Deep Healing That Lasts—Feel More Present, Capable, and Connected

Somatic Experiencing Therapy for Adults in Florida – Serving Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton & Delray Beach

Online Mind-Body Support across Florida and Illinois

Calm forest path – supporting nervous system regulation through somatic therapy

Whether it’s unresolved trauma, recent events that stirred up more than you expected, or the slow buildup of stress over time, something has shifted. Even if you’ve always managed to hold it together, your body is telling a different story—through tension, exhaustion, headaches, or that constant sense of unease you can’t shake.

You’re still getting through your days—handling work, showing up for your family, doing what needs to be done—but under the surface, something feels off. You’re tired of keeping it together, wondering how long you can keep this up before something breaks. At times, you go quiet just to get through the day. Other times, the pressure spills out in ways you wish it hadn’t—leaving you feeling guilty or ashamed. Because you care. Because this isn’t how you want to show up.

You’ve worked hard to build a meaningful life, but under it all, there’s a quiet longing for more ease, more capacity, and a version of you that feels more like you.

You’ve worked hard to create a meaningful life. And yet, under it all, there’s a quiet longing—for more capacity, more ease, and a version of you that feels more like you.

You’re not broken—and this doesn’t have to be your normal.

Life feels harder than it used to—more overwhelming, more emotionally charged, and harder to bounce back from.

Close-up of a woman gently placing her hands over her heart, representing body-based healing support for mental health

Somatic Experiencing offers a gentle, body-centered way to start shifting the patterns that leave you feeling stuck—without retraumatization or overwhelm.

Together, we’ll work to support your nervous system, build capacity, and help you reconnect with more clarity, ease, and confidence in yourself.

Together, we’ll work toward helping you feel more like yourself again—more present, more connected, and less caught in the physical and emotional patterns of stress.

Amy Hagerstrom, Somatic Experiencing therapist in Florida

Hi, I’m Amy Hagerstrom, LCSW.

I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so glad you’re here—and if you’ve been longing for meaningful, lasting change, you’re in the right place.

When you’ve lived with trauma or chronic stress, it starts to show up—in your body, in your reactions, and in the way you move through life. You might shut down, lash out, or avoid things that feel too hard—and then feel guilty or ashamed for how you handled it.

Even if everything looks fine on the outside, it doesn’t feel that way inside. You’re carrying more than you should have to, and it’s starting to catch up.

I help adults who are ready to stop pushing through and start listening to what their nervous system needs.

Together, we’ll work to support real, lasting change—so you can feel more like yourself again, without the constant tension, overwhelm, or self-blame.

Florida Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

Learn More About Me

Man walking on the beach, feeling the peaceful effects of nervous system regulation therapy.

Stress that shows up physically—like tension, digestive issues, or headaches
Anxiety, racing thoughts, or feeling constantly on edge
Feeling worn down by trying to keep it all together
Guilt or shame about how you’ve been coping
Reacting in ways that don’t feel like you—or going quiet to avoid conflict
Relationship struggles tied to reactivity or disconnection
Feeling stuck, checked out, or not quite like yourself
Life transitions that leave you uncertain or overwhelmed
Coping by staying busy, zoning out, or powering through

What Brings People Into Somatic Therapy

Is Somatic Experiencing Right for You?

You’ve already done a lot—read the books, reflected deeply, maybe even been in therapy before. But something still feels off. Even when you understand what’s happening, the tension and fatigue continue. It might be time to try something different—something that invites you to tune in, not just think it through.

Somatic Experiencing is for people who feel the mind-body connection and want to do more than just talk through their week. It’s for those who want to learn to notice and work with what’s happening in their body, to become more present with sensations, and to gently shift the patterns that have kept them stuck. If you’re looking for something deeper—something that supports real, lasting change over time—this work might be for you.

If you’ve had the sense that your body is holding onto something—tension, discomfort, numbness, or reactions that don’t quite make sense—Somatic Experiencing offers a way to start listening in a new way. Together, we’ll explore what’s showing up and build the capacity to meet it, with care, consistency, and curiosity.

What is Somatic Experiencing (SE)?

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-centered approach to healing trauma and chronic stress. It’s not about digging into every detail of your past—it’s about helping your nervous system come out of survival mode, so you can feel more present, more capable, and more connected to your life.

Instead of focusing only on thoughts or memories, SE invites you to notice what’s happening in your body—like tension, bracing, heaviness, or a sense of collapse. These patterns are often signs that your body is still trying to process something that felt too overwhelming at the time.

Through practices like titration (approaching difficult sensations in small, manageable doses) and pendulation (gently moving between discomfort and areas of ease), we work with your system in a way that’s steady and supportive. This helps your body learn it doesn’t have to stay stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown.

