Somatic Experiencing
When You Want to Include the Body in Therapy
Online Somatic Experiencing and somatic therapy for adults in Florida and Illinois seeking support for trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, and the lasting effects of overwhelming experiences.
For many people, Somatic Experiencing becomes the next step after years of therapy because they understand themselves well but still feel caught in the same patterns.
What Is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing is one approach within the broader field of somatic therapy. It includes the body as part of the therapeutic process because stress and trauma affect more than thoughts and emotions. They can also be experienced in your body in many ways, including tension, pain, restlessness, the urge to escape or hide, shutting down, or feeling disconnected.
During sessions, we pay attention to your body's responses as they happen and gently work with them in real time. This allows us to work directly with patterns as they emerge during the session, instead of only describing them afterward.
Many people seek out Somatic Experiencing after years of therapy because they understand themselves well, yet they find many of their patterns aren’t changing. They may continue to feel anxious, overwhelmed, shut down, or disconnected even when they understand why.
You Might Recognize Yourself Here
You're exhausted from always holding it all together.
You react or shut down in relationships faster than you want to.
You understand your patterns, but insight alone hasn't changed them.
Anxiety or overwhelm feels out of proportion to what's happening.
Stress shows up in your body as tension, digestive issues, headaches, or fatigue.
You rely on overworking, scrolling, or numbing out to get through the day.
You feel disconnected from your body or like you're moving through life on autopilot.
What Somatic Experiencing Can Help With
Somatic Experiencing can support a wide range of concerns. Here are some of the areas I work with most often.
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Trauma can affect how you respond to experiences in the present, even when you understand intellectually that you're safe. You may become overwhelmed quickly, shut down, stay on guard, or feel disconnected from yourself. Somatic Experiencing helps us notice these responses as they happen and gradually build greater capacity to stay present with them.
Learn more about Trauma therapy →
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Anxiety can show up physically through a racing heart, tightness in your chest, restlessness, difficulty settling, or a sense that something is wrong even when you know you're safe. Somatic Experiencing helps you notice these responses as they're happening and gradually develop more capacity to stay present without becoming overwhelmed.
Learn more about Anxiety therapy
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Midlife often brings more than one challenge at a time. Aging parents, changing relationships, career demands, health concerns, grief, or questions about who you are and what comes next can all place new demands on your nervous system. Somatic Experiencing offers a way to process those experiences while helping you feel more present, resilient, and connected to yourself.
Learn more about Midlife therapy →
Meet Amy Hagerstrom, LCSW, SEP
Hi, I'm Amy Hagerstrom. I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP).
I spent many years in talk therapy. I understood myself well, but my patterns stayed the same and so did how I felt. It wasn't until I brought my body into the work that things began to change. That experience, along with nearly fifteen years in mind-body work, shapes how I work today.
Today, I work with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, and chronic stress. Many have spent years trying to understand themselves yet still feel stuck.
My hope is that our work helps you feel more connected to your body and gives you more capacity for whatever life brings.
What It’s Like to Work Together
How I work
I'm warm, attuned, and pay close attention to what you're communicating through your words, your body, and your nervous system. When it feels helpful, I may invite you to notice what you're experiencing or gently share something I've observed. I believe people grow best when they feel deeply understood, and I'll also be honest, direct, and gently challenge you when I think it will help move the work forward.
What sessions are like
Sessions usually begin with whatever feels most important that day, whether that's work stress, a relationship, or something that's happened recently.
As we talk, I'm also paying attention to how your body is responding. At times I may invite you to notice what you're experiencing in the moment or suggest something simple, such as noticing the support beneath you, pressing into a wall, softly squeezing your hands, or allowing your body to complete a movement that feels unfinished.
Some sessions stay mostly with talking and emotional processing. In others, we spend more time noticing sensations, movement, or the ways your body is responding. We move naturally between them, following what feels most useful for the work that day.
Somatic Experiencing is the foundation of my work, and when appropriate, we may also integrate the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) or Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP).
