Somatic Coaching for Individuals
When life feels overwhelming, talking isn't always enough.
Our bodies hold what words can’t express — especially after trauma or ongoing stress. At Coyra, individual coaching with Rebecca Norris takes a whole-person approach, working with thoughts, feelings and the physical signals that are so often overlooked.
Somatic Coaching -
What is it?
Somatic coaching (also sometimes referred to as body-oriented, or embodied coaching) is a way of working that approaches the mind and body as being one and the same, i.e. paying attention to the whole of a person.
Rebecca’s experience of embodied ways of working spans music, theatre, sport, touch therapies and coaching in a variety of settings, including prisons, courtrooms and corporate workplaces.
Rebecca has a particular interest in supporting people living with post-traumatic somatic symptoms (commonly labelled as PTSD or Complex-PTSD). The aftermath of trauma can be a lonely and confusing road – it is often misunderstood, including by professionals, and can be mis-diagnosed/lie unidentified for years.
If you find your body giving you confusing messages, if you’re feeling disconnected, if you feel like you’re constantly searching for something out of reach, if life feels overwhelming and un-enjoyable, there is a way to shift to a different way of experiencing life.
Rebecca adopts a holistic and individual approach to each session. Her experience includes abuse, burnout, complex trauma, chronic illness including ME/CFS, addictions and supporting other professional coaches in their work.
Why body-oriented?
Having experimented with many different types of therapy, counselling and non-traditional approaches, Rebecca came to understand that cognitive ‘talking’ therapies can be helpful. Yet, they also bypass a huge piece of the puzzle: the authority and wisdom of the body.
Have you ever talked through a challenge, understood the potential root of your behaviour and known what you need to change…but yet still find yourself following the same patterns of feelings and reactions?
This is where the transformational framework of body-oriented work comes into play. Connecting the cognitive with the embodied – the thinking with the experiencing – invites the processing to occur and the shifts to take place. This is particularly relevant for those living with the impact of trauma.”
Who’s It For?
Somatic coaching is for anyone who feels stuck in patterns of (dis)stress, overwhelm or emotional tension and is looking for a more embodied way to navigate life’s challenges. It’s particularly supportive for those who:
- Experience anxiety, burnout or difficulty managing emotions
- Feel disconnected from their body or struggle with physical tension linked to stress
- Want to develop greater self-awareness, confidence and resilience
- Are experiencing the impact of trauma, overwhelm or burnout
- Need support navigating high-pressure environments or transitions, including legal or workplace challenges
This approach is for you if traditional talk-based support hasn’t quite helped, and you’re looking for a way to work with both your mind and body to welcome lasting change.
If you’re navigating a conflict or legal process, Coyra offers specific support for this:
During coaching sessions you may encounter:
- Polyvagal Theory
- Organic Intelligence
- Somatic Experiments
- Trauma Release Exercises
- Trauma-Informed Yoga
- Meditation
- Neurobiology
- Nutrition
What to expect
- No prescribed method
- Partnership led by you
- Always working from a place of safety
- Come as you are
- Authenticity and accountability
Book An Online Call
Most clients choose to have online sessions – remaining in your own environment can help to create a sense of ease and agency.
In-person appointments are also available in Angus, Scotland.
Primal connections
Animals, particularly wild animals who have not been subject to physical/behavioural modification at the hands of humans, exhibit an unadulterated connection to their physical sensations and needs. Their primal instincts are unquestioned.
And since we, ourselves are animals, it follows we have these same primal instincts and mind-body connections within us. But our society, culture, workplace etc. often tries to mould these out of us, and so we begin to forget the connections.
Embodied work helps us to remember these connections, to listen to our whole selves and to re-familiarise ourselves with the wisdom that is within us.
Colouring outside of the lines
In western culture, it’s less comfortable to think of our bodies as having wisdom, as being able to speak and communicate with us and as wanting to convey messages to keep us safe.
For example, sometimes our bodies express our internal states in a physical way – blushing, digestive discomfort, numbness – and, by engaging with those sensations and remembering the intimate connections we have with our bodies, we can discover and unlock truths that allow us to step forward within ourselves.
If you’re feeling uncomfortable even reading this then, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Within coaching sessions, we will always work at your pace, and within your comfort zone. You may be invited to experiment gently with an idea but you can always say no.
We live in a world full of rules and expectations. We will, together, create a safe space in which you are invited to come to sessions with full permission to colour outside of the lines. Or maybe you don’t want to colour at all. However you want to turn up, however you need to be, that is where we will meet.
Process
Introduction: We’ll start with a short call (30 minutes) to find out more about each other and whether we’d like to work together.
Working together: If we decide to work together, we’ll document an agreement about how we want to work. Rebecca usually works online, via Zoom. In-person sessions are also available in Angus, Scotland (in my studio or we may choose to walk in nature). Sessions tend to be 1 hour in length, on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Cost: Clients are requested to book a minimum of 6 sessions. This ensures we have sufficient time to establish our partnership before we start to explore together. For individuals, the cost is £500 for 6 x 1 hour sessions (payable in advance).
Our Case Study
How was your experience of our coaching journey?
The experience was incredibly kind, supportive, healing and deeply nourishing.
What brought you to coaching sessions with me?
Your grounded, strong and deeply sweet and understanding nature. I felt you to be very stable in holding a container for me to process deep pain and trauma, which enables me to have a bigger container to hold for myself.
Have you noticed any shifts in yourself and/or in your life that feel connected to the coaching sessions?
A much larger capacity to be with difficult emotions and experience life with less panic and anxiety. I have some very deep wounds that eased, allowing me to better understand myself and what’s needed moving forward.
What did you appreciate most about our sessions?
The non-judgemental nature and spaciousness of the sessions. You created a space where it was safe for me to express what felt right or not right in moments, allowing me to feel autonomy in sessions. There was a foundation of care and mutual respect, and the positive regard you hold for me as a client was almost palpable.
What are you leaving with/taking with you from our coaching journey?
Even more love for this work, and a lifelong gratitude for the way you have supported me these past two years to find my inner stability and softness.