Somatic Therapy
in New York City
Our bodies hold the stories of survival, cultural legacy, and resilience that words can’t always express. Somatic therapy offers a gentle space to release what no longer serves you and to reconnect with your body’s wisdom. In that process, we don’t focus on how you think, we help change how you feel.
Why is the body included in psychotherapy?
In a fast-paced city like New York, many of us spend most of the day “in our head,” managing constant stress, overstimulation, and internal and external expectations. Somatic therapy recognizes that the body holds experiences, memories, and stress responses just as much as the mind does. Including the body in therapy allows you to access deeper layers of healing that traditional talk therapy alone may not reach.
Your body also holds memory, sometimes more faithfully than your mind. Through subtle sensations, facial expressions, posture, gestures, and even small fidgets, it communicates a personal story that often reflects our lived experience. In somatic therapy, especially for our clients navigating stress and trauma in New York City, these physical cues offer meaningful insight into emotions that may be difficult to access through talk alone.
Somatic Therapy New York City | Online & Manhattan
Our Approach in Somatic Therapy NYC
Our somatic offerings are informed by Polyvagal Theory, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. In our work together we get to know and befriend our nervous systems and build new pathways towards connection and safety. We also develop resources to help self-regulate and co-regulate as we widen our window of tolerance for sensations and emotions.
Our somatic work also incorporates the lens of Attachment Theory, Internal Family Systems, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, with a specific focus and mindfulness and present moment awareness.
We learn how to create space for our thoughts and emotions without denying or suppressing them as we develop healthy ways to cope with stress and regulate our emotions. Examples of other areas we may explore include boundaries, grounding, limiting beliefs, inner critic work, and values identification and goal setting.
Somatic & Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in New York
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-based approach to trauma therapy that helps you heal not just through talking, but by understanding and working with the wisdom of your body. Developed by Dr. Pat Ogden, this somatic therapy method integrates mindfulness, neuroscience, and attachment theory to support deep emotional healing.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy focuses on how trauma and stress live in the body in posture, breath, and movement patterns. Through gentle awareness and guided techniques, you learn to regulate your nervous system, release old survival responses, and reconnect with a sense of safety and empowerment.
Whether you’ve experienced trauma, anxiety, or a chronic sense of disconnection, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can help you build a stronger mind-body connection and access healing that words alone often can’t reach.
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy combines talk therapy with body awareness techniques, helping you notice how trauma shapes posture, movement, and sensations. It integrates mindfulness, attachment theory, and neuroscience to support emotional regulation and lasting change.
Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine, focuses on tracking and releasing the body’s stress and trauma responses. Through gentle guidance, SE helps your nervous system complete unresolved survival responses, reducing trauma symptoms without needing to relive the traumatic event.
In short: SP combines cognitive and somatic approaches, while SE focuses primarily on the body’s innate capacity to release trauma. Both are effective forms of trauma-informed, body-centered therapy, and the best choice depends on your personal healing needs and preferences.
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) is ideal for anyone who wants to heal trauma, stress, or chronic emotional patterns through a body-centered approach. It is especially helpful for people experiencing:
Trauma or PTSD, including past abuse, accidents, or ongoing stress
Anxiety, panic, or chronic stress, where the body holds tension or hyperarousal
Difficulty regulating emotions, such as anger, shame, or sadness
Relationship or attachment challenges, including feeling disconnected or reactive
Chronic physical tension or somatic symptoms related to emotional experiences
SP combines talk therapy with body awareness techniques, helping you notice how trauma and stress are stored in the body and how to release them safely. If you want a therapy that addresses both mind and body, SP may be a powerful option for you.
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Somatic Therapy for Trauma
Somatic therapy helps heal trauma by resolving trauma symptoms and reducing post-traumatic stress. These body-based techniques support clients in reconnecting the mind and body after overwhelming or traumatic experiences.Somatic Therapy for Chronic Pain
A somatic approach can help alleviate chronic pain by increasing body awareness and releasing stored tension. Clients develop effective pain-management strategies that address both physical and emotional contributors to discomfort.Somatic Therapy for Anxiety and Depression
Somatic therapy addresses anxiety, depression, and emotional overwhelm through body-oriented interventions. These practices enhance emotional regulation, resilience, and a grounded sense of wellbeing.Somatic Therapy for Couples
Somatic therapy for couples improves communication, trust, and relationship connection. By tuning into bodily sensations and patterns, partners develop deeper empathy, emotional attunement, and healthier bonding.Somatic Therapy for Addiction
In addiction recovery, somatic therapy supports healing by strengthening body awareness and interrupting automatic craving responses. Clients learn new coping mechanisms, reduce triggers, and rebuild a healthier relationship with their bodies.Somatic Therapy for Aging
Somatic therapy promotes healthy aging by improving mobility, balance, and overall quality of life. These techniques help older adults manage age-related stress, physical changes, and tension patterns.Somatic Therapy for Stress Management
Somatic therapy reduces stress by cultivating body awareness, relaxation skills, and nervous-system regulation. This approach supports a more balanced lifestyle, better sleep, and long-term resilience to daily stressors. -
1. Mindful Tracking of Body Sensations
Your therapist helps you slow down and notice physical sensations—such as tension, breath changes, posture shifts, or impulses. This mindful tracking increases body awareness and supports nervous system regulation.2. Exploring Emotions Through the Body
Instead of analyzing emotions only with words, sensorimotor therapy helps you experience emotions safely through bodily cues. Clients learn how emotions show up physically and how to stay regulated while exploring them.3. Gentle Movement and Somatic Exercises
Your therapist may guide subtle movements, grounding practices, or gestures to help release stored stress or trauma. These techniques support healing, resilience, and increased connection to your body.4. Working With the Nervous System
Somatic therapy often focuses on identifying your window of tolerance, recognizing hyperarousal (fight/flight) or hypoarousal (shutdown), and developing tools to return to balance.5. Integrating Talk Therapy With Body Work
Sessions blend traditional psychotherapy with body-oriented techniques. This integration helps you understand patterns, shift old habits, and create more adaptive emotional responses. -
With regular somatic or sensorimotor therapy sessions in NYC, our clients often experience meaningful and lasting changes in both mind and body. As your nervous system becomes more regulated and your body awareness increases, you may notice:
Reduced anxiety, stress, and trauma symptoms, along with a greater sense of internal safety
Improved emotional regulation, making it easier to navigate triggers and overwhelming feelings
A stronger mind–body connection, helping you feel more grounded, present, and attuned to yourself
Healthier relationships and clearer communication, supported by increased awareness of boundaries, impulses, and emotional needs
Somatic and sensorimotor therapy provide a gentle, evidence-informed, body-based approach to healing. This modality is especially helpful for clients seeking holistic whole-body psychotherapy in New York City, whether they’re dealing with trauma, chronic stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, or disconnection from the body.
Meet Una Dabiero
Somatic Therapist New York | Manhattan
Una is a Licensed Master Social Worker in New York and a former journalist who integrates Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Narrative Therapy to support clients in holistic, body-mind connected healing.
Before joining the therapist team at Moment Psychotherapy, Una worked in a community mental health clinic as an intern therapist, where she witnessed the impact of complex trauma, chronic stress, and systemic barriers on individuals and families. These experiences shaped her commitment to offering therapy that is grounded, culturally responsive, and attuned to the body’s wisdom.