Somatic Touch
Somatic Touch and Its Origin
Somatic Touch is a consent-based, clothed, and gentle therapeutic approach where sessions are collaborative and guided by ongoing client consent. Developed by internationally recognized educator and practitioner Kathy Kain, Somatic Touch Skills draws on decades of clinical experience and is informed by Somatic Experiencing® and other body-oriented trauma therapies. This body-based approach works with the nervous system responses to access and support healing that may be difficult to reach through talk therapy alone. The work is titrated and carefully paced to each person’s capacity, and can be offered with or without physical touch, including in virtual sessions.
How It Helps
Somatic Touch aims to cultivate nervous system regulation and support the conditions that facilitate trauma healing. It is often used to help people experiencing developmental trauma and Complex PTSD. Gentle, attuned presence and/or touch can build nervous system regulation, ease long-held stress patterns, and address unmet developmental needs related to support, boundaries, and connection. Over time, clients often experience greater embodiment, improved awareness of internal sensations, and strengthened capacity for healthy attachment and self-regulation.
What to Expect at BOOM Healing
Each session begins with a check-in. Consent and collaboration guide every aspect of the work, including any decisions around touch, which is always optional and can be changed at any time. If used, touch is slow, gentle, and non-invasive, and may be offered while you are seated or lying down. All sessions are conducted fully clothed, and if the treatment table is used, clients remain face up throughout the session. Sessions are paced according to your nervous system’s responses, without pressure. You are welcome to pause, ask questions, or shift direction at any time, and sessions end with quiet integration time, often referred to as “healing silence.”
Cautions
As with any trauma-informed somatic work, you may experience shifts in emotions, experience sensations, or surface memories during or after a session. These experiences can feel supportive, neutral, or at times unexpected or intense. Some people notice fatigue, emotional sensitivity, or a need for additional rest and integration following sessions. Somatic Touch may not be the right fit for everyone at every stage, and the approach can always be adjusted or paused based on your needs.
About Your Practitioner
Somatic Touch sessions at BOOM Healing are offered by Amanda Ward, RCC, MA, MACP. Amanda’s approach is grounded in supporting people to safely reconnect with themselves and their innate capacity for healing. Her commitment is to always explain the purpose of touch before offering it, maintain ongoing consent and collaboration, and ensure clients can pause, change, or stop at any time without pressure. The work is guided by respect, choice, and a focus on creating a safe and supportive therapeutic environment.
Let’s Work Together
Book your first appointment here: