In-person & online across ca
SOMATIC SOUND therapy in Pasadena, CA
HEALING THROUGH SOUND, VIBRATION, AND DEEP NERVOUS SYSTEM REGULATION
You’ve tried everything to feel better, but nothing’s really worked.
Despite trying therapy in the past, your body still holds the tension, the hypervigilance, the weight of everything you've been carrying. You've talked about your trauma, gained insight, learned breathing exercises — but your nervous system is still stuck in fight-or-flight. You're exhausted from trying to think your way out of what's trapped in your body.
Talk therapy helped you understand what happened. But understanding doesn't always translate to feeling safe, relaxed, or present in your own skin. That's where somatic sound therapy comes in.
As a somatic sound therapist in Pasadena, I work with adults struggling with trauma, anxiety, burnout, and chronic nervous system dysregulation — using therapeutic sound and vibration to help your body release what talk therapy alone hasn't reached.
You’re still struggling with:
A nervous system that won't settle, no matter how much you meditate or breathe
Chronic tension, pain, or tightness that won't release no matter what you try
Feeling disconnected from your body or unable to access what you're feeling
SOMATIC SOUND THERAPY CAN HELP YOU RELEASE WHAT'S BEEN STORED IN YOUR BODY AND NERVOUS SYSTEM.
This specialized approach uses therapeutic sound and vibration — from Himalayan singing bowls, crystal bowls, gongs, and tuning forks — to work directly with your nervous system. Sound vibrations penetrate your body at a cellular level, helping to release tension, regulate your nervous system, and access emotions or trauma that words can't reach. It's not about thinking or talking your way through — it's about allowing your body to process and release what's been stuck.
-
Sound is vibration, and vibration affects every cell in your body. When you're exposed to therapeutic sound frequencies — from singing bowls, gongs, or tuning forks — your nervous system begins to synchronize with those frequencies through a process called entrainment. This helps shift you from fight-or-flight into a state of rest and regulation.
Research shows that sound therapy reduces stress hormones, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, decreases muscle tension, and shifts brainwave activity from anxious/alert states to relaxed/meditative states. The vibrations literally move through your tissues — muscles, fascia, organs — helping release what's been stored there.
Trauma lives in your body, not just your mind. Sound therapy works at the level where trauma is held: in your nervous system, your tissues, your very cells. It bypasses language and cognition, working directly with your body's innate capacity to heal.
-
Somatic sound therapy sessions are experiential and deeply relaxing. You'll lie comfortably on a comfy mat, fully clothed, while I use therapeutic sound instruments — singing bowls, gongs, chimes, and tuning forks around your body—and if you're comfortable with it, gently on your body. The vibrations move through your tissues, creating waves of sound and sensation. You don't have to talk, process, or understand what's happening cognitively. Your only job is to receive and allow your body to soften, release, and regulate. Some people enter deeply meditative states. Others process emotions or have memories surface. Some simply rest. All of it is healing. You might feel deeply relaxed, emotionally moved, or energized afterward. This work is felt, not explained. It bypasses the thinking mind and works directly with your body's innate wisdom.
-
Somatic sound therapy can help you move from chronic hypervigilance and tension to a state of deep nervous system regulation and embodied presence.
The vibrations help quiet the constant sense of threat, the bracing, the inability to fully relax. Your body begins to remember what safety feels like — not conceptually, but viscerally. Chronic pain and tension often soften. Sleep improves. The dissociation or numbness that kept you cut off from your body starts to lift, and you can finally feel what you're feeling without being overwhelmed by it.
Sound therapy also creates space for what's been stored in your body to surface and release — grief, fear, rage, shame that words couldn't access. The process is gentle and paced by your nervous system. You don't have to force anything. Your body knows what it needs to release and when. The goal isn't just symptom relief. It's reconnection — to your body, to your breath, to the present moment, to a felt sense of safety that allows you to finally rest.
