Individual Somatic Therapy Sessions

Are you trapped in a never-ending battle with chronic pain, stress and anxiety, prompting a constantly shifting rollercoaster of emotions and behaviours? Perhaps it’s time to learn a new way of being — one that tunes into your physical body and internal wisdom to unlock long-term healing and ease.

 
A woman with a hand on her hip looks out towards her garden
 

Learn the language of your body and discover deep healing through nervous system regulation

This is for you if:

You experience persistent symptoms such as IBS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, anxiety, chronic stress, chronic back pain or other types of chronic muscular pain, poor sleep, and disrupted bowel habits.

You feel like you’ve exhausted traditional medicine and allied health options. While avenues such as medication and regular treatment may be helping you manage daily symptoms, you’re not finding long-term relief.

You rely on adaptive behaviours such as binge eating or drinking and working harder to disconnect from your pain, anxiety and stress.

You identify as highly sensitive or neurodivergent — and often this has been framed as a shortcoming rather than a gift.

You know there is more to life than this disempowered existence. You’re curious about pain and pleasure and want to be proactive, but haven’t found the right guidance yet.

 

The Somatic Mind-Body Therapy (SMBT) approach

Over the past 20+ years, I’ve developed my own unique blended-modality approach — called Somatic Mind-Body Therapy. SMBT teaches you how to work holistically with your sensations and feelings, as well as your physical body and your mind. This gentle approach releases pent-up tension, challenges underlying beliefs and allows you to move away from chronic physical and emotional pain.

The 3 core elements of SMBT

  • Somatic experiencing

    Somatic practices build your capacity and tolerance for what you're sensing and feeling. This helps you develop safety in your body to remain connected in all experiences without becoming overwhelmed.

  • Mindfulness

    The act of purposefully paying attention to your consciousness within the present moment, helping reveal unhelpful thoughts, attitudes and beliefs developed in response to challenging experiences or physical sensations.

  • Bodywork

    We also work with your physical body through movement, breathwork and myofascial release, which helps you understand and release movement adaptations you may have made based on stress, pain or fatigue.

Access long-term healing and freedom from chronic pain or stress

During individual Somatic Therapy sessions, you’ll work directly with me, qualified Somatic Therapist Kate Lister. Each session is tailored to your distinct needs and draws on a broad range of holistic modalities including Polyvagal Theory, Somatic Experiencing, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Myotherapy and Pilates. Over time, our work together chrysalises into your own ‘Rhythms of Self’ self-care guide.

 

Intuitive listening

By exploring current experiences together, we can uncover your internal narratives around personal life events. Using intuitive listening — including what arises for you both emotionally and somatically (in your body and physical sensations) — we can discover root causes that keep you stuck in beliefs, behaviours and actions that aren’t helpful.

Physical pain exploration

We can also explore physical pain in your body through the same narrative, belief and action pathway. Often, in instances of trauma, ongoing chronic stress, chronic pain and other chronic illness, your nervous system adapts to protect you and keep you safe. We’ll use techniques such as myofascial release, breathwork, neuroplasticity training, bodywork and movement to relieve and rewire your nervous system, helping you find long-term healing.

‘Home play’ practices

I may assign ‘home play’ activities and practices to support your self-knowledge and ongoing progress as experiences unfold in your present-day life. This can include somatic tracking resources for gathering real-time data about your experience, journalling prompts and reflection exercises.

  • "She has turned my recovery from feeling like a chore to a journey of overall healing and positive change."

    Four years ago, I started the gruelling recovery process from major hip surgery. Three years into that recovery I was introduced to Kate. I have since noticed huge improvements in my pain levels, mobility and general outlook to the future. Kate's holistic approach to healing and wellness is an absolute game-changer. She has turned my recovery from feeling like a chore to a journey of overall healing and positive change for me.

    — Jess, Melbourne, Victoria

  • "I am now pain-free."

    When I first came to Kate, I didn’t feel safe or trust my body. I was in chronic pain, exhausted and feeling helpless, and had been for over 10 years. I now understand what pain is, how my nervous system is designed to protect me, and that my nervous system is an intelligent system that I can train to become more resilient and flexible in life. I am now pain-free and feel hopeful.

