Healing Trauma Gently: A Mindful, Somatic Approach

In my trauma therapy practice in Washington, I’ve seen that trauma doesn’t just live in the past—it lives in the body. In the breath that won’t come all the way in. In the startle that happens for no reason. In the deep, quiet ways we stay guarded—even when life is no longer dangerous.

The good news? Trauma can be reprocessed. Not by reliving it or analyzing it to death—but by creating new emotional experiences in the present. That’s what healing is: teaching the nervous system that the world is safer now. That connection is possible. That we don’t have to keep bracing.

Here’s how I help clients do that.

Co-Regulation: Healing in Relationship

Before anything else, we build safety—together. Trauma happens in isolation, but healing happens in relationship. In therapy, I bring a calm, grounded presence that helps your nervous system feel less alone. That’s co-regulation. It’s not just talking—it’s a felt sense that someone is with you, tracking you, not overwhelmed by your pain.

When we feel emotionally safe in the presence of another, our bodies can begin to let go of old defenses.

Mindfulness: Befriending Your Experience

Mindfulness doesn’t mean clearing your mind or feeling peaceful all the time. It means learning to stay with what’s happening now—gently, curiously, without judgment. When we slow down enough to notice our inner experience, we stop running from it. And that changes everything.

In therapy, I guide clients to pause, breathe, and notice: What’s happening in this moment? Where does that emotion live in your body? Can we stay with it, just for a little while, together?

Somatic Awareness: Listening to the Body

Trauma lives below words. That’s why we work with the body—not just the mind. Tightness in the chest, tension in the jaw, a frozen stomach—these aren’t just symptoms. They’re signals. Your body is telling a story it didn’t get to finish.

We don’t force anything. Instead, we listen. We make space. We allow movement, breath, warmth. Sometimes the body starts to unwind all on its own, when it knows it’s safe enough.

Loving-Kindness and Self-Compassion

As old pain arises, we meet it with something that might feel foreign at first: kindness. Not positivity. Not sugarcoating. Just a soft, steady warmth that says: You don’t have to fight this alone anymore.

Many people are harsher with themselves than they’d ever be with anyone else. So we practice turning toward those wounded parts with gentleness. We learn to say: Of course you feel that. It makes sense. That’s not weakness. That’s how we rewire shame, one breath at a time.

A New Way of Living

Healing trauma isn’t about erasing the past. It’s about reclaiming your life in the present. It’s about feeling more choice, more ease, more connection. And it’s absolutely possible.

If you’re ready to begin that process—or even just curious about what it might look like—I’d be honored to walk with you.