Somatic Psychotherapy in London and Online Across the UK
Somatic Psychotherapy is a holistic therapeutic approach that integrates the wisdom of the body with contemporary talking therapies. The premise is simple. Distress is not held only in memory and language. It is held in breath, posture, muscle and the pace of the nervous system. When we track those signals rather than talking past them, material that has stayed stuck for years can begin to move.
Through sessions that combine mindful awareness, embodied exercises, and gentle exploration of bodily sensations, Somatic Psychotherapy helps you to process and release deep-seated wounds and unresolved internal conflict.
I offer somatic psychotherapy in person in central London and online by Zoom to clients anywhere in the UK.
What is Somatic Psychotherapy?
Somatic psychotherapy brings body awareness into a recognised psychotherapeutic frame. It is therapy, not a set of exercises, and it follows the same ethical structure as any other psychotherapy.
The premise is simple. Distress is not held only in memory and language. It is held in breath, posture, muscle and the pace of the nervous system. When we track those signals rather than talk past them, material that has stayed stuck for years often begins to move.
What happens in a session
A session starts with you telling me what is troubling you. As you speak, I pay attention to what happens alongside the words, the change in breathing, the held jaw, the restlessness in the legs.
When it becomes clear we have reached something live, I will suggest an intervention. Depending on what fits, that might be:
- slowing down and staying with a single sensation until it changes
- breathwork, used gently and never to force a release
- small mindful movements or shifts in posture
- grounding and orienting, so your system registers that you are safe here
- holding memory centres on the body, drawn from my Advanced Integrative Therapy training
We work at a pace your body can tolerate, and we pause and settle before going further. Nothing happens without your agreement, and you stay in control of the pace throughout.
Online sessions follow exactly the same structure. Because the work is carried out in your own body, it translates to Zoom without losing anything, and being at home can make it easier to arrive already settled.
What somatic psychotherapy can help with
Clients come to me for support with:
- trauma, including PTSD, complex PTSD and developmental trauma
- anxiety, panic and the burnout that builds up in demanding London jobs
- depression and emotional overwhelm
- the emotional impact of chronic illness, including ME and CFS, autoimmune conditions and cancer
- grief, bereavement and major life change
- relationship difficulties, including sexuality, LGBTQI+ and divorce
- eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder
- non-verbal and pre-verbal experience that talking cannot easily reach
- inherited and trans-generational patterns
These are areas conventional talking therapy often struggles to access, which is why many people arrive here having tried something else first.
The approaches I draw on
I trained as an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist at The Minster Centre in London and have practised for over a decade. My integrative training means I am not tied to one method, and body-based work sits at the centre of how I practise.
In practice I draw most on:
Advanced Integrative Therapy (AIT), in which I am a certified practitioner
Body-oriented and psychodynamic work, held together in an integrative frame
Energy psychotherapy techniques, including several forms of tapping
Invitation to Healing (ITH), an approach I developed myself
Some clients come for one specific method. Others prefer that I choose from the range as the work unfolds. Both are fine.
Somatic psychotherapy across London
In person sessions are held at three practices, chosen so that most Londoners have one within a straightforward journey:
- Central London, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7QY, a short walk from Waterloo and Lambeth North, convenient if you work in Westminster, the South Bank or the City
- Clapham Junction, 6 Northcote Road, SW11 1NT, easy to reach from Battersea, Wandsworth, Balham and much of south west London
- Surbiton, 16 St James Road, KT6 4QH, for clients in Kingston, Richmond and the Surrey borders
Online sessions by Zoom are available UK wide. Plenty of my London clients mix the two, coming in person when they can and online in weeks when the commute would make the session harder work than the therapy.
Arrange a free consultation
If you would like to talk it over first, I offer a free 10 minute telephone consultation with no obligation. It is a chance to describe what is going on, ask whether this approach is likely to suit you, and decide which location works best for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is somatic psychotherapy safe?
Yes. Turning attention towards the body can feel unfamiliar at first, and most clients say so. The framework around it is what makes depth possible safely. Before we go near difficult material, I help you build resources to hold you steady, including grounding you can use between sessions. You set the pace and can stop at any point.
How is it different from ordinary talking therapy?
Much of it will feel familiar. We make connections between past and present and we talk about where you want to get to. What differs is that we also follow what your body is doing as we talk, and use that as a route into the material rather than a side note.
How does somatic psychotherapy compare with energy psychotherapy?
They overlap a great deal and I move between them. Both are embodied and both treat the body as the place where difficulty is held. Somatic work stays close to sensation, breath and movement. Energy psychotherapy adds specific techniques such as tapping and holding memory centres. Most clients end up with a blend rather than one or the other.
Do I have to move around or do anything physical?
No. Most of the work happens sitting in a chair. Any movement is small, optional and led by you. It is not exercise and there is nothing to perform.
Do you offer EMDR?
No, I am not an EMDR practitioner. I do offer other embodied trauma therapies that work on similar principles, particularly AIT. Some clients come to me having done useful EMDR work and wanting to build on it. Others come having found it difficult and wanting a different route.
Does it work as well online as in person?
Yes. The work is carried out in your own body, so nothing is lost over video. I work with clients across the UK by Zoom, and with London clients who prefer to avoid the journey.
Where in London are you based?
I see clients at 50 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7QY in central London, 6 Northcote Road, SW11 1NT in Clapham Junction, and 16 St James Road, KT6 4QH in Surbiton. Online sessions are available anywhere in the UK.