    — Angie, Melbourne, Victoria

  • "Kate was a safe place for me when I was dealing with significant burnout."

    Kate was a safe place for me when I was dealing with significant burnout, which led to physical health issues. I learnt ways to calm my nervous system by connecting with my body through breathwork. In a time when my brain felt like it was on low-power mode, this enabled me to get through my day-to-day tasks and focus on healing. I couldn’t have done this without you, Kate.

    — Chloe, Melbourne, Victoria

 

What our first session together looks like

Our initial assessment runs for 75 minutes, allowing time to get to know one another. First, I open the floor for you to tell me your story. I understand this can be difficult when you’ve detailed your pain and trauma to past medical professionals without feeling heard or with lukewarm results. But observing you speak helps me understand your nervous system state and therefore the best framework to begin with.

I will also give you an experience of deep rest, using attunement to allow your body to recognise that my nervous system is regulated — and that I can help you access similar levels of regulation yourself.

Book your appointment

Book your appointment

Somatic Mind-Body Therapy

Initial Consultation

75 mins — $225 ($50 deposit required for all new clients).

Subsequent Consultations

60 mins — $155

Frequently asked questions

  • Somatic Mind Body Therapy is a practice designed to support & empower you in developing safety and trust from within. Through exploration of current experiences, you can expect to explore your own narratives around personal life events, and reflect on these through intuitive listening. Through what arises emotionally & somatically we will explore the root cause to get to know how this keeps you stuck in beliefs, behaviours and actions that aren’t helpful. We can also explore physical pain in the body through the same narrative, belief and action pathway to relieve and rewire through myofascial release, breath-work and neuroplasticity training. There will also be ‘home play’ to support ongoing progress and self knowledge of your experiences in your real life.

  • Each session is client centred and has a progressive approach to eduction, regulation, and integration. Sessions may involve body - mind based education pieces, movement practices, intuitive listening, body work to release and mobilise fascial tissue & energy, somatic tracking, orienting, resourcing, journaling for reflection & ‘home play processes’.

  • Somatics or ‘Soma’ is the Greek word for ‘body’ and is a practice to understand, restore & empower good health. Somatics is the interface of our mind / body connections and represents the next state of evolution in holistic care. Somatics is learned experientially through learning ‘the language of the body which explores the sensing & feeling of our sensations, emotions, states of the nervous system, biology, physiology & physical experiences.

  • The Initial Consultation is 75 minutes long. All appointments thereafter are 60 minutes unless specified.

    1:1 1/2 day retreats (4 hours)

    1:1 full day retreats (8 hours)

    1:4 full day retreat (8 hours)

  • No. You can’t claim Somatic Mind Body Therapy on Private Health. If you wish to try and claim you can utilise Myotherapy health benefits.

    • You can work directly with Kate online via Zoom & Telehealth

    • MINT clinic 2/225 Wellington St. Collingwood. (03 86893823)

    • SoulPod Health & Healing 14 Stanley St, Richmond. Bookings

  • A Somatic Mind Body Breath class is a specially designed class to awaken all of your senses and your intelligent breath. Through a thoughtfully curated sensory experience, you will be guided into the present moment and all that it has to offer for you. Learning the language of the body & its intelligence you will awaken awareness for deeper embodiment, deeper breath capacity and sensory stimulation for a natural energy boost.

  • Only some small props where offered. For this class you are invited to bring your whole self, your curiosity & any burning questions about your mind, body connections.

  • Wear what you feel comfortable in and can move about with ease.

  • There is no timeline with healing. This process is nuanced and purposefully individualised. This process is designed to help you arrive home within yourself, safely.

  • Meditation is the deliberate practice of MINDFULNESS to create a deeper awareness of self. It is through experience & an understanding of the links between our breath, sensations, thoughts & emotions, we can really see who we are.

  • Mindfulness is paying attention in the very moment. It is being in whatever you are attending to without thinking ahead or behind. It is paying attention to your body and all that it offers you in each moment. Mindfulness is adopting attitudes of kindness, curiosity, openness & compassion. It allows us to find homeostatic balance in the moment. It is stillness.