Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy in Shrewsbury & Online through Zoom. Deep Healing Through the Body.
Helping you resolve stress, tensions & emotional blockages to reconnect with your innate wisdom through SomaSoul® Somatic Therapy, a body centered approach to therapy & nervous system regulation.
What is Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy?
How can somatic therapy help with emotional blockages and stop you feeling stuck in your body and in life?
Phrases like I feel “overwhelmed”, “anxious”, "exhausted emotionally” are not just words but are a feeling, and those feelings are coming deeply from our feeling bodies. And so so often we keep talking around the issue, with friends or colleagues - which sometimes can make things worse, when all along the answer is held within, sometimes not in words but in sensation, and no matter how hard we try to talk our way through it, the issue remains stuck.
Unlike traditional talk therapy Soma Soul® invites you to listen and connect with the deep wisdom and sensations held within your body to resolve deep held stress, emotional blockages and feel more whole, grounded, connected, integrated and more like you.
The deepest form of somatics to experience as a form of therapy and deep healing and resolution, to help you lead a happier and healthier life.
It helps you build enhanced self awareness, feel and release stuck emotions that may hold you back, help you build somatic skills for life and deepen your connection with yourself, with others and the innate wisdom of your body. A sense of wholeness and integration with all parts of you.
“Working our emotional process means becoming more human, knowing our vulnerabilities are not liabilities”
— Daniel Leven, Founder of the Leven Institute & SomaSoul® Somatic Therapy.
As a Professionally Registered and Regulated Master Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator, I work with the "felt sense" of the body to resolve deep-held stress and physical tension.
My practice is fully regulated by ISMETA, the International Somatic Movement and Therapy Association, ensuring you receive the highest standard of somatic care available internationally.
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Within Somatic Therapy our focus is on what is present within the body. We are a body based therapy. We work directly with the sensations that the body has rather than trying to talk our way through any issues. Very often reasoning and logic from the thinking mind fall short because the body holds very powerful responses to distress and issues within life. In doing so we can discharge pent up emotions or feelings within our body and in doing so resolve issues that we have been holding onto. We become less reactive to issues in daily life, and feel more grounded and resilient in the process.
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Within a session, you may want to share a life experience that is causing a challenge or problem or is a cause of distress. Or, you may wish to share a feeling, a tension or issue within the physical body. As a SomaSoul® Somatic therapist I have a range of tools to use with you in a somatic way (working through the sensations held in the body) to help you navigate the issues you have.
Through this process you gain a more intimate connection to your emotional and physical body as well as wisdom and insights.
Through the somatic processes of Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy I help you relate to your emotions in a mindful, body centered and compassionate way.
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Our body based therapy is the work of my teacher and mentor Daniel Leven who has over 40 years of experience in expressive movement, somatic psychotherapy, dance therapy and neuroscience.
Soma Soul® draws upon the expressive arts processes of Anna Halprin, the work of Laban Movement Analysis, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Gestalt Psychotherapy and the groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory of Stephen Porges that was developed by Deb Dana.
Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy is an internationally recognised Somatic Theraoy and is an ISMETA regulated form of body centered somatic therapy work.
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Our emotional body is contained within our physical body. Visceral feelings and reactions (viscera means organs) are at the core of our emotional experience.
Our emotions live in our hearts, our lungs, our guts! For instance our heartbreaks, heavy hearts, lightheartedness, gut feelings and gut instincts, even the ability to stomach the criticism someone delivers to us are examples of this.
Our muscles may tighten against or collapse around feelings that emerge from our visceral experience as ways of self-protection.
Our nervous and muscular systems have learned this primitive support process because, in our formative years, we may have experienced a lack of attunement and support for our emotions from our families of origin and within our culture.
Within the field of Somatic Therapy and Somatic Psychotherapy we believe that issues are caused by a rupture between the body and the mind. Our mind can be aware of many things but unless we bring the body along with us we can stay stuck in the same issue that can cause havoc not only within current time, but can become a repeating pattern of behaviour. Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy brings us back into an integrated whole so we can discover that we do not have to relate from our emotions but we can be in relationship with our emotions and act from a grounded and compassionate place.
Whilst our work is framed by Gestalt Therapy - the work of Fritz and Laura Perls, Soma Soul® Somatic Therapists are not psychotherapists but therpists that work through the body and it’s responses, to provide integration of body, mind and psyche.
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Yes!
Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy directly works with your nervous system.
