Somatic Therapist in San Rafael

When Your Body Holds the Story of Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, and Stress

You hold so much tension in your body. It’s there in your gut, chest, neck, and shoulders, and no matter what you try, it never seems to fully let go. After your car accident, your surgery, and a pregnancy, your relationship with your body has changed. Even now, certain parts of the body might tighten, your heart pounds, and memories flash through your mind when you go to do activities that remind you of these experiences.

Sometimes you feel restless, like you can’t just sit still. You always need to be doing something, moving, taking care of others, or staying productive. Relaxation doesn’t come easily, even when you try.

When something stressful happens - like a tough moment at work or at home - it all rushes back. The fear, the shame, the feeling of it being “too much.” You want to do well, to be seen as capable, but when you feel threatened, overwhelmed, or criticized, your body reacts before your mind can catch up. Then the self-blame starts again, and you tell yourself you’re worthless.

There are times when your energy seems to disappear. You feel empty, numb, disconnected, maybe even ashamed for not being able to snap out of it. You wonder if you’re depressed. You wake up exhausted.

You’ve done years of talk therapy, talking about your past, or worrying about your future. It helped for a while, but it still feels like something is missing, like you haven’t quite reached the healing you need.

You’ve tried yoga and meditation, hoping to reconnect with your body. It’s been hard to focus, feel your breath, or sense being present in your body. Even when you take a walk in nature or pull out your old watercolors, you feel like you can’t quite connect to your body and the present moment. You sense the way to heal isn’t only through your mind, but also through your body and spirit.

How Somatic Therapy Can Help You Heal from Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, and Feel Whole Again

Trauma is not only a story from the past; it’s a pattern held in the body and the emotional centers of the brain. When those centers are activated, they send constant alarm signals that can show up as tightness, restlessness, or numbness. Anxiety and depression also manifest in the body. Somatic therapy can enhance and accelerate the healing.

What the Process Looks Like for Healing Trauma, Anxiety, Depression

Phase 1: Building Safety and Stabilization

You first practice mindfully noticing body sensations and movement as you talk about your problems, feel your emotions, or even experience something pleasant or joyful. This can take some time, as most people are used to talking about their problems without paying attention to what they are experiencing in their bodies. For some people, it’s also not safe to connect their bodies. We go slow and take our time.

We then work collaboratively to determine what somatic tools or resources help you to either calm or brighten your nervous system. You might also discover relational, creative, or cognitive resources that help you feel emotionally regulated, but we connect them to the body felt sense.

Phase 2: Processing Trauma Through the Body

When you’re ready, we process trauma through body awareness rather than reliving the story in detail. Using Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, you explore subtle sensations, impulses, or movements connected to the trauma, helping your system release what has been held inside without re-traumatization.

Phase 3: Reconnecting with Yourself and Others

As your body and mind begin to relax, you can begin to look at relational patterns from the past that are showing up in the present. Maybe you recognize people-pleasing, not being able to set boundaries, being self-reliant, or not being able to ask for help. These patterns and beliefs show up in the body through internal sensations, posture, and how we move. With awareness, curiosity, and compassion, you can choose new ways of being and responding.

The Body as a Path to Presence: Other Ways Somatic Therapy Can Help

Why the Body Matters in Healing

So much of life happens from the neck up. We think, analyze, and try to make sense of our experiences. Yet the body carries our history, vital information, and often what words can’t express. Somatic therapy invites you to reconnect with the wisdom of your body. Tapping into that wisdom can provide a sense of groundedness and calm, as well as intuitive knowing.

How Somatic Awareness Enriches Other Healing Practices

Mindfulness and Meditation

We often start with mindfulness of our breath, and mindfulness of body sensations can be another anchor point. For example, when you notice your breath in your belly, warmth in your hands, or a softening of your shoulder muscles, mindfulness can become a fuller experience.

Guided Imagery and Hypnotherapy

When you link imagery and inner exploration to a body felt sense, it becomes more vivid and meaningful. This embodied awareness of all the senses deepens the effectiveness of guided imagery and hypnotherapy.

Creative and Artistic Expression

Breath, gesture, posture, and movement shape how you express yourself. Somatic awareness and authentic movement can free your natural, spontaneous creativity.

Being in Nature

Our bodies are nature. When you feel your feet on the earth, notice the rhythm of water around and within you, and the sunlight on your skin, your body awakens and grounds.

The Healing You Can Expect from a Compassionate Somatic Therapist in San Rafael or Online in California

Whether you are healing from trauma, anxiety, depression, or stress - or want to connect more deeply with your body’s wisdom - somatic therapy can help connect body, mind, and spirit.

I’m Michelle Baumgartner, LCSW, a licensed therapist providing somatic therapy in person in San Rafael, CA, and online throughout California.

I use Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a mindful, body-focused, talking therapy that includes somatic, emotional, and cognitive integration. I also use a “parts approach”, helping clients understand their many inner states and integrate them compassionately as a whole.

Together, these approaches can help you:

• Recognize when you start feeling anxious or depressed and use tools to feel calm, grounded, and present.

• Recognize your strength, capacity, and worthiness.

• Access deeper inner wisdom and more self-compassion.

• Feel more confident in setting boundaries and asking for what you need.

• Experience safer, more authentic relationships.

Begin Compassionate Somatic Therapy for Healing in San Rafael or Online in California

If you’re ready to listen more deeply to what your body and inner parts are trying to tell you, somatic therapy can help you find the missing piece in your holistic healing journey.

I offer in-person sessions in San Rafael, CA, and online therapy throughout California.

Contact Michelle here — I’d be honored to walk this journey with you.