Somatic Coaching vs. Nervous System Coaching: What's the Difference?

Have you been searching for someone to help you feel safe in your body, and found yourself lost in words like somatic, nervous system, embodiment and trauma-informed?

You are not alone. These words get used in a lot of different ways, and it is hard to know which kind of support you are actually looking for. Here is how I understand the difference, and how to choose what fits you.

What is somatic coaching?

"Somatic" simply means "of the body." Somatic coaching is a broad name for coaching that works through the body as well as the mind. A somatic coach might guide you to notice sensations, breath, posture and movement, and use those signals to understand what you are feeling and what you need.

There is no single license or rule for who can call themselves a somatic coach, so the training behind the title can vary a lot. Some practitioners have trained in specific body-based methods. Somatic Experiencing, for example, is a particular trauma-focused approach with its own certification. It is worth asking anyone you consider what their training actually is.

What is nervous system coaching?

Nervous system coaching focuses on how your body learned to respond to stress and safety. It looks at why you stay stuck in fight, flight or freeze, why you brace before a hard conversation, why you cannot settle even on a quiet day.

The goal is to help your body learn, slowly and gently, that it is safe now.

So what is the difference?

There is a lot of overlap. Both work with the body, and both care about how you feel inside, not only what you think.

The main difference is focus. Somatic coaching is a wide umbrella for any body-based coaching. Nervous system coaching zooms in on your stress response and your sense of safety, and on the patterns that keep your alarm switched on.

How I work

I am a trauma-informed Spiritual Life Coach and Spiritual Psychology Coach. I am not a licensed somatic practitioner. The way I work brings together nervous system coaching, embodiment and Spiritual Psychology.

We listen to what your body is telling you: the bracing, the tight chest, the urge to shut down. Then we go underneath it, to the old hurts and core patterning that taught your body it had to stay on guard. When it serves you, we use age stage healing to meet the younger part of you where the pattern began, with compassion instead of judgment.

In my experience, when that younger part finally feels met, the body begins to soften on its own.

How do I choose the right kind of support?

A few questions can help:

• Do you mainly want tools to calm your body day to day? A nervous system or somatic coach can help you build simple practices for hard moments.
• Do you understand your story, but your body still reacts as if the past is happening now? Work that goes to the root of the pattern, like Spiritual Psychology combined with nervous system coaching, may be the missing piece.
• Are you in crisis, or do you need clinical trauma treatment? Please start with a licensed therapist. Coaching can walk alongside that care.

Whoever you choose, ask about their training, how they work with the body, and how they make sure you never feel pushed past what you are ready for.

What else do people ask?

Is somatic coaching the same as therapy?

No. Coaching is not a clinical service and does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. Some therapists use somatic methods in their clinical work, which is different from coaching.

Do I have to talk about my trauma?

Not in my work. You are always in charge of what we explore, and you are never asked to relive anything.

Can this be done online?

Yes. I work with people in person in Santa Rosa and online by video. Your nervous system does not need us to be in the same room to begin to settle.

Do you work with men?

Yes. I work with women and men one to one, and with couples.

If your body has been carrying more than it should, I would love to talk. Book your free Soul Aligned Call and we will talk about what your body has been holding.

Want to learn more first? Read about nervous system coaching in Santa Rosa, or take my 3-Minute Sacred Pattern Decoder Quiz.