Nervous system regulation is currently very popular and you will often see lots written about regulating the nervous system for your holistic wellbeing.
All events in life impact our nervous system in different ways.
When a stressful event happens the nervous system records and store this information in different kinds of responses - freeze, flight or fight are some responses you may have heard of. It is stored in a different way to how we store memories generally and it shows up in the body long after the event happened and regardless of what we can remember.
As a SomaSoul® Somatic Therapist I help you to open your own window to your wellbeing and develop grater capacity for your nervous system to move in and out of different kinds of experiences and emotions we have in life.
That may mean working with you in session to contain and develop capacity to tolerate emotions that are challenging. Or we may work together to try and complete a stress response cycle, leading your body towards a sense of safety and connection. It may also mean working with you hold experiences of joy! Therapy is always a journey of different emotions!
You may also have some practices outside of sessions to do, some may involve movement, sound, reflective journalling, or involving porcessing using our somatic arts process (no art skills required!). All are designed to help you self regulate your own nervous system and develop a window of wellbeing outside of sessions.
What happens in a Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy session?
In SomaSoul® Somatic Therapy, we often move beyond words and into the felt sense of what is here now in the body? Using the expressive arts process in the tradition Anna Halprin - which can be drawing as well as movement in very simple ways - we can map the sensations of the body, allowing deep-held emotions to find a visible, healing form. This is not an art class but can be a simple scribble that conveys the sensation of the body. In doing so we get in touch more with the feeling side of the brain where deep seated emotions are also stored!
“SomaSoul® practices balance your nervous system by moving out what’s held in the body including tensions and emotional pain”
— Daniel Leven
Is this the right fit?
My practice is for individuals seeking nervous system regulation and emotional integration. If you are currently in an acute crisis, require integrated NHS clinical care, or are seeking a medical diagnosis, please contact your GP or NHS 111, as these services fall outside my scope of practice.
Working with the whole person, working with our Emotional Body
In Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy our work with the emotional body is done through the physical body. Here working with the lungs and heart tracking sensation. Our body holds emotions and these are stored in our organs or visceral body. Phrases we often use - “heart broken”, “heart-centered”, “I had a gut feeling”, “my stomach was tied in knots” can be messages of deep wisdom from our body. If we hold painful memories or trauma these sensations can confuse what has already happened with everyday life and guide us into painful decision making. Befriending challenging feelings by getting to know them, by tracking their movement in our body or, with support and connection can be transformative and can complete a stored stress cycle in the body or transform our capacity to be with those feelings. It can also make us a lot less reactive to those feelings which improves connection with ourselves and others.
Master-Level Somatic Therapy: In Shrewsbury & Online via Zoom
My Somatic Movement & Therapy Sanctuary for Integrated Healing
Whether you join me in my Shrewsbury Sanctuary on Mondays or connect from across the globe via Zoom, my practice is dedicated to helping you remove what is getting in the way of you living your life on your terms and live with ease and vitality. And inhabit your body with ease, resilience, and curiosity.
As a Master Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator (MSMT/E) registered with ISMETA, I provide a level of somatic expertise that goes beyond standard movement coaching. My approach is a sophisticated blend of nervous system regulation, trauma-informed movement, and somatic education - designed to help you navigate what is holding you back, a traumatic issue, grief, stress, life changes and move towards emotional integration. Your sessions are held with professional clinical supervision and advanced neuro-somatic insight. (Please note: My practice is a private, educational, and holistic therapeutic space; it is not a medical psychiatric service or a crisis intervention centre).
Work with me in person in Shrewsbury at my Shrewsbury Somatic Therapy and Movement Clinic every Monday
Work with me worldwide via Zoom on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Distance is no barrier to healing. My Zoom-based sessions provide the same expert guidance from the comfort of your own home.
Somatic therapy begins with working exactly where you are. We work with kindness and deep care to befriend the sensations within, creating a safe space for emotions to be heard and integrated.
Whether you join me in my Shrewsbury sanctuary or via Zoom, my Master-level somatic approach is designed to help you shift from "surviving" to "thriving" in your own skin. Book a discovery call today to discuss your specific needs and take the first step toward a more integrated, resilient life.
Within Somatic Therapy finding safety and connection with your body is crucial. My new Shrewsbury clinic is designed to be the external container for that internal discovery - a place where you can feel truly seen and supported.
“When we can tune into the feelings or sensations of our bodies, we can ask two fundamental questions - what brings you here? what do you need?”
