Somatic therapy · In-person in Toronto and Online across Ontario
Your body is always communicating.
Somatic therapy helps you pay attention not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to what is happening in your body. By noticing sensations, impulses, tension, breath, movement, and nervous system responses, therapy can support greater regulation, self-awareness, and a sense of safety within yourself.
Sometimes, how you say something matters more than what you say.
Stress, trauma, grief, anxiety, and relationship experiences do not only live in our thoughts. They can also show up as tension, numbness, restlessness, shutdown, pain, disconnection, difficulty breathing fully, or a sense of being constantly on alert. Somatic therapy brings attention to these experiences rather than asking you to explain everything intellectually.
You may notice that you:
- understand your patterns logically but still feel stuck
- become overwhelmed or shut down quickly
- feel disconnected from your body
- carry chronic tension or restlessness
- find it hard to relax even when you know you are safe
Somatic therapy can help you become curious about how your body holds your emotions, so you can release what doesn’t resonate anymore and feel greater sense of aliveness.
How somatic therapy can help
What We Can Work on Together:
- noticing and understanding nervous system responses
- recognizing early signs of overwhelm, shutdown, or activation
- developing greater capacity to stay present with difficult emotions
- strengthening awareness of physical boundaries and impulses/li>
- reducing chronic tension and hypervigilance
- working with trauma without relying only on verbal retelling
- rebuilding a sense of safety and trust in your body
Therapy that includes the body.
- changes in breath
- tension or relaxation
- posture or movement
- impulses to move toward or away from something
- areas of comfort or discomfort
- what happens in your body when you talk about a particular experience
- shifts in energy
WHO SOMATIC THERAPY CAN SUPPORT
Somatic therapy may be a good fit if…
- you have experienced trauma or chronic stress
- anxiety feels strongly physical
- you tend to freeze, shut down, or dissociate
- talk therapy has helped you understand your experiences but something still feels unresolved
- you experience chronic hypervigilance or difficulty settling
Starting therapy
Choose a therapist and appointment time that works for you. You can meet in person in Toronto or virtually across Ontario.
Your first session is a chance to talk about what brings you to therapy, what you hope will feel different, and what support might be most helpful.
Begin at your own pace
Together, we’ll build a therapy process that feels collaborative, thoughtful, and responsive to your needs..
Somatic therapy with Ivana Psychotherapy
Our therapists integrate body-based awareness with relational, trauma-informed psychotherapy. Depending on the therapist, somatic work may draw from approaches such as Somatic Experiencing, polyvagal-informed therapy, Gestalt therapy, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation. The goal is not simply to reduce symptoms, but to help you feel more present, connected, and able to respond to life with greater choice.
I believe not only that trauma is curable, but that the healing process can be a catalyst for profound awakening
— Peter Levine
Somatic therapy in Toronto and online across Ontario
You are beautiful
Individual and couples therapy for adults Somatic Therapy In-Person and Online