Somatic therapy
Supporting your inner body freedom
Your body holds onto unresolved overwhelm, shock and trauma until it receives the space and resources to heal.
Do you struggle with…
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Self-limiting beliefs and behaviours can manifest in various ways, such as:
not standing up for yourself and what you believe
being overly concerned about surviving
fixating on what others think about you
giving your power away
trying to always get it right
driving yourself to achieve at the cost of your health
feeling uncomfortable in social interactions
not speaking your truth
feeling the need to control outcomes
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Emotions act like the weather—they come and go, signalling how you feel and what you need.
When emotions are suppressed, they limit your self-expression and hinder your ability to meet your needs.
Holding emotions in your body can make you feel vulnerable to unexpected outbursts of anger or sadness.
You may also experience tension or stress, which saps your vitality, especially if it continues for a long time.
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Chronic pain can arise when your nervous system becomes stuck in a pain loop. This pain can manifest in any part of your body.
People who experience frequent headaches, backaches, or migraines often have unresolved overwhelm. This may come from a physical inquiry like concussion that is still running in the background.
While medication may suppress symptoms, it does not address the underlying cause.
You can learn more about resolving pain here. This post explores pain from concussion, and will be relevant for other types of pain.
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When your body is overwhelmed, it protects you through various mechanisms:
1. Engaging your social nervous system to soothe yourself and others, often resulting in people-pleasing and compliance.
2. Distancing yourself from the trigger, which may involve withdrawing or avoiding certain people or situations.
3. Activating your fight response, leading to increased assertiveness and attempts to control the situation.
4. Shutting down and entering a freeze response, which may manifest as collapsing, zoning out, or becoming more passive.
These protective responses can persist for years without your awareness.
The key to overcoming this is for your body to process the overwhelm, shock, and trauma you have experienced.
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The connection between your mind and body is complex and deeply intertwined.
When you're carrying unprocessed overwhelmed, shock and trauma, your mind will generate repetitive thoughts that prevent you from fully experiencing your body.
At the same time, your physical body may react in habitual ways, causing the past to feel constantly present.
For healing to take place, it's essential for your body to process the overwhelm, shock, and trauma that underlie your mind's stories and perceptions of the current moment.
Addressing both your mind and body together can significantly enhance this healing process.
If you answered YES to any of these, unresolved overwhelm in your body may be a key contributing factor.
When your body can relax and deepen into its own process, emotions release, old beliefs drop away, and overwhelm in your body resolves.
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Undo
In ancient Latin
RESOLVE
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Body
In ancient Greek
SOMA
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Wound
In ancient Greek
TRAUMA
Touch is your body’s first language. It is also a powerful way to reveal what is held, offering your body an opportunity for healing and change.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy helps resolve overwhelm, shock, and trauma by working directly with your body through therapeutic touch and inquiry. It assists in opening, releasing, and transforming what is held within the body-mind connection. My intention is to help you live more fully and easily.
I offer a truly body-led transformational process, grounded in a deep understanding of how the mind can either hinder or aid healing. I support the body in letting go from within through the following modalities:
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NeuroAffective Touch® is a psychobiological approach that integrates key elements of somatic psychotherapy, attachment and developmental theory, and interpersonal neurobiology.
By offering direct communication and support to the body at a nonverbal level—where we first receive our imprints—NeuroAffective Touch® addresses lifelong emotional traumas and helps reconnect us to the wholeness of our relational matrix.
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Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a hands-on, body-based healing modality.
It emphasises the holistic nature of human experience by relating both the body’s anatomy and physiology to the subtle forces of life that flow through the body’s fluids.
The body benefits from being listened to and seen; when it is deeply heard, it can express its story, leading to transformative change.
This therapy creates a safe space for traumatic experiences to surface and resolve smoothly, without being overwhelming or re-traumatising.
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Somatic inquiry supports trauma resolution and inner development by integrating the mind and body in an unfolding process.
Clients are guided to become aware of their bodily sensations, explore these sensations as they arise, and make connections between their thoughts, feelings, and physical experiences.
This process facilitates integration and supports personal development.
To learn more about trauma and the benefits of this work, visit the blog section. A helpful starting point is an article on trauma, which includes a short animation that explains some core principles of my work.
Essential oils
I provide essential oils during sessions because they are a great resource for grounding in the present moment.
Essential oils are aromatic, volatile liquids found within many shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds
When inhaled, these oils are transported to the limbic system of the brain, which is responsible for emotions and memory, helping to release, calm, and balance emotions.
What People Are Saying
I have used many different healing modalities over the last 30 years. Sonia trumped them all. She can hold a safe space to heal, space for grace, space for issues, and space for peace. I think some healing just has to be experienced. She gave me a safe place to heal and finally bring out the better me.
— Abi Read
If you want bodywork to heal trauma see Sonia. She has done some amazing mahi with me. Her work has supported me to process and integrate a sense of stillness and safety in my body. Sonia is culturally sensitive, incredibly kind, knowledgeable, & honestly amazing.
— Aimee Maaka
Discovering Sonia has been a transformational blessing in my life. She embodies empathy, clarity, and a beautiful ability to hold safe space without judgement. As someone who lives with complex trauma, the emerging freedom and confidence I now feel to be able to bring into the world is liberating.
— Georgia Andrews
Meet Sonia
I am a somatic therapist dedicated to helping clients find resolution and healing. I offer a safe space for you to process and release deep layers of overwhelm in your body and mind.
Many of my clients have faced these issues for years, if not decades, and I am honoured to be part of their transformative journey.
My work helps:
Your body communicate its story and release outdated holding patterns including pain responses
Your nervous system emerge from chronic stress and freeze responses.
Address early patterns of unmet emotional needs and the lack of nurturing touch stored in the body.
Clear out these old patterns and open up new ways of seeing and experiencing yourself and others.
“I’ve spent the last 15 years focused on understanding how to heal and grow from within. I love sharing my knowledge and providing opportunities for others to transform.”
When overwhelm resolves, your body reorganises, your mind releases old beliefs and you become present.
It is a surprising and beautiful journey.
What next?
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Explore my website
Step 1
Take some time to explore my website and see if my approach resonates with you. Familiarise yourself with the session FAQs to understand what a session entails, my rates, and how to get in touch with me.
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Contact me
Step 2
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. The best way to contact me is via email using the button below. I aim to respond to all inquiries within 48 hours.
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Book a session
Step 3
To schedule a session, you can either text me your preferred dates at 022-438-6360 or click the "Book a Session" button to complete the contact form.
Inner Body Freedom is located next to the stunning Botanical gardens in Wellington.
Find Sonia in Wellington
Room 241, Salamanca Group Building
32 Salamanca Road
Kelburn, Wellington
Discover inner Body Freedom
