Somatic Therapy
A Depth-Oriented, Embodied Approach to What Feels Heavy or Overwhelming
Dr. Scott Gordon • Clinical Psychologist
In-Person psychotherapy in Berkeley, California.
Virtual services available statewide.
A Depth-Oriented, Embodied Approach to What Feels Heavy or Overwhelming
Much of how we experience ourselves is held in the body.
Tension, posture, breath, and sensation often carry information that is not immediately available through words alone.
Clients who seek somatic therapy are often thoughtful and self-aware. They may have already spent time trying to understand themselves cognitively.
From the outside, they may appear grounded and capable. Internally, there may be patterns of tension, disconnection, or emotional experience that feel difficult to access or fully understand.
Somatic therapy leans into developing a closer relationship with how experience is lived and felt in the present moment.
In Embodied Depth Psychotherapy, the body becomes a central part of the therapeutic process, offering a pathway toward awareness, integration, and change.
When Experience Lives More in the Body Than in Words
Some clients arrive specifically seeking somatic therapy. Others notice that certain experiences feel difficult to explain but are clearly present in the body.
You may recognize yourself if:
You notice patterns such as shutting down, bracing, or becoming overwhelmed.
You sense that your body is carrying experiences that shape how you feel, respond, or relate.
You feel disconnected from your body or unsure how to access what you are feeling.
These experiences often reflect patterns that developed over time and continue to shape how you respond to the present.
A Depth-Focused, Somatic Approach to Anxiety and Depression
Our work together is grounded in Embodied Depth Psychotherapy and informed by Hakomi, a mindfulness-based somatic approach in which I am a Certified Hakomi Therapist.
Hakomi therapy brings together somatic awareness, relational presence, and depth psychology to explore how unconscious patterns are expressed in the body.
Together we work with both psychological and embodied experience.
Noticing Sensations and Patterns Held in the Body
Cultivating Awareness of the Present Moment
Exploring Embodied Unconscious Beliefs
Allowing New Responses to Arise Organically
Rather than directing or overriding the body, we listen to it carefully, allowing insight and change to unfold over time.
What Therapy Often Looks Like
Therapy sessions are collaborative and experiential. At times we talk, and at other times we slow down to notice what is happening internally.
Over time, clients report:
A greater sense of connection to their body and emotional experience.
Increased awareness of patterns that were previously outside of awareness.
Greater connection between what you think, feel, and experience in your body.
Change in somatic therapy often comes from developing awareness of how experience lives in the body, allowing new responses to surface naturally.
Who Will Benefit Most from Somatic Therapy
This approach is especially meaningful for people who:
Feel their experience is held more in the body than in words.
Have found that insight alone is not fully creating change.
Are open to slowing down and exploring present-moment experience.
Clarity comes with the deeper work. Curiosity is enough to get started.
Common Questions About
Somatic Therapy
-
Somatic therapy is an approach that works with the connection between mind and body. Rather than focusing only on thoughts or narratives, it includes attention to physical sensation, posture, breath, and embodied experience as part of the therapeutic process.
-
Hakomi is a mindfulness-based somatic therapy that integrates principles from depth psychology, relational therapy, and Eastern contemplative practices. It focuses on studying present-moment experience to understand unconscious patterns and support change.
-
At times, we may explore small, gentle experiments related to posture, movement, or awareness. These are always collaborative and optional, and are used to better understand your experience rather than to direct it.
-
While we do talk, somatic therapy also includes direct attention to how experience is held in the body. This allows for a different kind of awareness and integration that may not arise through conversation alone.
-
Many people notice shifts in how they experience tension, anxiety, or stress as they become more aware of their internal patterns. Change often happens gradually as awareness and capacity increase.
About Scott Gordon, PsyD
Scott Gordon, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist whose work is grounded in Embodied Depth Psychotherapy, integrating psychodynamic psychology, relational psychotherapy, and somatic awareness.
He is a Certified Hakomi Therapist, having completed a multi-year training in this mindfulness-based somatic modality. His work incorporates embodied awareness as a central component of therapy, helping clients access and understand experience as it is lived in the body.
Dr. Gordon brings a depth-oriented and experiential approach to therapy, supporting clients in developing a more integrated, grounded, and responsive relationship with themselves over time.