If you’ve been living with emotional exhaustion, physical pain, or reactions that feel bigger than the situation calls for, Somatic Experiencing offers a different kind of support. It’s a process of helping your nervous system feel safer—so it can begin to release stored stress, renegotiate past trauma, and respond to life with more flexibility and clarity.

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What Somatic Experiencing Sessions Are Like

Every session is a little different, depending on what’s coming up for you. Sometimes we talk. Sometimes we pause and notice what’s happening in your body. You don’t have to relive everything that’s happened—we stay with what’s showing up in the moment. That might be tension, overwhelm, shutdown, or even a flicker of ease. We follow what your system is ready for and respond with care.

If you're open to it, we might include gentle practices that support what your body is already signaling it needs—like pushing against something or slowly squeezing a pillow. These aren’t about catharsis or intensity, but slow, intentional ways to meet energy that’s ready to move. In more tender moments, that support might look like nurturing self-touch—such as placing a hand on your heart or offering yourself weight or warmth.

Some clients like to stay seated and still throughout our sessions, while others feel best when there’s a little more movement or engagement. And if doing something new feels strange or vulnerable, I’ll do it with you. We figure it out together.

This work looks different for everyone, because every body is different. Some clients bring a blanket, a comfort item, or something weighted to help them feel grounded. Others prefer to have something cool or textured nearby. We get to know your nervous system together and follow what helps—not just from session to session, but moment to moment.

What stays constant is that we move at a pace that feels supportive and clear. This process can help you feel more connected to yourself and better able to handle the hard moments—without getting pulled back into the old patterns. It also helps build your capacity, support your body in renegotiating old stress responses, and teach your system how to recognize when it’s actually safe.

Sea oats near the ocean at sunrise representing trauma healing through Somatic Experiencing

The body remembers what the mind forgets; it is through Somatic Experiencing that we can access and release stored traumatic memories.
— Peter Levine

Why Somatic Experiencing Might Be What’s Missing

You might already understand your stress—but that hasn’t made it any easier to change how you feel. You’ve talked it through, made sense of it, even tried to think your way into feeling better. But the tension, the spiraling, the emotional weight—they’re still there.

That’s the limitation of insight alone. Talk therapy can be supportive and clarifying, but sometimes it doesn’t reach the parts of you that still feel stuck, reactive, or numb. That’s where Somatic Experiencing and somatic therapy in general come in.

Somatic therapy brings your body into the conversation—not just your thoughts and emotions. Instead of managing symptoms or talking through the same stories, we explore how your nervous system is reacting in real time—because that gives us important insight into what’s happening beneath the surface. You’ll begin to notice the physical signs of stress, overwhelm, or shutdown, and learn how to respond in ways that actually support you.

It’s not about pushing through or going back into everything that happened. We stay with what’s happening now, in your body, at a pace that feels right.

As we get to know how your body responds, we begin to shift the patterns that have kept you stuck. You might start to feel more present in moments you used to check out of. You might notice a bit more clarity where there used to be overwhelm. And slowly, those protective responses start to feel less consuming.

This kind of work helps:

Calm emotional reactivity and reduce the shame or guilt that often follows
Shift the sense that something’s wrong with you, and recognize your responses as protective—even when they no longer serve you
Support your body in recognizing when you’re safe, so you don’t stay stuck in survival mode
Grow your ability to feel joy, rest, connection, and trust in yourself—not just survive, but actually feel like yourself again

I bring warmth, clarity, and a steady presence to this work. There’s room here for the heavy stuff—and for ease, humor, and moments of lightness, too. We’ll stay curious together, without pressure or performance, and build the trust your system needs to soften and shift.

If you’re ready for support that includes your whole self—mind, body, and everything you’ve carried—this may be the piece that’s been missing.

What Starts to Shift with Somatic Therapy that includes Somatic Experiencing

Man walking on beach smiling, symbolizing the healing effects of Somatic Therapy in Boca Raton Florida

A big part of this work is helping you understand your unique stress responses. Through a polyvagal-informed lens, we explore how your nervous system responds to stress—whether it’s with fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown.

Together, we start to notice what these states feel like in your body, what tends to trigger them, and what helps you return to a sense of safety. If you tend to shut down, lash out, or spin in anxiety, these patterns start to make more sense when we look at them through this lens. You’ll begin to recognize them not as personal failures—but as protective responses your body learned, possibly a long time ago.

And we go slow. The goal isn’t to get rid of these responses, but to build the capacity to be with them—without fear, without judgment.

Through practices like titration—working with just small, manageable pieces of stress at a time—we help your system stay supported and avoid overwhelm. This prevents retraumatization and supports lasting shifts in your nervous system. We also use pendulation, the gentle movement between moments of discomfort and moments of ease. This helps your body learn that it doesn’t have to stay stuck in a stress response.

