Somatic Trauma Therapy in Brisbane
Body-based treatment for complex trauma, dissociation, and nervous-system healing
Supporting nervous-system healing with somatic, attachment-based trauma treatment
Body-based treatment for complex trauma, dissociation, and nervous-system healing
Somatic therapy supports healing by working gently with the body’s protective responses, nervous-system patterns, and felt experience. This approach recognises that trauma is held not only in memory and emotion but also in our physiology, movement, and patterns of connection and protection.
Trauma does not only live in the mind. It can shape the body’s survival responses, leaving individuals cycling between hyperarousal, collapse, emotional overwhelm, and disconnection. Research shows that traumatic experiences affect physiology, perception, movement, and the ability to feel safe in relationship (van der Kolk, 2014; Porges, 2011; Ogden, Minton & Pain, 2006).
Somatic trauma therapy works directly with the nervous system, bodily sensations, and movement patterns to gradually restore safety, regulation, and connection. This approach supports capacity-building, emotional integration, relational repair, and a more grounded sense of self.
I offer paced, evidence-informed somatic treatment for adults recovering from complex trauma and dissociation, drawing on Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and contemporary trauma neuroscience.
Learn more about Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Explore Somatic Touch Therapy
What is Somatic Psychotherapy?
Somatic trauma therapy focuses on interoception, movement, posture, and autonomic nervous system responses. Instead of speaking about experiences alone, we gently track what the body is doing in the moment as a doorway to regulation and integration.
This approach is grounded in neurobiological and attachment-informed trauma models showing that implicit memory, protective responses, and survival patterns are held in the body and shaped in early relational environments (Schore, 2019; Briere & Scott, 2015).
Why Somatic Therapy Supports Trauma Recovery
Changes in trauma often require changes in the nervous system
People who have experienced trauma may feel:
Hypervigilance or shutdown
Emotional flooding or numbness
Dissociation or disconnection from the body
Difficulty trusting safety or connection
Chronic tension, fatigue, or collapse patterns
Somatic therapy helps build capacity and stability before working with deeper material.
This protects the nervous system, reduces overwhelm, and supports integration at a tolerable pace (Ogden, Minton & Pain, 2006; van der Kolk, 2014).
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
My work draws on Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, somatic awareness, parts-informed approaches, and attachment-based relational frameworks to help clients develop regulation skills, increase embodied presence, and safely process traumatic experience.
How we will work together
Tracking sensations and impulses gently
Orienting and grounding practices
Breath and movement explorations
Working with boundaries, impulse, and agency
Attending to relational and attachment patterns
Integrating parts or self-states when relevant
What to Expect
A calm, attuned therapeutic space
Careful attention to nervous-system pacing
Collaborative consent and shared decision-making
Respect for boundaries and personal rhythm
Integration of somatic, relational, and psychological work
Frequently Asked Questions
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic trauma therapy works directly with the nervous system, physiological responses, and body-based patterns shaped by traumatic experience. It supports awareness, regulation, and integration by gently attending to sensations, movement, breath, and relational connection. This approach reflects trauma research showing that trauma impacts physiology and requires body-based interventions alongside psychological support (Ogden, Minton & Pain, 2006; van der Kolk, 2014; Porges, 2011).
Is somatic therapy the same as talk therapy?
Somatic therapy includes verbal work but emphasises body awareness, sensation, and movement. It complements and deepens psychological insight by engaging physiology and implicit memory (van der Kolk, 2014; Ogden et al., 2006).
Can somatic therapy help with dissociation?
Yes. Somatic work can support grounding, presence, and internal connection while pacing interventions to avoid overwhelm. This aligns with phased trauma treatment principles (van der Hart, Nijenhuis & Steele, 2006).
Do you use touch in therapy?
Touch may be offered in specific contexts as an adjunct somatic intervention when clinically appropriate, collaboratively agreed upon, and consent-based. Touch is never assumed or required. Somatic therapy can be entirely non-touch and remains effective without physical contact.
Do we talk about traumatic memories?
We begin with stabilisation and capacity-building, then gently approach traumatic material when the system can safely hold it. This follows a phased model of trauma treatment (Briere & Scott, 2015).
How you can work with me
01
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
We work in partnership to tap into the wisdom of your nervous system and find your own unique solutions that work for you, to heal from your trauma.
02
SOMATIC TOUCH THERAPY
Somatic Experiencing® Touch and Nuero affective touch, are gentle hands-on body-based approaches to healing shock, developmental and pre-verbal trauma.
03
GROUP THERAPY
The Connection Circle is a fortnightly therapeutically facilitated group that focuses on understanding relationships interpersonal and intra-personal.
04
Sensorimotor (SP)
CASE CONSULTATION
SPI Approved Consultants provide consultation to students and alumni on the integration of SP interventions and concepts in clinical practice. As an SP Trainer and Consultant I offer opportunities to explore SP skills, techniques, case material, clinical questions, and therapeutic challenges.
05
CLINICAL SUPERVISION
I provide clinical supervision and self-care support for Brisbane psychotherapists, counsellors and allied health professionals.
06
GESTALT THERAPY STUDENTS
I’m an approved therapist for Gestalt Therapy Brisbane students who are completing their Master of Gestalt Therapy or Graduate Certificate in Gestalt therapy.