Somatic therapy in Vaughan
Some stress lives in the body, the tight chest, the clenched jaw, the feeling of being frozen or wired. Somatic therapy includes your body in the healing, gently and at your pace, so you can feel calmer and more settled.
No referral needed · in-person or online · with somatic, trauma-informed Registered Psychotherapists.
Psychotherapists
supervision
trauma-informed
20 minutes
Clinically reviewed by Svetlana Antonyshyn, Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #001652). Last reviewed June 2026.
What somatic therapy is
Somatic therapy is an umbrella term for body-based approaches that bring the body into the work, not instead of talking, but alongside it. Rather than working only with thoughts and words, a somatic-informed therapist also pays attention to what is happening in your body: breath, tension, posture, the urge to move or to freeze.
The best-known formal trainings in the field are Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, developed by Pat Ogden. InnerSight does not practise Hakomi or Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, which are separate trainings that nobody on our team holds. What our therapists bring is the broader body-aware work this page describes. The shared idea underneath all of it is simple and humane: stress and trauma can show up in the body, so it often helps to include the body in the healing.
We will be honest with you: somatic therapy is a younger field, and its research is still developing. For trauma, the most established treatments remain EMDR and trauma-focused talk therapy. We often blend somatic work with those, as a gentle, grounding way in.
Somatic therapy is talking therapy that also listens to your body. By noticing sensation and working gently with your nervous system, it helps you feel safer and more grounded, so the deeper work has somewhere steady to stand.
Meet our somatic, body-aware therapists
All Registered Psychotherapists with somatic, trauma-informed training. Watch a short intro, read their full profile, or let us match you in your free consultation.
Hafiza Dakri
Rachel Fay
Not sure who fits? Browse all 24+ therapists or let us match you in a free consultation. You can switch anytime, and your file moves with you.
Your “window of tolerance”
Most of us have a zone where we feel steady and able to cope. Stress and trauma can shrink that window, tipping us into too much or too little. Somatic therapy gently widens it. Tap each state.
“Wired and on edge, racing heart, tight chest, can’t sit still or switch my mind off.”
Your therapist helps you slow down and find a small sense of steadiness in your body, then work in tiny, tolerable steps, so your system can settle rather than flood.
None of these states is wrong, they are your body protecting you. Talk it through with a therapist, free for 20 minutes.
For when stress lives in the body
A body-aware approach can be especially helpful when distress is physical and ordinary talk therapy has not, on its own, been enough.
Somatic work is one of several therapy approaches we draw on, and it is almost always blended with talk therapy. In your free consult we will help you find the right combination.
Promising and developing, not a miracle
Here is where the evidence actually stands, including its limits.
A randomized controlled trial of Somatic Experiencing for PTSD found meaningful symptom improvement compared with a waitlist.
A 2021 review found promising early results for Somatic Experiencing, while rating overall study quality as mixed and calling for more rigorous trials.
For PTSD, leading guidelines still recommend trauma-focused CBT and EMDR as first-line, so we use somatic work as a supportive complement, not a replacement.
The popular phrase “the body keeps the score” is best read as a metaphor: stress can show up in the body, but the literal-storage version is debated.
van der Kolk, 2014; critique per Scheeringa, BJPsych Bulletin, 2025
We share this so you can decide with clear, honest information. What somatic therapy offers is real and gentle: a calm, body-aware space, a therapist who helps you feel safe, and skills to settle a nervous system that has been working overtime.
What a session actually looks like
Gentle, collaborative, and never rushed. You are always in control of the pace, and you never have to relive or push past what feels safe.
Somatic work goes slowly on purpose. We touch difficult material a little at a time and keep returning to steadiness, so it stays manageable.
Resourcing first
Before anything else, your therapist helps you find a felt sense of calm or steadiness to come back to, an inner resource you can return to anytime.
Listening to the body, with curiosity
You gently notice sensations in the present, tension, breath, warmth, with curiosity rather than pressure, learning the body’s language.
Small steps, back to steady
You touch a little of the hard material, then return to calm, widening what your system can hold over time. Slow, on purpose, and always within reach of safety.