— Daniel Leven
Sarah Pritchard, MSMT/E Master Somatic Movement Therapist & Educator
I know that healing happens when we feel truly seen and safe. As a Master Somatic Movement Therapist, my role is to hold a regulated, compassionate space where your body’s wisdom can finally speak and you can discover your own integration and wisdom on your unique journey.
Meet Sarah, your Soma Soul® Somatic Therapist
The difference Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy has made to my life, body, and wellness is incredible. I already had a very deep relationship with my own body through all of my movement work - which you can discover here. However, the process of becoming a Soma Soul® Somatic Therapist has led me to such a deep understanding of me, and has helped me resolve and manage so many elements of my life that needed attention and brought me into such integration and joy. It has It has removed layers of stress and tension my body held that I had no memory of, the body was holding onto so much!
Having completed my professional training in Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy, I continue to deepen my skills through postgraduate study. Daniel Leven, the founder of the Leven Institute and Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy, remains my mentor. Additionally, Sage Brodie, the Institute’s deputy director is a second mentor to whom I can rely on for expert guidance. I also remain in ongoing clinical supervision - a choice I’ve made to ensure I continue offering safe, attuned, and high-quality therapeutic support for you.
This continued mentorship and supervision means my work is constantly evolving and grounded in integrity. I am ISMETA Registered and Regulated, adhering to their ethics and code of practice.
For clients, this brings the benefit of a practitioner who is committed to depth, reflection, and growth - supporting you with presence, skill, and care at every stage of your journey.
And for some of you, working with your body as a way to process and work with your emotional and physical body may just be the missing piece that you need to send you forwards in life in the most holistic of ways.
I look forward to working with you on your unique journey.
Sarah
Somatic Therapy Events - Shrewsbury Shropshire & Virtual
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Shrewsbury Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy Mondays
From Monday 23 February Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy sessions.
Your designated space to work with issues that you need support around or care with. Each session is 50 minutes long.
Held Weekly or every other week, in my Somatic Therapy and Movement Sanctuary in Shrewsbury 2-7pm
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Virtual Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy
Currently running on Zoom - Soma Soul® Somatic Therapy sessions.
Your designated space to work with issues that you need support around or care with. Each session is 50 minutes long.
Held Weekly or every other week on Zoom Monday, Tuesday, Wedneday and Friday in UK time.
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Shrewsbury Somatic Therapy Wellbeing Group
From Monday 23 February
Open your window to wellbeing in this intentionally limited group of 3 that brings you strategies for self regulation, in busy and stressful times. Bring a sense of calm and kindness to your body through practices from Somatic Movement Therapy
This is not the space to work with 1:1 issues but is a space for learning strategies to support your wellbeing.
A sensory-safe space tucked away in the heart of Shrewsbury -designed for deep grounding and integrated healing.
Work with me in my practice in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
My new practice, The Somatic Therapy and Movement Sanctuary is based within the beautiful Jenna Blair Yoga Studio Therapy Rooms,
143A Belle Vue Rd., Shrewsbury SY3 7NN
Easy access from the centre of Shrewsbury and there is generous free parking on the road outside of the studio. And when we have sunny days the Studio has a lovely sensory garden to sit outside in and just be!
Current Hours
Mondays
14.00-19.00
Distance is no barrier to deep healing. While my physical sanctuary is in Shrewsbury, I provide specialised somatic support for women across zoom. Within Birmingham and the West Midlands for movement you can join me in person in Birmingham in the Jewellery Quarter and for Somatic Therapy online across the UK. My virtual sanctuary allows us to connect with the same presence and attunement as an in-person session, from the comfort of your own home.
Ready to connect?
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In all of my work I work with the whole person. Somatic Therapy is also holistic in its approach, and I’ll ask you to do little pieces of work outside of sessions, and to consider what true self care means. Working with our emotional body also means to tend and care for it in every way. Small little changes can make a big difference in between sessions over time. I want you to have resource and support outside of sessions to maximise our work together.
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My Private Practice is a Practice for female health and wellbeing. I have particular expertise working with the needs and holistic wellness of women especially in midilife and transition points such as perimenopause, menopause, burnout, or post-natal emotional support. Having been a dancer and suffered long and complex injuries myself, as well as the highly competitive world of the performing arts I also have a very deep understanding issues facing dancers and movement professionals.
As a Master Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator I have over a decades’ worth of experience working with the body, felt sense and embodiment, as well as a very long journey through this process myself. I remain in clinical supervision and mentorship myself to ensure the highest quality of care for you.
