SOMATIC & NERVOUS SYSTEM THERAPY
Sometimes your body reacts before you have the words.
Therapy that makes room for what you feel, not only what you think.
You might understand exactly why something upsets you. You can identify the trigger, explain your history, and recognize that you're safe in the present.
Yet your heart still races. Your shoulders tighten. You freeze during difficult conversations, or feel exhausted after situations that others seem to manage easily.
Somatic and nervous-system-informed psychotherapy explores the connection between physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, and lived experiences—helping you develop more awareness, choice, and flexibility in how you respond.
BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION →In-person in Markham · Virtual psychotherapy in eligible provinces
You can understand your past and still feel its echoes in the present.
Your body's responses deserve understanding, not judgment.
THE MIND–BODY CONNECTION
Insight matters. So does what happens in your body.
Stress, anxiety, trauma, and difficult relationships can influence the body's automatic responses. Sometimes these responses continue even when you consciously recognize that a situation has changed.
Somatic-informed therapy brings gentle attention to physical sensations, breathing patterns, posture, movement, and other signs of activation or disconnection.
The goal isn't to control every sensation or force yourself to relax. It's to understand your responses and develop a wider range of ways to care for yourself.
WHAT YOU MIGHT NOTICE
When stress becomes a physical experience.
These experiences can occur for many reasons. Somatic therapy considers them in context rather than assuming they all have the same cause.
Constant Alertness
Feeling on edge, scanning for problems, or finding it difficult to settle even when nothing urgent is happening.
Physical Tension
Tight shoulders, a clenched jaw, shallow breathing, or other patterns of muscle tension.
Freeze & Shutdown
Going blank, becoming quiet, struggling to speak, or feeling unable to act during overwhelming moments.
Emotional Overwhelm
Experiencing intense emotions, irritability, panic, or reactions that feel difficult to slow down.
Disconnection & Numbness
Feeling detached from your emotions, surroundings, or physical sensations, especially under stress.
Difficulty Resting
Feeling restless when you stop, guilty about slowing down, or exhausted despite trying to rest.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR RESPONSES
Your nervous system is always responding.
Fight, flight, freeze, and shutdown are useful ways of describing common stress responses. They are simplified patterns, not fixed personality types or diagnostic categories.
01.
Fight
Irritability, defensiveness, tension, urgency, or an impulse to confront a perceived threat.
02.
Flight
Restlessness, racing thoughts, avoidance, overworking, or feeling compelled to escape.
03.
Freeze
Feeling stuck, unable to decide, physically tense, or momentarily unable to respond.
04.
Shutdown
Numbness, withdrawal, low energy, detachment, or reduced engagement when overwhelmed.
The aim is flexibility, not permanent calm.
Stress responses are part of being human. Therapy can help you recognize when a response is happening, understand what influences it, and develop more options for responding.
INSIDE THE THERAPY ROOM
What does somatic-informed therapy actually involve?
It often looks like ordinary psychotherapy with more intentional attention to bodily experience. Exercises are selected collaboratively and adjusted to your comfort and needs.
Noticing Body Signals
Exploring changes in tension, temperature, posture, energy, breathing, or other sensations as emotions arise.
Grounding & Orientation
Using the present environment, external sensory cues, or simple movements to support a sense of orientation.
Working at a Manageable Pace
Approaching difficult material in smaller steps, with opportunities to pause, shift attention, or stop.
Breath & Movement Awareness
Exploring comfortable ways of breathing, adjusting posture, or moving, without assuming that one technique works for everyone.
Recognizing Early Warning Signs
Learning to notice signs of escalation or disconnection before they become overwhelming.
Connecting Sensation & Meaning
Exploring how bodily experiences relate to emotions, relationships, memories, and present-day situations.
TRAUMA & THE BODY
When the past still influences how the present feels.
Following traumatic or prolonged stressful experiences, reminders of danger can sometimes evoke powerful physical and emotional reactions.
You may feel tense around conflict, startle easily, become overwhelmed by closeness, or disconnect when emotions become intense.
Somatic-informed work can complement trauma therapy by supporting awareness, stabilization, and regulation. Trauma processing, including EMDR when appropriate, is considered according to your needs and readiness.
EXPLORE EMDR THERAPY →You don't have to relive everything to begin learning how to feel more present.
Stabilization and choice are meaningful parts of trauma-informed care.
WHERE THIS APPROACH MAY HELP
Different experiences. Different nervous system needs.
Anxiety & Panic
Recognizing physical signs of anxiety and developing ways to respond when your body becomes highly activated.
Complex Trauma & PTSD
Supporting stabilization, present-moment awareness, and regulation alongside appropriate trauma-focused treatment.
ADHD & Neurodivergence
Understanding sensory needs, overwhelm, transitions, masking, and regulation in a neurodivergent-affirming way.
Burnout & Chronic Stress
Noticing early signs of overextension, exploring limits, and developing more sustainable patterns of rest and activity.
Chronic Pain & Health Stress
Addressing the emotional impact of ongoing symptoms, uncertainty, fatigue, and changes in your relationship with your body.
Dissociation & Disconnection
Developing tolerable ways to reconnect with the present without forcing intense internal attention.