You start to build more flexibility, more choice, and more trust in your system to move through challenge without shutting down or bracing.

Working With Your Nervous System, Not Against It

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Serving Clients Online in Florida and Illinois

I offer online somatic therapy to adults throughout Florida—including Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and nearby areas. Whether you're navigating anxiety, trauma, or chronic pain, we can do this work together from your home.

I'm also licensed in Illinois and see clients across the state, including Chicago.

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based therapy that works from the inside out. It’s designed to help with trauma, anxiety, stress, and the physical symptoms that come with them. SE focuses on helping your nervous system reset so you can better sense what’s truly safe and what’s not. Trauma—whether big or small—can confuse these signals, making you feel like you’re in danger even when you’re safe.
SE helps calm your nervous system and resolve trauma-related reactions like feeling tense, stuck, or shutting down. It helps you manage stress better by reducing what triggers you and teaching your body to tell the difference between real danger and things that just feel threatening. Over time, it helps you feel stronger and more capable.
This process widens your ability to stay calm when things get tough, giving you more space to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting out of instinct. By working through stored stress and trauma, SE helps you handle life’s challenges with more ease and resilience.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) focuses on the body and how it holds onto trauma and stress, rather than just talking about your experiences. Instead of spending a lot of time revisiting the past or analyzing your thoughts, SE helps you tune into physical sensations and reactions. This allows your body to release built-up tension and reset your nervous system, helping you feel calmer and more balanced. SE is a gentle, body-based approach that works alongside or as an alternative to talk therapy.
Yes, but it’s not like traditional talk therapy. While we’ll spend some time talking about your experiences, the main focus is on how those experiences show up in your body. You’re always welcome to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with—there’s no pressure to dive into every detail of your past. Some sessions, you might not feel like focusing much on your body, and that’s okay too. The most important thing is that you feel in control and have a say in how the session unfolds, so it works best for you.
Yes, absolutely! Many people find that Somatic Experiencing (SE) complements traditional talk therapy. While talk therapy focuses on exploring thoughts, emotions, and past experiences through conversation, SE works directly with your body’s responses to stress and trauma. The two approaches can work together to support your overall healing—talk therapy can help you understand your experiences on a mental level, while SE helps you process and release tension stored in your body. Combining the two often leads to deeper and more lasting change.
I currently offer virtual sessions only, and Somatic Experiencing (SE) can be just as effective online as in person. During our online sessions, I’ll guide you through the same process of tuning into your body’s sensations and responses to stress. When appropriate, I’ll guide you through somatic practices, which can easily be done through the screen. The most important part of SE is helping you connect with what’s happening in your body, and we can do that just as well in an online setting, ensuring you feel safe and supported throughout.
Being in your own space makes a big difference too. You can settle into a favorite chair, keep comforting items nearby, or even have your pet close by—all of which can help you feel more relaxed and at ease. Feeling safe in your own environment enhances the effectiveness of the therapy and allows us to focus on your healing.
Plus, virtual sessions are much more convenient. You don’t have to take time off work, battle traffic, or worry about parking. It’s therapy that fits into your life, with less hassle and more comfort, so you can focus on what truly matters—your healing.
Individual 55 minute sessions are $180
If you feel that somatic therapy could make a real difference but cost is a barrier, I offer a limited number of reduced-fee spots based on availability. Feel free to reach out and we can talk about what’s possible.
If you're interested in incorporating the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) or Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP) into your sessions, it’s available for an additional cost, which you can find listed on the SSP page. We can talk about whether SSP might be a good fit for you during our consultation or at any point as we work together.
For clients in Florida, therapy is private pay.
I am in-network with Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) for clients located in Illinois.
If you plan to use insurance in Illinois, I recommend contacting your provider directly to verify your mental health benefits.
If you're paying out of pocket, I can provide a monthly superbill you can submit for possible reimbursement.

Somatic Experiencing FAQs

Woman on beach with hand on heart practicing nervous system regulation tools from therapy

The beach and ocean at sunrise with colorful sun rays in all directions symbolizing peace and ease of mind-body therapeutic work

Get help from a Florida Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

It can feel like you’re carrying more than you should—reacting in ways that don’t feel like you, shutting down, or stuck in patterns you can’t think your way out of. When the stress lives in your body, not just your mind, it’s no wonder that talking it through hasn’t been enough.

With Somatic Experiencing, we’ll work together to support your nervous system, release what’s been held inside for too long, and help you reconnect with yourself in a way that doesn’t rely on pushing through.

You don’t have to keep doing this alone. I’d be honored to support you in this work.

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Take the First Steps

Click the button below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

If you don’t see a time that works—or if you have questions—you’re more than welcome fill out the form on the Contact page to let me know what times might work for you, and we’ll find a time together.

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