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At our Zoom call we can discuss the time range of working together as well as fix a recurring time down. I only work with clients every week or every other week because Somatic Therapy is a process and for best results, which is what I want for you, you need to keep the process working at a regular pace. I do not offer one off sessions within my Private Practice.
All of my sessions run to a maximum of 50 minutes.
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Zoom is such an easy medium for Somatic Therapy. It allows you to connect without travel and at a greater range of times with me. Finding a space that is comfortable and feels safe is very important in this work. You will need to have Wifi to connect to Zoom and a private space and mark this time out as time for you. Your commitment to Somatic Therapy is a critical component in its successs.
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Sadly insurance is not accepted but should the situation change I can let you know.
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My practice is a Private Practice for Somatic Therapy. As part of my overall work with Somatics I regularly give my expertise to disadvantaged communities that are connected with the health and wellbeing of women and dancers which is the focus of my work.
I’m hoping as my practice grows I can offer a quota of space at a reduced rate. Please email me to go onto a list so I can contact you in future.
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We are a body based therapy.
We do not diagnose conditions or prescribe medications.
We are not psychotherapists - those professionals have different training to us.
Connecting with your body’s signals, with connection and expert professional guidance can be a powerful tool to improve your wellbeing and help you navigate through life with greater ease. To discover how I can support your wellbeing set up a discovery call with me. This lasts for up to 30 minutes on Zoom and gives us a chance to meet each other, and to discuss your needs and how I can help you. It is not a somatic therapy session in itself, but will explain the process to you.
When Somatic Therapy is the right fit:
You feel generally stable but "stuck" in stress patterns that need extra support.
You are looking to deepen your body-mind connection and build resilience.
You have a support system in place and are ready for "bottom-up" nervous system exploration.
When my practice may not be the right fit:
Acute Crisis: If you are currently experiencing a mental health emergency or are diagnosed with mental disorders which require more specialist help from a psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.
Complex Medical Needs: If you require "joined-up" care from the NHS for complex trauma and / or severe physical health conditions that require a multidisciplinary medical team.
Stabilisation: If your nervous system is currently too "flooded" or overwhelmed for somatic work; in these cases, medical stabilisation must always come first.
When in doubt, please consult your GP or clinical lead first and if you are in acute distress, please contact NHS 111
Frequently Asked Questions about Somatic Therapy
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While talk therapy focuses on the "narrative" or the story of what happened, SomaSoul® Somatic Therapy focuses on the felt sense—the physical sensations held within the body. We work with the understanding that the body often remembers what the mind has suppressed or has no recollection of. Trauma can be passed through generations and can also occur in utero or be preverbval. Our body however, has its own intelligence and wisdom and repeating stress can be stored and held within our viscera and nervous system. By listening to the viscera and the nervous system, we can resolve stress and trauma that words alone cannot reach, or open up our capacity to live with challenges we have experienced in our life.
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Not at all. While many clients come to resolve chronic stress, anxiety, or emotional blockages, others use these sessions for deep self-discovery and integration. It is a process of becoming more "at home" in your own skin, building somatic skills for life, and deepening your connection to your body's innate wisdom. in doing so you may find more richness and meaning in life and deeper meaningful connection with others.
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Every session is unique to where you are in the moment. We begin with a check-in to see what is present in your body. From there, we might use a process called somatic tracking, or a path of expression or reflection, or the expressive arts process (such as drawing or journaling) to give a visible form to your internal sensations. We work at the pace of your nervous system, ensuring you always feel safe.
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Absolutely not! In SomaSoul®, the focus is on the process, not the final product. You don't need to be an artist; we use color and shape simply as a bridge to help the body communicate. It is a way of "mapping" your internal landscape so we can work with it more clearly.
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Yes. Somatic work is about attunement and presence. Through Zoom, I am still able to guide you through nervous system regulation, sounding practices, and expressive arts. Many clients find that being in their own familiar environment allows them to drop into their "felt sense" even more deeply. It also allows you to fit therapy into your life with more ease, as you are not having to travel to and from therapy.
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I am a Master Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator (MSMT/E) registered with ISMETA. Master Therapists are the pinnacle of the profession of Somatic Movement Therapty and Education which is a regulated profession in its own right. My work is polyvagal-informed and rooted in the teachings of the Leven Institute and my mentor, Daniel Leven. To ensure the highest clinical standards and your safety, I remain in ongoing professional clinical supervision and adhere to a strict International Code of Ethics.