Promoting positive Mental Health & Well-being.
SOCRATIC TO SOMATIC with D R DOWNES & ASSOCIATES
D R Downes & Associates Embodying You to Live Your Best Life
Ever notice how your stomach flips when you're anxious, or your shoulders tense under stress? That’s your body talking — and Somatic CBT helps you listen.
Somatic Cognitive Behavioural Therapy blends practical CBT tools with gentle, body-based techniques. It’s not just about changing thoughts — it’s about noticing how your body holds stress, anxiety, or somatic trauma, even when your mind feels "fine."
By tuning into physical signals like a tight chest or racing heart, we begin to slow down and reconnect. These sensations aren’t problems — they’re messages.
Somatic CBT supports your mind-body mental health by helping you work with both your thoughts and your body’s responses. One breath, one step, one session at a time.
You don’t need to have all the answers — just the willingness to start noticing. We’ll guide you from there.
Is Somatic CBT Right For Me?
If stress, anxiety, or past trauma shows up in your body — like tension, restlessness, or pain — Somatic CBT could be a helpful fit.
We specialise in both traditional CBT and somatic techniques and can help you explore if this approach feels right for you.
who might benefit from somatic cbt
If you are suffering with Anxiety & Stress
If you often feel anxious or overwhelmed, Somatic CBT can help you reconnect with your body — easing physical responses like racing thoughts or a pounding heart. By combining calming techniques with body awareness, it supports lasting change and strengthens your mind-body mental health, especially for those affected by somatic trauma.
If you are suffering from Trauma
Somatic CBT can be especially helpful for those recovering from somatic trauma, offering a safe and supportive way to release tension held in the body. By combining body awareness with practical tools, it helps you process emotional pain and rebuild trust in your mind-body mental health.
Supports Neurodiverse individuals
Somatic CBT can be a powerful support for neurodiverse individuals, including those with ADHD, autism, or sensory processing differences. It gently addresses both emotional regulation and somatic trauma, helping to ease the overwhelm that can build up in the nervous system. By combining body awareness with practical tools, it strengthens mind-body mental health in a way that feels safe, respectful, and empowering.
Anyone Looking for Holistic Healing
If traditional talk therapy hasn’t quite felt like enough, Somatic CBT offers a more integrated approach — helping you work through challenges by connecting your thoughts, body, and emotions. It’s especially helpful if you're carrying somatic trauma or looking to improve your overall mind-body mental health in a way that feels more complete and grounded.
Creative playground of somatic expression
How Somatic CBT Coaching can Transform your life
Supports Neurodivergent Minds
A human-first approach to managing stress, emotions, and focus
If you’re neurodivergent — living with ADHD, autism, sensory sensitivities, or emotional overwhelm — it can sometimes feel like your body and brain are working on two different frequencies.
Somatic CBT offers a way to bring them into sync. Instead of focusing only on your thoughts (like traditional CBT), Somatic CBT adds in body awareness — helping you notice and respond to physical signals like a racing heart, tight chest, or fidgety restlessness. This is especially powerful when dealing with somatic trauma, sensory overload, or intense emotional responses.
How It Helps:
- Managing Sensory Overload: Grounding tools like breathwork, weighted blankets, or noticing your feet on the floor can soothe the nervous system when the world feels “too much.”
- Emotional Regulation: By spotting early physical signs of overwhelm — like clenched jaws or rising tension — you can act before emotions spiral.
- Improving Focus & Attention: ADHD minds often race. Movement, breath, and mindfulness help anchor attention and reduce distraction.
- Releasing Trauma: For those holding trauma in the body, especially from social or sensory experiences, Somatic CBT offers a gentle way to process it without reliving it.
- Personalised Support: No two brains (or bodies) are the same. Sessions are adapted to your needs — whether that’s movement, stillness, or sensory support.
- Building a Toolset for Life: Breath. Movement. Awareness. These become go-to tools to manage stress, find calm, and feel more at home in your own body.
Somatic CBT meets you where you are — and walks with you at your pace. It's not about fixing who you are. It’s about helping your body and mind work better together.