Life By Design Therapy

  ✨ Why somatic therapy at Life by Design? ✨ We believe that healing and transformation happen within present moment experiences, and use this belief to shape our work. Our goal as therapists is to guide you towards accessing more information and lead you to the path of experiencing wholeness. We believe this is the road to growth, paradigm shifts, challenging unhealthy patterns, and, most importantly, to the FREEDOM OF CHOICE. Somatic therapy encourages you to choose yourself, every day, by choosing to be aware of your body in the present moment. Contact Life by Design Therapy today to learn more about our openings for somatic therapy. https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/

  When was the last time you felt secure? Where were you? Who were you with? What did your body feel like? Resourcing is a somatic therapy technique that allows you to create a sense of stability and safety. Your past is full of emotional resources you can draw on to cope with distress in the present moment. These resources include visualizing (i.e. resourcing) a "safe place" or "protective figures" associated with positive memories in the mind and body. By remembering these positive people, places, and events from our past, we can effectively "download" the bodily sensations associated with calmer or happier times, to bring our minds and bodies back to a better place. https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/

  🌻 "What does a good therapist look like?" 🌻 The truth is, therapy should feel like a safe and empowering space. A good therapist validates your experiences, listens with intention, and helps you uncover new perspectives. They aren’t there to “fix” you, they’re there to guide you, set goals with you, and encourage meaningful feedback along the way. At Life By Design Therapy , we’re passionate about creating spaces where you can feel seen, supported, and safe to grow. Whether you’re navigating life’s challenges or seeking clarity, our team is here to help you step into the life you deserve; one filled with intention, healing, and self-discovery. Ready to start your journey? Visit Holistic and Somatic Therapy | Berkeley & Online to learn more or book a free consultation through the link in our bio. What’s most important to you in a therapeutic relationship? Share your thoughts below! 🌱 https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/

  At Life By Design Therapy™, we believe that healing is more than just talking, it’s about feeling, experiencing, and transforming from the inside out. Too many people seek therapy hoping for relief, only to find themselves stuck in surface-level conversations that don’t fully address their pain. Our mission is to change that. We provide somatic and holistic therapy that integrates the body, mind, and nervous system into the healing process. Our approach isn’t just about managing symptoms, it’s about getting to the root of suffering and creating lasting change. If you would like to work with a premier therapy center in Berkeley, California, or just learn more about our approach to mental health, click the link in our bio to schedule a free phone consultation. We can’t wait to hear from you! https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/therapy-phone-consultation

  Overwhelm isn’t just a sign that you have too much to do. It’s a signal from your nervous system that it’s carrying more than it can safely hold. When your body is stuck in survival mode, it doesn’t need more pressure, it needs regulation. Here are 6 somatic hacks I use (and share with clients) to help shift out of overwhelm and back into a sense of steadiness: 🌿 Start with grounding, not scrolling – Begin your day with breath, touch, or movement before diving into stimulation. 🌿 Anchor your day with regulation breaks – Tiny pauses between tasks help your system reset before it crashes. 🌿 Move your body in gentle, consistent ways – Think swaying, stretching, or slow walks. Not intensity, but connection. 🌿 Prioritize safety cues in your environment – Soothing light, soft textures, grounding scents…all of it matters. 🌿 Include transitions for emotional decompression – Create space between roles. Let your body exhale before shifting gears. 🌿 End the day with self-soothin...

  There’s a kind of exhaustion that doesn’t go away with more sleep. A kind of tension that lives in your shoulders, your jaw, or your gut, without any clear reason. Maybe you’ve tried deep breathing, journaling, even therapy, but something still feels stuck. Unspoken. Unresolved. In my work as a somatic therapist, I’ve learned that trauma doesn’t always arrive with obvious signs. Sometimes, it’s quiet. It hides in habits we’ve normalized, like always being on edge, needing to stay busy, or finding it hard to feel anything, or finding it hard to trust others. Trauma isn’t just about what happened to you; it’s also about what never got completed. What your body had to hold when things felt too fast, too much, or not enough. And when that process gets interrupted, the body stores the unfinished story, not necessarily in words, but in sensations, patterns, and protective responses. What makes this tricky is that the signs of unprocessed trauma don’t always look like trauma. They ofte...

  “This is just how I’ve always been.” Maybe you’ve said it without thinking. About being the calm one, or the capable one, or even the one who never needs much. But what if it’s not your personality? What if it’s actually a form of self-protection? So many trauma responses get mistaken for traits like: 😶 Emotional numbness ➡️ “easygoing” 💡 Hypervigilance ➡️ “detail-oriented” 🧍‍♀️ Freeze ➡️ “quiet” 🙋‍♀️ Fawning ➡️ “selfless” You didn’t choose these patterns. Your body adapted to keep you safe. And it makes sense if they’ve become familiar, so familiar, they feel like you. If you want to learn more about the hidden ways trauma shows up in everyday life, read the full blog: 7 Hidden Signs of Unprocessed Trauma [link in bio]! https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/blog/7-hidden-signs-of-unprocessed-trauma

  When something overwhelming happens and there’s no space to release it, no chance to run, cry, be held, or feel safe again, your nervous system holds onto that survival energy. It stays in your body, quietly shaping how you think, feel, connect, and cope. And even if the trauma is long past, your body might still be waiting for the signal: “It’s safe now.” That’s where somatic therapy can help. Healing and regulation starts when your body gets to complete what never got to finish, so you can finally return to a place of safety, presence, and peace. And please know that your body isn’t the problem. It’s part of the healing. https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/somatic-therapy

  What if your symptoms are actually unprocessed trauma? Trauma isn’t just the moment something painful happened. It’s what didn’t get to happen afterward. You didn’t get to cry. Or be held. Or run. Or feel safe again. Because of this, your nervous system stays in gear. You carry this survival energy in your subconscious which tells your body that you’re still experiencing the event and need to stay on high-alert. That’s exhausting… When your mind and body don’t have the ability to come back to a place of safety after a traumatic experience, you continue looping through the trauma cycle. Somatic Therapy can help complete that unfinished loop by bringing awareness to the mind & body connection. Not by reliving the past, but by offering your body what it never got: ☀️ Safety ☀️ Movement ☀️ Connection Healing starts when your body gets to exhale what it’s been holding. https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/trauma-therapy

  I used to follow all the “morning routine” tips . Wake up early, drink water, make a list, go for a walk… But no matter how consistent I was, the overwhelm never really went away. That’s because the problem wasn’t my routine, it was how my nervous system was carrying unprocessed stress underneath it all. If your daily habits aren’t helping you feel more grounded, it’s not because you’re doing it wrong. It might be because your body doesn’t need more structure. It needs more safety. This post breaks down why your current routine might not be working, and what actually helps when overwhelm is rooted in your nervous system, not your schedule. You don’t need to push harder. You need a rhythm that holds you with care. 💛 https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/

  There was a time in my life when everything looked fine on the outside. I was dependable. High achieving. Always the one who had it together. But underneath that? My body was exhausted. My mind never slowed down. And rest felt more like a threat than a relief. It took me a while to realize that what looked like success was actually survival. The over-functioning. The people-pleasing. The need to stay busy, in control, and composed. These weren’t just personality traits. They were responses shaped by what I didn’t get to feel, express, or release. I wasn’t thriving. I was coping in the only ways my nervous system knew how. If that resonates with you, I want you to know that I understand. There were things I couldn’t think my way out of. I had the insight. I had the language. But my body still felt tense, guarded, tired. That’s what led me to somatic therapy. Somatic therapy helped me stop fighting my body and start listening to it. Instead of trying to “fix” symptoms like overw...