Somatic sound Therapy
Let sound meet you where words cannot.
who it’s for
SOund THERAPY is for you if…
You've tried talk therapy but your body is still holding tension
You're dealing with anxiety or burnout that's stuck in your body, not just your mind
You feel stuck in your nervous system, not just your thoughts
You're open to experiential, body-based healing
You want to process trauma without having to talk through every detail
You're ready to slow down, be still, and let your body lead
who it’s not for
SOUND THERAPY may not be for you if…
You have severe sound sensitivity or auditory issues
You need immediate crisis support
You have specific medical conditions, such as Epilepsy, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, or Meniere's disease.
You have physical implants, such as metal plates, pins, or joint replacements
You are pregnant (consulting a healthcare provider is recommended)
together, we will:
explore
What's been stored in your body — the tension, the unexpressed emotions, the trauma that words can't reach — through the gentle power of sound and vibration.
uncover
The places where you've been holding, bracing, or disconnecting, and help your nervous system release what it's ready to let go of
Regain
A felt sense of safety in your body, the ability to be present without hypervigilance, and access to the deep rest your nervous system has been craving.
Healing doesn’t always need words
frequently asked questions
-
Somatic sound therapy is a body-based healing modality that uses therapeutic sound and vibration to help release trauma, tension, and emotions stored in your nervous system and tissues. I use instruments like singing bowls, gongs, chimes, and tuning forks to create vibrations that move through your body at a cellular level.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, somatic sound therapy works beneath the level of language — directly with your nervous system, helping it shift from dysregulation to a state of safety and rest. It's experiential, not cognitive. You don't have to talk, analyze, or understand what's happening. You simply receive.
-
Talk therapy works primarily with the thinking brain — helping you understand patterns, gain insight, and develop coping strategies. Somatic sound therapy works with the subcortical brain and nervous system — the parts that hold trauma beneath conscious awareness. Many people find that talk therapy helps them understand why they feel the way they do, but it doesn't shift how their body responds to triggers or stress. Sound therapy addresses that gap. It's not a replacement for talk therapy, but it can be a powerful complement — especially if you've done a lot of cognitive work but your body is still stuck.
-
Somatic sound therapy is integrated into psychotherapy sessions and is clinical work designed to address trauma, anxiety, and nervous system dysregulation within a therapeutic framework.
Sound healing and soundbaths are wellness experiences for relaxation, meditation, and stress reduction—not psychotherapy.
Both use similar instruments (singing bowls, gongs), but somatic sound therapy is part of mental health treatment, while sound healing is a wellness practice.
If you're looking for sound meditation or soundbath experiences outside of therapy, learn more about Sound Healing & Soundbaths.
-
Most people describe it as deeply relaxing, almost meditative, and you'll feel the vibrations moving through your body.
The instruments can be placed on your body for a more direct vibrational experience, but this is only done if it feels right for you. Many people prefer to have the instruments played around their body rather than on it, and that's completely fine — the vibrations still reach you and do their work.
Some people enter a trance-like or deeply restful state. Others process emotions — you might cry, feel waves of grief or release, or have memories surface.
Some people feel physical sensations like tingling, warmth, or the release of tension in specific areas. There's no "right" way to experience it. Whatever arises is what your body needs to process in that moment.
-
Absolutely. Many of my clients combine somatic sound therapy with talk therapy, and they often find the two modalities complement each other beautifully. Talk therapy helps you understand and make meaning of your experiences; sound therapy helps your body release what's been stored.
That said, somatic sound therapy can also be a standalone treatment. You don't need to be in talk therapy to benefit from this work. Some people prefer body-based approaches and find that sound therapy meets their needs without requiring traditional talk therapy. It's effective either way — in conjunction with other modalities or on its own.
If you are working with another therapist, I'm happy to coordinate care (with your permission) to make sure we're supporting your healing in an integrated way.
-
Schedule a Free Consultation and choose a time that works for you. We'll spend 20 minutes on the phone talking about what you're looking for and whether my approach feels like a good match. If it does, we'll schedule your first session and get started. If not, that's okay too — I'm happy to provide referrals to other therapists who might be a better fit.
Your Nervous System Is Looking for a Way Back
Somatic sound therapy works with the body before the thinking mind gets involved — which is exactly what makes it different. If you're curious about what actually happens physiologically during a sound session, and why so many people describe it as the first time they've felt genuinely still, this blog post gets into it.