What to expect in an Introductory Somatic Exploration Journey session

Beginning something new and working with someone new can often feel exciting and vulnerable.

Especially when the work we do together can be so tender. It can often feel like a big leap into the unknown, and it’s really normal for there to be some nervous, tingly, excited, scared emotions and sensations coming up.

With that in mind, I wanted to give you a little insight into what to expect when you book an Introductory Somatic Exploration Journey session with me. This is a space where my hope is for you to feel comfortable, at ease and welcome (just as you are).

Your first 75 minutes with me

The Introductory Somatic Exploration Journey session is all about laying the foundations for our work together. Which means we won’t be doing any emotional processing or release in this session (sometimes not even for the first few sessions - I’ll touch on this below).

But, as with any Somatic work, there will be moments sprinkled into this session to slow down, ground, orient, check in with yourself, and give your body time to arrive and feel more comfortable.

Your first session is all about beginning to make sense of your experience, and beginning to build the foundations and your inner capacity for inner reorganisation to take place in future sessions.

Here, we begin to weave the context of our work together by:

• Exploring your context - your story, what’s been happening in your life, what’s brought you here, what you’re craving and yearning for in your life, mapping your goals

• Cultivating connection to stabilisation and to sources of support

• Building presence, awareness and connection with your body (don’t worry if you find it a bit challenging to connect with your body and sensations, this is a muscle we build during our time together)

The intention is to have a warm and meaningful conversation to connect the dots of what you’re experiencing, and so I can get an idea of the areas we can focus on that are important to you.

Why We Begin with Stabilisation

Our first sessions together are about preparing the ground - cultivating the right conditions for your body’s natural healing process to unfold.

Think of it like tending to the soil before planting seeds: the more stable and nourished the foundation, the deeper and more sustainable the growth that follows. The same goes for your body and nervous system.

One of these foundational seeds is stabilisation.

When I speak of stabilisation, it is the ability to be present, grounded, or neutral amidst moments of activation or intensity. Like being a steady tree with solid roots and trunk, swaying in the wind and not being uprooted.

At the beginning of your Somatic Exploration Journey, we focus on helping your body build capacity to be present with its sensations, to access inner stability (aka regulating your nervous system), and to feel stable and present enough to stay with what arises. This stability is the foundation, and what makes deeper somatic processing and inner reorganisation possible, and to be done safely.

You might notice these first sessions feel slower than what you’re used to: with moments of silence, gentleness, and spaciousness. It might feel a little awkward, or you may have parts of you that might feel a little impatient, but it is normal and part of the process.

Working somatically is about re-learning to slow down enough to notice what’s happening in your body, and to move in coherence with your body and your nervous system. Nervous systems don’t rewire through rushing or force; they rewire through access to enough safety, stability and slowness.

When your body has a deepened connection with stability, and enough capacity and presence to stay in your body and in its experience, the wisdom of your body starts to take over and restore itself to homeostasis. This is what we are building towards and fortifying the groundwork for in our initial sessions. This part of the process takes as long as it needs to take, as it is important that your body feels stable enough and has enough access to stability before we proceed to processing any somatic residue (aka the stuff that feels stuck/heavy/blocking in your body).

From this foundation of safety and stability, we can then move into the deeper layers of somatic work - gently composting somatic residue, patterns, and stories that your body has been carrying.

My hope for how you feel after your first introductory session with me

My aim is for you to walk out of our first call feeling hopeful, and feeling a sense of inner connectedness that you may not have felt in a long time (or ever).

I know that first calls, and get to know you calls can feel a little awkward, clunky and slow at times, and maybe there’s a part of you that wants things to move along a little faster. Or maybe parts of you that wonder if you’re doing things ‘right’ or worried about doing something ‘wrong’. These are all normal and part of the process. If this is coming up for you, my invitation is to practice the practice of allowing the beginner experience and the unknown, and sharing with me your experience in session so we can be with it together. This is a co-creative and collaborative experience.

What happens next?

Follow-up sessions are not only an essential part of building momentum and progress, it supports bringing your body and nervous system back to a more stable, steady and present state (nervous system regulation).

I usually recommend between 3 and 6 sessions to begin noticing some subtle shifts in how you show up and relate with life.

But together and during our first call, I’ll get a bit of a clearer picture of the right level of support for you and your personal circumstances. This may look like fortnightly sessions for 3 months or fortnightly sessions month-to-month - but this is a co-creative and flexible process that is tailored to your needs.

Somatic work isn’t about pushing or forcing change, nor is it about overnight change or quick cathartic fixes.

It is building relationship and deeper connection with yourself, listening to your body’s natural intelligence and moving at the pace that feels supportive to your nervous system.

Depending on your background, your history of experiences and context it’s really normal for it to take a little bit of time (i.e. several sessions) to build your capacity to connect with your body and learning to stabilise your nervous system.

Each session builds upon the last - gently widening your capacity to feel, notice, to hold, and to respond with greater presence and stability.

Over time, we will begin exploring and processing unprocessed past experiences that may be keeping you feeling stuck or stagnant or unable to move forwards.

Overall, Somatic work can help you reconnect to your innate resilience, confidence, and aliveness - the parts of you that may have been buried beneath years of stress, self-pressure, or emotional exhaustion. I’m so honoured to be able to work with you to support you on your journey.

Ready to Begin?

If you’re curious about whether Somatic Exploration Journey sessions are the next step for you, I invite you to book a Connection Call.

It’s a gentle, no-pressure space where we can meet, you can ask questions and get a feel for whether this work feels like the right fit or if I’m the right fit for you.

You can book your Connection Call.