Experiential therapy involves bringing elements or activities into session that take us beyond just staring at each other and talking. Sometimes this means writing, making art, using music, or creating a tangible coping tool you can take home. If that isn’t your thing, we can skip it! But sometimes with trauma, we’re not always able to verbally say what happened (because the brain is tricky that way and sometimes that part shuts off when we’re activated) and doing things other than speaking can help us process.

Somatics means paying attention to the body and what it’s telling us. It’s a way of tuning into other parts of ourselves, especially in a society where thinking is the main mode of processing. In session, this might look like doing body scans, grounding exercises, small physical movement, guided visualizations, or just pausing and noticing what your body is doing and how it’s feeling. Sometimes with neurodivergence, chronic pain and/or trauma, our bodies aren’t always a comfortable or accessible place to be and if that is a concern, I’m happy to modify my approach and find a component that works for you.