Our Approach

How We Work

Our work begins with understanding how trauma is showing up now, in your body, emotions, relationships, patterns of stress, and sense of safety. From there, we create a treatment process that is paced carefully, grounded in regulation, and tailored to your needs.

Healing at SOMA is not a single technique applied to a single problem. It is an integrated process that combines EMDR, somatic therapy, and nervous-system regulation, sequenced to the readiness of your body. Below is how that process unfolds, from the principles that shape it, to your first session, to the tools we use, to what happens between sessions.

Clinical Foundation

Four pillars that govern every clinical interaction.

The Principles That Guide Our Care

Trauma-Informed

Every element of your care at SOMA is shaped by an understanding of how trauma reorganizes the nervous system, alters perception, and drives survival-based behavior. We do not pathologize your responses, we understand them as intelligent adaptations to overwhelming experience. Our work begins by honoring that intelligence and building safety from there.

Neuro-Informed

Our clinical framework is grounded in contemporary neuroscience, the documented capacity of the brain for structural change, the role of the autonomic nervous system in emotional regulation, and the measurable impact of trauma on neural pathways. We track your nervous system states in real time and calibrate interventions accordingly.

Somatically Integrated

The body is not an afterthought in trauma therapy, it is a primary site of healing. Trauma lives in muscular tension, breath patterns, and physiological dysregulation. At SOMA, we work with the body as an active participant, using somatic awareness to access and process what talk therapy alone cannot reach.

Compassionate & Collaborative

You are the authority on your own experience. Our role is not to diagnose from a distance but to walk alongside you with clinical precision and genuine care. Treatment planning is collaborative, pacing is co-regulated, and your autonomy is never overridden by our agenda. We work with you, not on you.

Getting Started

What Your First Session Looks Like

Your first session is a 75-minute Initial Clinical Assessment, not a casual intake, but a comprehensive mapping of your history, your nervous system patterns, and your treatment goals. This is where we begin to understand you, not just your symptoms. You will not be rushed through a checklist.

From that session, we build a collaborative treatment plan together. You will have a clear picture of what we are working toward, what modalities we recommend, and why. There will be no surprises about direction, your care is transparent from day one.

Emotionally, expect to feel a mix of vulnerability and relief. It is normal to feel tired afterward. Some clients feel lighter; others feel stirred. Both responses are valid and expected. Your clinician will prepare you for what may come up between sessions.

To prepare: settle into our Coral Gables office a few minutes early, or arrive in a quiet, private space if you are joining virtually. Have water nearby. Wear comfortable clothing. There is nothing you need to rehearse or organize beforehand, you do not need to have your story "ready." We will meet you exactly where you are.

The Experience

What Therapy Feels Like at SOMA

Therapy at SOMA does not feel like sitting across from someone recounting your worst moments on a timer. It feels like being held in a space that is both clinically rigorous and deeply human, where your nervous system can begin to do what it has been trying to do since the event: complete the process, discharge the energy, and return to regulation.

Sessions may involve talking, but they also involve noticing, what your body is doing, where tension lives, how your breath shifts when certain memories surface. Some sessions are quiet. Some are intense. All of them are paced by your readiness, not by a clinical manual.

"We move at the pace of your safety, not our agenda."

You will never be pushed into processing you are not ready for. You will never be pathologized for the pace at which you heal. And you will always know what is happening in your treatment and why. That is the SOMA standard.

Clinical Modalities

The Tools We Use

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)

An evidence-based protocol that facilitates the brain's natural reprocessing of traumatic memories. EMDR allows the nervous system to metabolize stuck experiences without requiring detailed verbal retelling, making it particularly effective for complex trauma, single-event trauma, and phobias.

Somatic Experiencing

Developed from the study of how animals discharge survival energy, somatic experiencing works directly with the body's felt sense to complete interrupted defensive responses. This approach gently restores the nervous system's capacity for self-regulation.

Polyvagal-Informed Work

Rooted in Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory, this framework helps us map your autonomic nervous system states, sympathetic activation, dorsal vagal shutdown, ventral vagal safety, and develop targeted strategies for expanding your window of tolerance.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Structured mindfulness practices adapted for trauma survivors. These are not generic meditation exercises, they are clinically sequenced tools for developing interoceptive awareness, distress tolerance, and present-moment grounding without triggering dissociation.

Conscious Breathwork & Yoga Nidra

Breathwork protocols and yoga nidra (non-sleep deep rest) serve as powerful adjuncts to trauma processing. They directly regulate the autonomic nervous system, reduce cortisol, and create conditions for deeper therapeutic work in session.

Mindful Eating as Therapeutic Practice

For clients whose trauma manifests in their relationship with food and body, mindful eating interventions address the intersection of nervous system dysregulation, interoceptive confusion, and disordered eating patterns, reconnecting the body's signals with conscious awareness.

In-Person & Virtual Care

Two Ways to Begin the Work

SOMA offers in-person sessions at our Coral Gables office and virtual sessions across the states where our clinicians are licensed. Together, we will choose the format that best fits your nervous system, your schedule, and the work ahead.

Our office is a warm, intimate setting at 338 Minorca Ave, Suite 202, in the heart of Coral Gables, a contained, private space designed for trauma work.

Virtual sessions are conducted via secure, HIPAA-compliant video. For many clients, virtual care is not a compromise, it is the optimal setting. You are in your own environment, with your own nervous system cues around you, and your clinician can observe your somatic responses in real time.

For virtual sessions, you will need a private, quiet space, a stable internet connection, and a device with a camera and microphone. Headphones are recommended. We use a secure platform, no downloads are required, and your session data is encrypted end-to-end.

SOMA is licensed to provide telehealth therapy to residents of Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New Mexico. You must be physically located in one of these states at the time of your virtual session. If you are unsure about eligibility, reach out and we will confirm before scheduling.

In Person

338 Minorca Ave, Suite 202 · Coral Gables, FL 33134

Virtual, Licensed States

Florida · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Texas · New Mexico

Next Step

Ready to Begin?

Schedule a consultation and let us walk you through how we can support your healing.

Schedule a Consultation Explore Our Services

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Approach

What is somatic therapy?

Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to healing that recognizes trauma lives in the nervous system, not only the mind. Rather than relying solely on talking through experience, somatic therapy includes attention to body sensations, breath, posture, and movement so the system can release stored stress and learn new, safer responses.

How is SOMA different from traditional talk therapy?

SOMA integrates EMDR, somatic therapy, and nervous-system regulation rather than relying solely on talk. Talk therapy can be useful, but trauma is often held below conscious awareness, in the body and nervous system, where insight alone does not reach. Our work moves at a pace your nervous system can tolerate so change becomes durable.

How long does trauma therapy take?

There is no single timeline. Some clients begin to feel meaningful change within a few months; deeper, complex-trauma work often spans a year or more. We pace treatment to your nervous system's readiness rather than to a calendar, and we are explicit with you about progress and direction throughout.

Do you offer EMDR intensives?

Yes. EMDR intensives are concentrated, multi-hour EMDR sessions for clients who need deeper trauma processing in less time. Intensives start at 3-hour blocks and are scheduled by clinical recommendation. Learn more on our EMDR Intensives service page.

What should I expect in the first session?

The first session is a clinical assessment. We learn about what brought you in, your history, your nervous-system patterns, and the goals you want to work toward. You do not need to have your story "ready." Whether you join in person at our Coral Gables office or virtually, we meet you exactly where you are.

Can I do trauma therapy by telehealth?

Yes. Virtual trauma therapy is not a compromise, for many clients it is the optimal setting because they are in their own environment with their own nervous-system cues, and the clinician can observe somatic responses in real time. SOMA is licensed to provide telehealth therapy to residents of Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New Mexico.