, developmental, and relational trauma are overcome. As a byproduct, chronic pain can be decreased, moods organically regulate, and sleep improves.
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Somatic Movement Therapy practitioners guide clients through movement practices that reconnect them to bodily sensations, emotions, and nervous system responses. The goal is often to restore a sense of safety, regulation, and embodiment. It draws from disciplines like dance therapy, bodywork, neuroscience, and mindfulness.
It’s used for a range of issues, including trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, and stress-related conditions. Unlike traditional talk therapy, somatic movement therapy emphasizes the body as a key part of the healing process.
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How Is This Different From Somatic Experiencing?
While both Somatic Movement Therapy and Somatic Experiencing are informed by Polyvagal Theory, each therapeutic modality utilizes slightly different techniques in their attempt to discharge fight/flight/freeze energy. Somatic Experiencing focuses heavily on bringing attention to present day, here and now sensations and noticing movements that are currently happening that the client may or may not be aware of. Somatic Movement Therapy invites intentional movement.
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In Somatic Movement Therapy, movement is typically slow, mindful, and exploratory—not about exercise or performance, but about tuning into your body’s internal experience. It might look like:
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Gentle stretches or micro-movements that help you sense tension or ease.
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Free-form or guided movement to explore how emotions show up in the body.
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Breath-led motion, where breath guides subtle shifts or full-body movement.
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Grounding or rocking motions that calm the nervous system.
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Movement improvisation—spontaneously following what the body wants to do, rather than what the mind thinks it “should” do.
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It can happen seated, standing, lying down, or even in stillness.
The focus is always on what it feels like from the inside,
not how it looks from the outside.​
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I specialize in the use of Somatic Movement Therapy, TCTSY, and Somatic Experiencing to help individuals struggling with relational trauma, attachment trauma, and complex trauma. Ready to introduce Somatic Therapy to your trauma recovery?
How is Somatic Movement Therapy different from Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)?
Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) and somatic movement therapy both use body-based approaches to support healing, especially from trauma, but they differ in structure, philosophy, and therapeutic goals.
TCTSY is a specific, evidence-based form of yoga developed for survivors of complex trauma and PTSD. It emphasizes choice-making, interoception (internal body awareness), and the restoration of agency in a safe, non-coercive environment. Movements are simple and accessible, offered as invitations rather than directives, and the facilitator avoids physical adjustments or interpretations of experience. TCTSY is rooted in trauma theory, attachment theory, and neuroscience, and is designed to create a safe space where individuals can begin to rebuild a relationship with their bodies.
Somatic movement therapy, on the other hand, is a broader field that includes various modalities (like Laban/Bartenieff, Feldenkrais, Body-Mind Centering, and others) and may involve more exploratory movement, hands-on work, and guided body awareness practices. It often addresses a wider range of physical, emotional, and psychological conditions—not just trauma—and may be more individualized and improvisational.
In short, TCTSY is a structured, trauma-specific modality with a consistent framework, while somatic movement therapy is more diverse and adaptable, potentially incorporating deeper movement exploration and a broader therapeutic scope.
Shouldn't I Just Do EMDR Instead?
EMDR is an incredibly popular approach to treating trauma but the reality is that EMDR can move way too fast and be too much for many nervous systems. Prior to EMDR reprocessing, a skilled clinician will focus heavily on preparing the nervous system by widening the zone of resiliency where negative affect can be tolerated. This is primarily done through somatic-based methods, as well as attachment-based and parts-work oriented approaches.
Many participants will find that through the work of widening the zone of resiliency, their treatment goals for EMDR have already been met. The exceptions to this tend to be individuals with severe developmental trauma whose nervous systems need a bit more recalibration. When this is the case, augment sessions with an EMDR therapist can easily be scheduled while maintaining work with a somatic-based primary practitioner.