Body-aware, trauma-informed, and carefully paced to you
Our somatic therapists blend body awareness with evidence-based talk therapy, matched to what your body and your story need.
InnerSight was founded by Svetlana Antonyshyn, RP, on the belief that healing should treat the person, not a label. More about our approach.
What therapy costs in Vaughan
No hidden fees. Most private insurance plans cover a portion of psychotherapy fees.
Meet a therapist, ask anything, and see if a body-aware approach feels right. No obligation.
Most private insurance plans cover a portion of services from a Registered Psychotherapist, and we bill Sun Life, SSQ and Green Shield directly. Your first full appointment is a 70-minute initial assessment at $245.
Sessions with supervised therapists in training, at a lower rate. Guided by experienced clinical supervisors.
Psychotherapy may also qualify for the medical expense tax credit in Canada. Worried about cost? See our reduced-fee program.
Your questions, answered
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy is an umbrella term for body-based approaches that work with physical sensation, breath, and the nervous system alongside talk, rather than working with thoughts alone. Well-known forms include Somatic Experiencing and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. The idea is that stress and trauma can show up in the body, so it can help to include the body in the healing.
Do you offer Hakomi or Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
No. Hakomi and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy are distinct trainings with their own certification pathways, and nobody at InnerSight holds either one. We say so directly because both names bring people to pages like this one. What our therapists do is the broader body-aware work this page describes: grounding, attention to breath and sensation, and nervous-system regulation alongside talk. If you specifically want a Hakomi or Sensorimotor practitioner, you will need to look elsewhere, and it is better to know that now than at the end of a first appointment.
Is somatic therapy evidence-based?
Honestly, the research is still developing. A randomized controlled trial of Somatic Experiencing for PTSD showed meaningful improvement, and a review found promising early results, but the overall evidence base is smaller and younger than for therapies like trauma-focused CBT and EMDR. We offer it as a supportive, body-aware approach, often alongside those better-established methods, rather than a quick fix.
Is trauma really stored in the body?
That popular phrase is best understood as a metaphor. What is true is that stress and trauma can show up physically, as tension, a racing heart, exhaustion, or feeling frozen. Somatic therapy works with those bodily experiences in the present. We do not claim trauma is literally locked in your tissues, because that stronger version of the idea is debated among researchers.
What happens in a somatic therapy session?
Sessions are gentle and safety-first. Your therapist helps you find a felt sense of calm, then invites you to notice body sensations with curiosity. The work moves slowly and in small steps, touching difficult material a little at a time and returning to steadiness, so you stay within a comfortable range and never have to relive or flood.
Who is somatic therapy for?
It can help people working through trauma and PTSD, chronic stress, and anxiety, especially anyone who feels stress lives in their body, who goes numb or frozen, or who has found talking alone has not been enough. It is often blended with other approaches and paced to you.
Can I do somatic therapy online?
Yes. Body-aware work translates well to secure video sessions anywhere in Ontario, your therapist simply guides you to notice sensation and use grounding in your own space. We also offer it in person in Woodbridge, Vaughan and Barrie.
Is somatic therapy the same as massage or bodywork?
No. Somatic psychotherapy is a talking therapy that includes awareness of the body. It is delivered by Registered Psychotherapists and does not involve hands-on massage or physical manipulation.
Do I need a referral?
No referral is needed. You can book a free 20-minute consultation online at psychotherapyclinic.janeapp.com or call (905) 553-9507. Sessions are delivered by Registered Psychotherapists, and most private insurance plans cover a portion. We bill Sun Life, SSQ and Green Shield directly. Your first full appointment is a 70-minute initial assessment at $245, and ongoing sessions are $180 for 55 minutes.
Somatic therapy near you: Vaughan, Woodbridge, Barrie & online
In-person sessions at three locations, plus secure video sessions anywhere in Ontario. Evenings and weekends available.
Three steps, starting today
Book your free consult
Online in 2 minutes or by phone. No referral, no credit card.
Meet your therapist
Talk it through and get matched with a somatic therapist who fits.
Reconnect with steadiness
Build calm and capacity, gently, at the pace of your body.