What is Somatic Therapy? A Holistic Approach to Body-Based Healing in North County San Diego
When people ask me what I am excited about and what I like about what I do, I always answer, that I treat the whole body. I take a holistic perspective. I even decided to become trained in Craniosacral Therapy and EMDR, which work with the brain and body to create new healing connections. Something that talk therapy, which does not focus on the body, but instead the mind only, misses completely.
When we experience overwhelming stress or trauma, our minds aren't the only places that record the event. Our nervous systems, muscles, and tissues retain these experiences, often leaving us feeling stuck in chronic patterns of anxiety, hypervigilance, fatigue, or numbness.
While traditional talk therapy engages the brain from the "top down" (focusing on thoughts and cognitive insight), Somatic Therapy works from the "bottom up". Derived from the Greek word soma (meaning "the living body"), somatic therapy honors the deep connection between physical sensations, emotional states, and nervous system health.
Serving Escondido and the greater North County San Diego area, our practice provides a holistic, mind-body approach to therapy that recognizes you as a complete human being—not just a list of symptoms.
Key Pillars of Our Holistic Approach
Nervous System Regulation over Cognitive Reframe: Instead of asking you to simply "think differently," we guide you to notice physical cues—like tightness in your chest or a shift in breath—and help your autonomic nervous system return to a place of safety.
Whole-Person Integration: True healing connects your physical sensations, emotional experiences, thoughts, and relational history into a unified state of well-being.
Pacing and Titration: Healing doesn't require reliving traumatic memories. We process distress in small, manageable doses (titration) so your body never feels overwhelmed or re-traumatized.
Trauma Co-regulating Touch Therapy in San Diego: What Is It, How Does It Work, and Why Consent Matters?
Within somatic psychology, Trauma Touch Therapy is a specialized, optional practice designed to help individuals safely reconnect with their bodies through gentle, consent-based touch.
What Trauma Co-regulating Touch Therapy Is (and What It Isn't)
To ensure client safety and clarity, it is vital to distinguish this clinical practice from other modalities:
It IS: A gentle, non-invasive, trauma-informed approach used inside psychotherapy sessions to support nervous system regulation, track subtle physical shifts, and build relational trust.
It IS NOT: Massage therapy, deep tissue work, chiropractic alignment, or energy healing. The goal is not to fix physical knots, but to offer a grounding anchor that helps your nervous system feel settled and safe.
How Trauma Co-regulating Touch Therapy Works
Establishment of Grounding: We begin by helping you orient to the safety of the room and build internal resources.
Tracking Sensation: With explicit agreement, touch (such as a supportive hand on the shoulder or back) may be offered to help you notice subtle cues of activation (fight/flight) or settling (calm).
Collaborative Integration: Touch is paired with mindfulness and dialogue, enabling you to process held tension without leaving your "window of tolerance".
Why Consent Matters Above All Else
For many people dealing with trauma or stress, past boundaries were crossed or ignored. Therefore, in Trauma Co-regulating Touch Therapy, consent is active, collaborative, and ongoing.
Touch is Always Optional: You can complete somatic therapy without ever engaging in physical touch.
You Hold Full Control: You determine where, how, and if touch occurs. You may change your mind, pause, or withdraw consent at any point in a session without needing to explain or justify your choice.
Practicing Boundaries: The therapy space becomes a real-time laboratory to practice saying "yes," "no," or "stop," empowering you to carry those strong boundary-setting skills into your personal life.
Is Somatic & Touch Therapy Right for You in North County San Diego?
Whether you are in Escondido, San Marcos, Poway, or Carlsbad, somatic therapy offers meaningful support if you:
Feel "stuck" in talk therapy despite gaining intellectual insights.
Experience chronic tension, hypervigilance, or panic that doctors cannot fully explain.
Desire to feel safe, present, and grounded in your physical body again.
Kelli Lane Redfield, LMFT
Kelli is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California #158231, a private practice owner and trauma therapist with more than 4,000 hours of trauma focused clinical work. She specializes in somatic EMDR, working with creatives, professionals and high functioning adults seeking focused nervous system change. She offers weekly, ninety-minute and intensive formats, tailoring care to the nervous system, not a fixed timeline. If you're curious about somatic EMDR or intensives, you're invited to reach out.
