Somatic Psychotherapy
You spend a lot of time thinking, analyzing, and holding yourself together. Part of you longs to
finally exhale.
Somatic psychotherapy helps bridge the gap between understanding yourself and actually living from that understanding.
You’re in the right place if…
You’re thoughtful, reflective, and self-aware — but your body still feels tight, braced, or distant from the life you’re trying to live.
You understand your patterns and can explain where they come from, yet in certain moments your nervous system takes over before your insight can catch up.
You spend a lot of time monitoring your tone, emotions, or energy until holding everything together feels exhausting.
You feel deeply and notice everything around you, but you're not always sure where all that sensation, emotion, or intensity is supposed to go.
You've done a lot of inner work, and part of you senses the next step isn't more thinking. It's learning to inhabit your body differently.
It's not that you don't understand
yourself.
You probably do.
Your body learned its own way of surviving—through bracing, overthinking, staying one step ahead, or disconnecting from itself. Those patterns don't disappear simply because you understand where they came from.
Somatic psychotherapy creates the conditions for your nervous system to experience something different, so insight becomes something you can actually live.
What if you could go from...
Living mostly in your head to feeling more at home in your body.
Holding everything together to having room to breathe.
Understanding your patterns to experiencing change.
Distrusting your body's signals to learning to trust them.
Surviving your life to feeling present within it.
From insight to experience
Somatic psychotherapy slows things down enough for your body to be included in the conversation.
Together, we notice patterns of tension, emotion, protection, and sensation, building a clearer understanding of how your nervous system learned to protect you.
Over time, many people begin to notice more room to breathe, greater flexibility in how they respond, and a deeper sense of trust in themselves.
How the work
unfolds
Slow down
We begin by making space to notice what's happening in your body, emotions, and nervous system. Rather than rushing toward solutions, we learn how your system has organized itself over time.
Build relationship
Instead of trying to fix or override your experience, we develop curiosity toward it. Depending on what supports your process, we may draw from somatic awareness, relational dialogue, EMDR, movement, or creative exploration.
Integrate
As your capacity grows, the gap between what you understand and how you experience your life begins to close. With time, many people notice more flexibility, more choice, and a greater sense of trust in themselves.
Hi, I'm Danielle.
I'm a somatic psychotherapist based in Santa Monica and the founder of
Space Takes Practice.
I care deeply about this work because I've seen how many thoughtful, self-aware people spend years understanding themselves without experiencing the shifts they're longing for. We live in a culture that often teaches us to think our way through life while overlooking the wisdom, protection, and history carried in the body.
My work brings those worlds back into relationship. Through somatic psychotherapy, EMDR, creative exploration, and careful attention to the nervous system, we create space for insight to become lived experience—not by forcing change, but by slowing down enough for something new to emerge.
If you've done a great deal of inner work but sense there's another layer waiting to unfold, you're not alone. I'd be honored to support you in that process.
This work is about learning how to
inhabit your experience differently
When you’re ready, you’re welcome to schedule a consultation to begin.
Payment and details
Investment
Somatic psychotherapy is a collaborative, relational process that unfolds over time. Sessions are designed to support awareness, integration, and meaningful change across the body, mind, and emotional life.
Individual Somatic Psychotherapy
$265 per 50-minute session
Most clients begin with weekly sessions, though the rhythm of our work can be adjusted based on your needs.
Limited sliding scale spots are available when space allows. If cost is a concern, you’re welcome to ask about availability during your consultation.
Extended Sessions & Therapy Intensives
Longer sessions are available for clients who want deeper immersion in a single sitting. Extended sessions (90 minutes–3 hours) can be especially supportive for EMDR work or when exploring complex experiences that benefit from additional time.
Investment varies depending on length and format and can be discussed during your consultation.
Insurance
Space Takes Practice is an out-of-network practice. Payment is due at the time of service, and a superbill can be provided for potential reimbursement through your insurance plan.
Testimonials
"It truly felt like she was holding a light up to the storm inside of me."
CLIENT
"She never rushed my grief or made me feel like there was a 'right' way to heal."
CLIENT
"I never felt like I was being 'treated.' I felt like I was being deeply seen, understood, and supported."
CLIENT
"I am now better able to see myself fully and acknowledge my needs and wants. I am a more empowered woman, showing up for myself in my relationships, family, and work in a way I wasn't able to before."
CLIENT
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get started?
The first step is scheduling a consultation. This gives us a chance to briefly connect, discuss what you're looking for, and see whether the work feels like a good fit.
What happens in a somatic psychotherapy session?
Sessions include conversation as well as attention to the body’s sensations, emotions, and nervous system responses. Together we explore patterns of tension, bracing, emotion, and expression in a way that supports awareness and integration over time.
Do you offer virtual sessions, in-person sessions, or both?
Sessions are offered virtually and in person in Santa Monica. We can discuss what format works best for you during the consultation.
Do you accept insurance?
Space Takes Practice is an out-of-network practice. Payment is due at the time of service, and a superbill can be provided for potential reimbursement through your insurance provider.
Do you offer sliding scale options?
A limited number of sliding scale spots are available. If cost is a concern, you're welcome to ask about availability during your consultation.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule?
Please provide at least 48 hours' notice for cancellations or rescheduling. Sessions cancelled with less notice will be charged the full session fee.
What are extended sessions or therapy intensives?
Extended sessions allow us to work together for a longer period of time (90 minutes to several hours). These can be especially supportive for EMDR work or when exploring experiences that benefit from additional space and depth.
How often do people usually meet for therapy?
Most people begin with weekly sessions. The consistency of meeting regularly creates a kind of practice — a rhythm that supports awareness, integration, and nervous system change over time.
As the work evolves, we can always adjust the pace of sessions.
How is somatic therapy different from traditional talk therapy?
Somatic psychotherapy includes the body as part of the therapeutic process. Rather than working only with thoughts and stories, we also pay attention to sensation, nervous system patterns, and the ways the body holds experience. This can allow insight to become something you actually feel and live, not just something you understand.
How do I know if this work is right for me?
Many people who find their way to this work are thoughtful and self-aware but feel something in their experience hasn’t fully shifted despite years of insight or reflection. If you’re curious about working with the body, nervous system, and emotional life — not just thoughts alone — this approach may resonate with you. A consultation is a good way for us to explore whether it feels like a supportive fit.
Do I need to have a specific problem to start therapy?
Not necessarily. Some people come to therapy during a specific challenge such as grief, trauma, illness, or major life transitions. Others come because they feel stuck, disconnected, or curious about understanding themselves more deeply. Therapy can be a space for exploration, integration, and growth — not only crisis.
What if I’ve already been in therapy before?
Many of the people I work with have already spent years in therapy or personal growth work. They often understand their patterns intellectually but still feel tension, overwhelm, or disconnection in their bodies. Somatic psychotherapy offers a way to include the body and nervous system in the process, allowing insight to gradually become something that is lived and felt.
Good Faith Estimate
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call (800) 985-3059.
A new way of relating to your body, mind, and emotional life can begin to take shape, it
starts here.
If you’re ready to begin, you’re welcome to schedule a consultation.
