Our Approach

How We Work

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: arrive in a quiet, private space if virtual. 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.

Virtual Care

How Virtual Trauma Therapy Works

All sessions at SOMA are conducted via secure, HIPAA-compliant video. Virtual trauma therapy is not a compromise — for many clients, 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.

You will need a private, quiet space where you will not be interrupted for the duration of the session. A stable internet connection, a device with a camera and microphone, and 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 session. If you are unsure about eligibility, reach out and we will confirm before scheduling.

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.

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