Body-based therapy
Somatic Therapy in Miami and Online Across Florida
You might understand exactly why you feel anxious and still feel it: the tight chest before a meeting, the shallow breath, the heaviness that settles in on Sunday evenings. Some of what we carry sits below the level of thought, which is why talking about it doesn’t always make it shift.
I’m Isabel Wyss, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor based in Miami and an Integrated Somatic Trauma Practitioner trained through The Embody Lab. I offer somatic therapy online to adults across Florida. I see the body as a source of deep wisdom, and in my work it is often where change begins.
What somatic therapy is
Somatic therapy is a body-centered form of talk therapy. Alongside what you think and feel, we pay attention to what is happening physically: sensations, posture, breath, temperature, the urge to move or to go still. These signals say a lot about how your nervous system is responding.
After chronic stress or trauma, the nervous system can get stuck on high alert or in shutdown. Somatic work helps it find its way back to a settled state, so you have more choice in how you respond and the old reaction runs on autopilot less often.
Many clients come to me already understanding their patterns. Somatic work is one of the ways we help that understanding reach the body, where the old reactions actually live.
What somatic sessions involve
Sessions mix conversation with gentle, guided attention to the body. Nothing is forced, and you can always say no to an exercise. Depending on what you need, we might work with:
- Body awareness: noticing where you feel tension, ease, warmth or numbness
- Interoception: sensing internal signals such as hunger, your heartbeat or a knot in your stomach
- Grounding: using your feet, your seat, your senses and the room around you to come back to the present
- Breath: slowing down and lengthening the exhale to help your body settle
- Gentle movement: pressing your palms together, stretching, shaking out your hands or following a small impulse to move
- Regulation: learning what calms you when you are wound up, and what brings you back when you have gone numb
We often go slowly. A few minutes of noticing your shoulders drop can teach your nervous system more than an hour of analysis.
What somatic therapy can help with
I use somatic work with adults in Miami and across Florida for:
- Trauma and PTSD, including experiences that are hard to put into words
- Anxiety that lives in the body, such as a racing heart, a tight jaw or shallow breathing
- Burnout, compassion fatigue and the feeling of running on autopilot
- Feeling numb, disconnected or far away from yourself
- Feeling unsafe in your own body, or carrying tension you can’t explain
- Grief that sits heavy in the chest or throat
Somatic work also pairs well with EMDR. Body awareness helps us track what is happening during reprocessing and steady things when they get intense.
How somatic therapy works online
All sessions are secure, HIPAA-compliant video sessions for people who are physically in Florida at the time of the session. You can join from home in Miami, Fort Lauderdale or anywhere else in the state. Somatic work with me doesn’t involve touch. I guide you with words, and you decide what to try.
Being in your own room can make it easier to close your eyes, notice sensations or try a small movement. It also means you practice grounding in the same place where stress tends to show up, which makes it easier to use between sessions.
It helps to have a little room to move, a chair where your feet reach the floor, and a blanket or pillow nearby if you like.
Who somatic therapy fits
Somatic therapy tends to suit people who:
- Understand their patterns intellectually, but insight hasn’t changed how they feel
- Look successful from the outside while feeling anxious, overwhelmed or empty inside
- Find it hard to talk about what happened, or have talked about it many times without relief
- Over-function, people-please or stay busy so they don’t have to feel
- Want practical tools they can use in daily life, between sessions
If focusing on your body feels uncomfortable at first, that is common, especially after trauma. We can start at the edges, with your hands, your feet or the feel of the chair under you, and build from there. You set the pace.
Fees and getting started
Sessions are 50–60 minutes and the private pay rate is $175 per session. Insurance options depend on your plan, so ask during your free consultation.
You can begin with a free 15-minute consultation by phone or video, booked through my secure client portal. We’ll talk about what you are noticing in your body and your life, and whether somatic work feels like a good fit for you.
At a glance
Working with Isabel
- Isabel Wyss, LMHC (Florida MH26669)
- Online only, by secure video, for adults located in Florida
- $175 per 50–60 minute session
- Free 15-minute consultation
- Sessions in English or Spanish
Questions about Somatic Therapy
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach that pays attention to physical sensations, breath, posture and movement as well as thoughts and feelings. It works with the nervous system to help you move out of chronic stress or shutdown and feel more settled. It is often used for trauma, anxiety, burnout and feeling disconnected from yourself.
Can somatic therapy be done online?
Yes. I guide you with words, and you notice and try things in your own space, such as grounding, breathing or gentle movement. Some people find it easier to turn inward at home than in an unfamiliar room. I offer somatic therapy online to adults who are physically in Florida at the time of each session.
Does somatic therapy involve touch?
No. My sessions are online, and the somatic work I do doesn’t involve touch. Any contact is your own, such as placing a hand on your chest or pressing your feet into the floor, and only if you choose to. You can always say no to an exercise or ask to try something different.
How is somatic therapy different from talk therapy?
We still talk, but we also slow down to notice what your body does as you talk. If your throat tightens when you mention a parent, or your shoulders rise when you think about work, we pay attention to that and work with it directly. This helps when understanding a problem hasn’t been enough to change how you feel.
What training do you have in somatic therapy?
I completed training as an Integrated Somatic Trauma Practitioner through The Embody Lab in 2023. I’m also trained in EMDR and completed Neurobiology of Complex Trauma training through the NCTSN. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida with an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lynn University.
Free 15-minute consultation
Start with a free 15-minute call
Tell me a little about what’s going on, ask your questions, and see how it feels to talk. There’s no pressure to book. Sessions are $175 for 50–60 minutes, online for anyone located in Florida.
Based in Miami, FL · Online across Florida · English & Español