If this sounds like the kind of therapy you're looking for, you're welcome to schedule a 10‑minute consultation.
See Somatic Experiencing Explained
Watch this short introduction to Somatic Experiencing and learn who it's for and how it differs from traditional talk therapy.
What Can Change With Somatic Experiencing
While everyone's experience is different, many people begin to notice changes like these:
Pausing before reacting instead of feeling swept away.
Recovering more quickly after difficult conversations or stressful moments.
Feeling less consumed by tension, headaches, digestive discomfort, or fatigue.
Relating to themselves with more curiosity and less self-criticism.
Feeling more connected to themselves, the people they care about, and everyday life.
Change doesn't happen all at once, but many people also notice more moments of relief, laughter, and lightness, even while doing deep work.
Online Somatic Therapy Across Florida and Illinois
I offer online somatic therapy to adults throughout Florida, including West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and nearby areas. Somatic Experiencing works well in virtual sessions, allowing you to stay connected to your body and nervous system from the comfort of your own space.
I am also licensed in Illinois and work with clients throughout the state, including Chicago.
Somatic Experiencing FAQs
These are some of the questions people commonly ask before starting Somatic Experiencing therapy.
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Somatic Experiencing is a body‑based trauma therapy that focuses on nervous system regulation. It works with fight, flight, freeze, and shutdown responses that can get stuck after stress or trauma. Rather than only talking about what happened, Somatic Experiencing helps your brain and body experience more safety in the present so stress responses can complete and settle naturally.
For a more in-depth explanation, you can read my article, What Is Somatic Experiencing®? A Body-Based Approach to Trauma, Anxiety, and Chronic Stress
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Somatic Experiencing helps with trauma and anxiety by working directly with how stress lives in the body. When your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, insight alone does not always create change. Somatic Experiencing supports regulation in real time so your system can recognize the difference between past threat and present safety. As this happens, emotional reactivity and physical symptoms often decrease.
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Somatic Experiencing includes conversation, but it also pays close attention to what is happening in your nervous system as you speak. Traditional talk therapy often centers on thoughts and insight. Somatic Experiencing pays close attention to body sensations, tension, activation, and shutdown as they happen. That creates opportunities for change at a physiological level, not just a cognitive one.
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If you have found yourself understanding your patterns clearly but still reacting the same way when it counts, that gap is exactly what this work is designed to address.
Insight is still part of this work. The difference is that we don't stop there. In somatic therapy, we also track what insight alone can't reach: where stress lives in the body, how your nervous system braces or shuts down, what happens in you before the thought even forms. Many people I work with have done meaningful talk therapy. This tends to be what comes next.
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Yes. Physical symptoms and stress are often connected in both directions. When the nervous system is stuck in survival mode, physical tension, headaches, fatigue, and pain can increase. As the nervous system begins to find more safety, many people notice shifts in how their body feels, though this varies from person to person. This approach can be especially helpful when medical tests are normal but symptoms persist.
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It depends on your history, nervous system, and goals. Single‑incident traumas with a solid support system can sometimes shift more quickly. When we are working with complex trauma, long‑term chronic stress, or patterns rooted in early life, therapy is usually longer‑term. Many people I work with plan for at least several months of regular sessions, and some stay longer as deeper layers come into focus.
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Somatic Experiencing therapy is offered online throughout Florida, including West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale. Online sessions are effective because we can track nervous system responses in real time from wherever you are. I am also licensed in Illinois and see clients across the state, including in Chicago.
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The fee for a 55‑minute session is $200. Payment is due at the time of service, and a card is kept securely on file.
I am an out‑of‑network provider. If you have out‑of‑network benefits, I can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement.
Taking the Next Step
If you're looking for therapy that includes both mind and body, I’d be honored to work with you. I currently have a limited number of openings for new clients.
Learn More About Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy for Trauma: A Gentle, Body-Based Path to Healing
EMDR or Somatic Experiencing? Choosing the Right Trauma Therapy
How Somatic Experiencing Helps Panic Attacks and Anxiety