Somatic-informed psychotherapy does not replace medical assessment or treatment. Physical symptoms, especially new, severe, or unexplained ones, should be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare professional.
A GENTLER APPROACH TO BODY AWARENESS
What if paying attention to your body feels overwhelming?
For some people, focusing on breathing, heartbeat, or internal sensations increases anxiety, pain, or dissociation rather than reducing it.
That's important information—not a sign that you're doing therapy incorrectly.
Your therapist may suggest starting with external orientation, noticing the room, feeling the support of a chair, or simply discussing what happens without doing an exercise.
You can pause, decline, or modify an activity. Somatic therapy should be responsive to your capacity and preferences.
THÉLA'S INTEGRATIVE APPROACH
Working with your body and your story.
Somatic and nervous-system-informed strategies are often integrated into broader psychotherapy rather than delivered as a single standardized treatment.
Trauma-Informed Therapy
Considering safety, pacing, consent, and the impact of past experiences on present responses.
Polyvagal-Informed Concepts
Using accessible ideas about activation, connection, and shutdown as a framework for reflection, without treating the model as a definitive explanation of nervous system physiology.
EMDR Therapy
When appropriate, addressing distressing experiences through a structured trauma-focused psychotherapy approach.
IFS & Parts Work
Exploring protective responses with curiosity, including parts of you that mobilize, withdraw, or shut down.
Attachment-Based Work
Understanding how relational experiences influence expectations of safety, closeness, and emotional expression.
Mindfulness & Grounding
Practising awareness of the present in ways that are comfortable and clinically appropriate for you.
MEET YOUR THERAPISTS
Somatic-informed psychotherapy at Théla.
Charlie and Bonny integrate body awareness and nervous-system-informed strategies into their respective areas of clinical practice.
REGISTERED PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Charlie
Trauma · ADHD · Neurodivergence · Chronic Pain · Burnout
Charlie incorporates somatic and nervous-system-informed work into trauma-informed and neurodivergent-affirming psychotherapy.
Her work may be particularly relevant when trauma, ADHD, sensory experiences, chronic stress, burnout, or health-related concerns affect emotional and physical regulation.
Format: Virtual therapy in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, subject to eligibility.
BOOK WITH CHARLIE →PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Bonny Kaman Li
Complex Trauma · BPD · Attachment · Dissociation · Emotional Regulation
Bonny integrates somatic and nervous-system-informed strategies with EMDR, IFS, attachment-based therapy, and DBT-informed skills.
Her approach emphasizes collaborative pacing, particularly when clients experience intense emotional responses, dissociation, attachment-related distress, or complex trauma.
Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
Format: In-person in Markham and virtual therapy across Ontario.
BOOK WITH BONNY →FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions about somatic therapy?
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy includes approaches that bring awareness to bodily sensations and physical responses as part of psychotherapy. At Théla, somatic-informed strategies are integrated with other therapeutic methods based on your needs.
Do I need to have experienced trauma?
No. Somatic-informed work may also be relevant for anxiety, chronic stress, burnout, emotional overwhelm, and the psychological impact of health conditions.
Is somatic therapy the same as Somatic Experiencing?
Not necessarily. Somatic therapy is a broad term. Somatic Experiencing is a specific therapeutic approach with its own training pathway. Please ask about a clinician's training if you're seeking a particular modality.
Will I need to close my eyes or focus on my breathing?
No. Those practices are not required. Your therapist can adapt or avoid exercises that feel uncomfortable, overwhelming, or unhelpful.
Does somatic therapy involve physical touch?
The somatic-informed psychotherapy described on this page does not require physical touch. You can ask your therapist about the nature of any proposed activity and your options for declining it.
Can somatic therapy be done online?
Yes. Many awareness and grounding practices can be adapted to virtual psychotherapy. Suitability depends on your individual needs and the clinician's assessment.
Can somatic therapy help with chronic pain?
Somatic-informed psychotherapy may help address the emotional impact of chronic pain, stress, and changes in functioning. It is not a substitute for medical assessment or pain treatment, and outcomes vary.
What if I don't feel connected to my body?
That's something you can discuss in therapy. You do not need to begin with detailed body awareness. Your therapist can help identify an approach that feels manageable and appropriate.
EXPLORE RELATED SUPPORT
Your needs may involve more than one approach.
Somatic-informed psychotherapy can be incorporated into treatment for trauma, emotional regulation, anxiety, and other concerns.
EMDR & TRAUMA AREAS OF CONCERN CONTACT THÉLAAn important note about your wellbeing.
Not every physical symptom is caused by stress or trauma. New, persistent, severe, or unexplained physical symptoms warrant appropriate medical assessment. Psychotherapy can complement medical care but does not replace it.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency department. For suicide-related crisis support in Canada, call or text 9-8-8.
BEGIN WITH A CONVERSATION
You don't have to think your way through everything.
If your body feels constantly on alert, overwhelmed, or disconnected, we can help you explore an approach that includes both your emotional and physical experience.
BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION CONTACT OUR TEAMIn-person therapy in Markham · Virtual therapy across Ontario and select provinces
