Somatics & Embodiment in Vancouver, WA

When you’re tired of just talking about it. Bridge the gap between your mind and your body to find lasting relief. Somatics in Vancouver, WA

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Feel Calmer, Stronger, and Safer with Somatics

When life feels too hard, we often stop paying attention to our bodies to help ourselves cope or feel safer. This habit separates us from joy and leaves us stuck in a loop of unending stress, trauma, and poor self image.

Somatic or embodiment work helps us feel better by paying attention to our bodies. It includes things like breathing, moving, meditating, and noticing feelings or sensations. Somatic work is used to reduce stress, heal from tough or traumatic experiences, and improve overall well-being.

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How Can Somatics and Embodiment Work Help?

  • Access more joy and pleasure
  • Understand your emotions better
  • Strengthen self awareness
  • Restore a sense of playfulness and freedom 
  • Cope with big feelings
  • Prepare for trauma therapy
  • Release stored trauma
  • Enhance and deepen traditional therapy
  • Reduce self-consciousness
  • Build a better body image
  • Build interoceptive awareness 
  • Answer the question: “How do you feel?”

Our Somatic Approaches

When healing needs more than words, the body has its own language.

Biodynamic Breathwork Trauma Release System (BBTRS) is a body-based healing practice that uses six core elements, breath, movement, touch, sound, emotion, and meditation, to help the body release stored stress and trauma. When scary or overwhelming things happen, our bodies often hold onto that tension long after the event is over. BBTRS helps the body remember how to let go, so you can feel safer, more at ease, and more connected to yourself.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based program that teaches practical skills for managing stress and reconnecting with the present moment. Through breath awareness, body awareness, gentle movement, and mindful observation, MBSR helps you respond to life with more steadiness and less reactivity. It is especially helpful for people dealing with chronic stress, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, or a nervous system that feels constantly activated

Body Trauma Liberation (BTL) is a guided, gentle dance movement practice designed to help the body feel safe again after hard or overwhelming experiences. Using three simple guided movements, breath, and emotional expression, BTL helps you release stored tension at your own pace. There is no forcing or pushing. It is a caring, body-led approach to letting go of what you’ve been carrying.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to what is happening right now and allowing it to be what it is, instead of trying to fix or change it. Through noticing your breath, body, thoughts, and emotions without judgment, mindfulness helps you pause and respond to life rather than just reacting. Over time, this builds greater ease, clearer focus, and a kinder relationship with yourself.

Guided meditation is a practitioner-led practice where someone walks you through the meditation experience using verbal cues, imagery, or body-based prompts. Unlike meditating on your own, you don’t have to figure out what to focus on or wonder if you’re doing it right. Your practitioner provides the structure so you can simply follow along and stay present. It’s especially helpful for people who have found solo meditation frustrating or hard to stick with.

Your body is always sending you messages through your senses, like touch, sound, sight, smell, and movement. After stress or trauma, it can be hard to notice these messages or feel safe with them. Somatic exploration helps you gently pay attention to what you’re sensing so you can better understand your body’s signals. There is no right or wrong sensation. You go at your own pace, building a stronger and safer connection to your body and your present experience.

Interoception is the ability to notice what is happening inside your body. It’s one of your senses, just like sight or touch, but it’s focused inward. Your body sends quiet signals all day long telling you things like when you’re hungry, tired, nervous, or calm. Interoception skill building helps you get better at reading those signals so you can understand what you need, build trust between your body and mind, and feel more connected to yourself.

Holotropic breathing is a deep, connected breathing technique that helps wake up emotions, sensations, and tension stored in the body. By breathing faster and deeper than normal, usually with music or as part of a BBTRS session, this practice can help you access and release stuck feelings and physical holding. It is a powerful practice and should only be done with a trained guide, as it can bring up strong emotions and intense physical sensations.

Embodiment means being aware that your mind, emotions, thoughts, and body are all an equal part of who you are, and living that out through your connection with both. Your mind is not the only piece of who you are. You are also a body, and that body and mind are meant to work together to help you sense and understand the world around you. Embodiment coaching helps you stop living just from the neck up and start honoring the full picture of who you are.

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Somatic Therapy in Vancouver, WA

Why Choose Refuge Counseling & Wellness

At Refuge, you’re not just another number—you’re the most important person in the room. You’ll find support and belonging in our deeply hospitable and judgment-free therapeutic center conveniently located in Salmon Creek, right off I5.

Refuge is designed to cut through the noise of shallow, impersonal mental health and wellness services. We take our time to know you and your priorities in order to curate a custom counseling and wellness strategy to help you achieve your goals.

Meet Our Team

Practitioners Offering Somatic Coaching at Our Vancouver, WA Location

Cristina Guinett
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How Somatic Coaching Works at Refuge

We get to
know you

Taking time to understand your unique story

We Make
a PLAN

Creating a customized somatic approach that works for you

We help
you GROW

With guidance and support, you’ll work toward healing and meaningful change

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FAQ’s about Somatics & Embodiment

While both aim for healing, somatic work focuses on the “bottom-up” approach. Instead of just talking through your week, we tune into the physical sensations in your body where stress and trauma are often stored. It’s a perfect partner to traditional therapy, helping you move past “knowing” you’re okay to actually feeling okay in your own skin.

At Refuge, we take a collaborative team approach. While many of our providers are Licensed Mental Health Counselors, our Somatic & Embodiment work is led by Cristina Guinett, who is a Certified Integrative Trauma Practitioner and Certified Professional Coach. She is not a licensed mental health therapist. Her role is to provide specialized wellness coaching and somatic techniques that complement clinical therapy.

Not necessarily, but they work beautifully together. Many of our clients find that somatic work helps them “unlock” progress in their individual therapy. If you are currently seeing a therapist outside of Refuge, Cristina is happy to collaborate with them to ensure your care is cohesive and supportive.

Every session is unique to your nervous system. We might use guided breathwork, gentle movement, or mindfulness to help you notice sensations like tension, heat, or “stuckness.” By staying present with these feelings in a safe environment, you learn how to regulate your nervous system and release stored stress without needing to recount every detail of a traumatic event.

We support adults ages 18 and up. We work with young adults, folks in mid life, and seniors.

Refuge is private pay only and does not accept insurance.

Refuge Counseling & Wellness is out of network and therefore does not accept or bill any insurance. See each practitioner or service for current fees. A full, transparent breakdown of pricing will be provided for all clients.

The majority of our sessions are 50 minutes.

We offer somatics at our studio space in Vancouver, Washington as well as serve clients across Washington state via video sessions. Our office is located at 13912 NE 20th Ave. Suite 204 Vancouver, WA 98686.

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