Why Somatic?
For Individuals and the Therapists who support them
If you're feeling stuck, stressed, overwhelmed, shut down, in pain, or simply unsure of what's next, you're not alone.
Even if you can't name what's wrong but know that something needs to change, you're in the right place.
Change begins by turning inward. When we can notice what's happening within us - physically, emotionally, and mentally - we can begin to understand our patterns, create new choices, and transform what's happening in our lives.
You don't have to know what's wrong to begin.
What I offer
Three ways to work with me
Individuals, couples, and groups navigating stress, pain, trauma, grief, life transitions, recovery, regulation, and other real life challenges.
Online & In-Person training and mentoring for therapists, coaches, and teachers interested in using a somatic approach
Programs, workshops, speaking, and curriculum developed for health organizations, businesses, and professional communities.
What People Say ...
About Therapy
from a client
"Soleil is an extraordinary person and practitioner. Immediately following my brain surgery, she assisted me through movement patterns that were so detailed and helpful. She helped open pathways my body longed for, and did so skillfully and intelligently. Soleil's expertise combines a responsive and intuitive touch, as well as body wisdom that she has built in herself and extends through her hands to others. She is sensitive, respectful and kind. An exquisite experience for anyone ready to go deeper into their body. "
Michaela
About Education
from a therapist
"It was a pleasure to bring Soleil in to train our counselors to learn an aspect of clinical support that is not traditionally taught in mental health programs and schools.
The counselors who participated greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn somatic-based techniques to help their clients more thoroughly integrate trauma and reconnect with their bodies.
I highly recommend Soleil's workshops to learn a unique and valuable adjunct to traditional psychotherapy."
Dr. Starr Mackinnon, Owner
Stepping Stones Life Transition, San Diego
About Programs
from an organization
"As an association that represents health care providers, it was a glaring error that we did not offer opportunities for our members to take care of themselves when they attend our annual meetings. Working with Soleil to develop our Self-Care program has been amazing.
She understands our need to implement things in “baby steps”. She is a keen observer while onsite and always comes up with a ton of new ideas to implement as we plan for the next year’s event.
I consider Soleil my health and wellness expert and appreciate her guidance as we develop programming that helps our caregivers care for themselves."
Teresa Eyet Director – Education Programs, American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living
Somatic Therapy
For Individuals, Couples, Groups
Sometimes talking about what’s happening isn’t enough. Somatic therapy offers another way to explore stress, pain, trauma, grief, and other life challenges - by paying attention to what is happening in the moment, not just talking about it.
Yes, there is dialogue - and sensation, movement, mindful awareness, and supported contact.
Together, we explore your direct experience, integrate what your somatic responses are telling you. You will walk out the door with actions you have chosen.
Since 2002, I’ve worked with individuals, couples, and groups in a gentle, collaborative process that can support lasting change in health, relationships, work, and everyday life.
Somatic therapy pairs well with other talk and physical therapies. Referrals from therapists are welcomed as part of a team approach.
Questions about Working with Soleil
What You Might Be Wondering
Somatic Education
For Therapists, Coaches, Yoga Teachers and any Professionals interested in a somatic approach
Trigger. Dissociate. Disconnect.
These words describe more than your client’s experience - they can show up in you, too. A freeze in your body. A bracing breath. A sudden sense of disconnection.
In those charged moments, the body isn’t a problem - it’s the pathway. Do you know how to work with it?
My trainings are experiential, practical, and grounded in recognized, evidence-informed theories and approaches, drawing from the latest in vagus nerve conditioning, parts theory, functional regulation, and somatic awareness - not as formulas to apply, but as ways to better understand what is happening in the moment and respond with greater choice.
Online and in-person trainings along with mentor groups and supervision offer practical ways to bring somatic awareness into the work you already do.
Somatic Programs & Speaker
For Organizations who champion purpose and meaning
Along with my expertise in somatic therapy and professional training, I bring 20 years of corporate program management and systems design experience in the world of technology—including Microsoft, Adobe, and Getty Images.
This merging of brain and body allows me to bring somatic perspectives into professional and educational settings, while speaking with ease to people at all levels of an organization.
Whether designing and implementing thoughtful programs, offering customized workshops, or speaking clearly about the intersection of Eastern and Western perspectives, each piece connects to the core of an organization’s vision.
About Soleil
From High Tech to High Touch
After 20 years in Corporate Technology, the constant pain in my body from leaning over a computer, along with the pain in my soul from not doing meaningful work, loudly proclaimed:
“CHANGE YOUR LIFE — NOW!”
As William Bridges noted, “Change happens on the outside. Transition happens on the inside.”
In 2002, I began to listen from the inside - to my body's language. It was telling me to put people before machines.
And so I began my journey toward working with real people through a well-known body-based therapeutic intervention, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. This method guided me to develop an approach that over the years has merged the evidence-based Eastern traditions of yoga and Buddhist mindfulness with Western perspectives from psychology and neuroscience.
Over the past 25 years, through my work with clients, students, and teachers, I've come to trust something simple: change doesn't begin with figuring things out.
It begins by noticing the edges of discomfort and accepting what is happening in the moment. Only then can we make informed choices - those incremental, practical steps that lead us toward lasting change.
Whether we are aware of it or not, awareness begins physiologically. Where we learn to befriend not only stress, depression, grief, and pain, but also joy, awe, and purpose.
This is the work I continue to explore, teach, and share.