Anxiety often announces itself in the body before the mind has a story for it. A tight chest, restless nights, a jaw that never quite unclenches. Somatic work starts where anxiety actually lives, offering a gentle way to listen to those physical signals.
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Anxiety is rarely just a thinking problem. It is a nervous system doing its best to protect you, long after the original danger has passed. That is why it can feel so unreasonable: nothing obvious is wrong, yet your body is braced for something. Logic alone rarely reaches it, which is why reassurance and thinking your way out tend to wear off by evening.
Working somatically means we pay attention to that bracing directly. Rather than only asking why you feel anxious, we notice how it shows up: the breath, the posture, the flutter under the ribs. The aim is not to fight the anxiety but to support your system to notice, slowly and safely, whether the present moment feels tolerable.
Somatic Experiencing was developed by Dr Peter Levine. It works with the body's natural capacity to regulate itself, gently supporting the nervous system as it moves away from constant alert towards a sense of ease. We work in small, tolerable steps, never pushing you into overwhelm, and everything moves at the speed your system sets.
There is no force and no drama in this. People often describe the relief as a quiet discovery: the shoulders dropping, the breath deepening on its own. That is often the system working through what felt stuck. I have worked this way for eight years, and I bring a person-centred foundation to it, so the relationship between us is part of the work too.
Sessions are 50 minutes at £90, held online wherever you are in the UK or Ireland. The first step is a free 20-minute call, a relaxed conversation to see if we are a good fit, with no pressure to continue. If anxiety sits alongside older wounds, you may also find the trauma-informed somatic therapy page useful, or the wider overview at online somatic therapy in the UK.
Starting therapy when you are anxious has its own irony: reaching out can feel like the hardest step of all. The intro call keeps that step small, around 20 minutes, with no commitment beyond it. If we are not the right fit, I will always say so honestly.
I am an MSc-qualified therapist and an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Accred), with eight years of experience. I accept the following insurance providers:
Many people find it reaches anxiety that talking alone has not shifted, because it works directly with the nervous system rather than only with thoughts. It is steady, paced work rather than a quick fix, and the free intro call is a good place to ask how it might fit you.
Yes. Sessions are held online across the UK and Ireland, and the body-focused work translates well to video. You control the pace throughout, and there is never any pressure to go further than feels steady.
That worry makes complete sense, and it is exactly what this way of working is designed for. We stay within your window of tolerance and work at the speed your system sets. Nothing is forced, and you can stop at any point.
Curious whether somatic work could help with your anxiety? The free 20 minute call is a gentle, no pressure way to find out.
Book a free 20-minute call with Peter