THERAPEUTIC & ENERGETIC BODYWORK
Our issues are in our tissues.
Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
About Bodywork for Trauma Release
Therapeutic and energetic bodywork is a gentle, supportive approach to healing that combines trauma-informed touch and Reiki energy work to help release stored tension, process emotions, and reconnect with your body in a safe and meaningful way.
This work is always done with your consent and only when we’ve built a strong, trusting, and communicative relationship. Sessions may begin with verbal exploration before incorporating touch or energy work, and you are always in control of the process. Therapeutic and energetic bodywork is not about fixing the body—it’s about listening to it. Through touch, sensation, and energy awareness, this approach helps you reconnect with your body’s natural rhythms, release stored stress, and deepen your healing from the inside out.
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The kind of therapeutic bodywork I utilize in my practice integrates methods from Somatic Experiencing® (SE) touch work, Kathy Kain’s Touch Skills, NeuroAffective Touch®, Bioenergetics, and Myofascial Release to support the nervous system in completing trauma responses that may have remained stuck in the body. When unresolved fight, flight, or freeze responses linger, they can manifest as chronic tension, anxiety, dissociation, or pain. Gentle, attuned touch helps the body feel safe enough to release these stored patterns, making room for greater ease, connection, and resilience.
This work can also be deeply supportive for developmental trauma, particularly for those who experienced early attachment wounds, pre-verbal trauma, or a lack of nurturing touch in infancy. Through slow, mindful touch, the body can receive nonverbal signals of safety, trust, and support, helping to rewire old patterns and deepen emotional healing.
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Energetic bodywork—such as Reiki and intuitive energy healing—focuses on subtle energetic patterns in the body, offering a gentle way to release blockages, restore balance, and deepen your connection to yourself. As an intuitive practitioner (with emerging mediumship ability, hello ancestral healing!), I use energy work to sense areas of stored tension or emotional holding, which can inform our therapeutic work together. Reiki can be offered through light touch, hovering hands, or even virtually, depending on what feels best for you.
While Reiki is considered an alternative healing practice and not a replacement for evidence-based therapy, many find it to be a deeply calming and supportive complement to their healing journey. It’s always optional, and you can opt in or out at any time.
When Can Bodywork Be Helpful?
Bodywork (whether somatic or energetic) helps you process and release unresolved trauma, stress, and emotional tension stored in the body. This work may be helpful if you:
Feel disconnected from your body, experiencing numbness, dissociation, or difficulty sensing yourself.
Struggle with nervous system dysregulation, such as chronic anxiety, restlessness, or shutdown.
Experience emotional waves—intense grief, fear, sadness, or joy—that feel overwhelming.
Notice chronic tension, pain, or tightness that doesn’t seem to resolve with other approaches.
Have difficulty relaxing or feeling safe in your own body.
Feel stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn patterns, unable to move forward.
Carry wounds from early attachment trauma, such as feeling unsafe, unseen, or nurturance-deprived in childhood.
Struggle with intimacy, connection, or receiving support, possibly due to relational trauma.
Are working through relationship or attachment wounds and want to explore nonverbal healing.
Want to integrate past experiences, including psychedelic or plant medicine journeys, in a body-based way.
Are releasing old patterns or limiting beliefs and want to create lasting change.
Because trauma lives in the body, talking alone is not always enough. This work creates space for your nervous system to unwind stored tension, process emotions, and rebuild a sense of safety and trust within yourself—helping you move from survival mode to embodied healing.
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Yes, sometimes bodywork can bring up emotions, memories, or physical sensations as your body releases stored tension and trauma. This is a normal and healthy part of the healing process. If anything comes up that feels overwhelming, we will slow down, support regulation, and ensure you feel safe throughout the experience.
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Yes! Some people like to process out loud, while others prefer silence. There’s no expectation either way—you are welcome to check in, ask questions, or share what you’re noticing at any time. Your comfort and sense of agency are the most important things.
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This approach is not massage, chiropractic care, or manual manipulation. Bodywork for Trauma Release focuses on nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and restoring a felt sense of safety in the body. Techniques may include gentle, attuned touch to support trauma resolution, fascia unwinding, and energy balancing, depending on what feels right for you.
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No, this work is gentle, slow, and attuned to your body’s needs. Some bodywork modalities focus on deep pressure or intense physical release, but Bodywork for Trauma Release prioritizes safety, regulation, and a sense of ease. The goal is not to force anything but to create space for your body to naturally unwind and process at its own pace. Every session is tailored to what feels comfortable for you.
AN EXTRA SPECIAL NOTE
The Use of Touch in Therapy & the Importance of Consent
It is important to clarify that therapy sessions will never include any form of sexual activity or sexual touch. More broadly, therapy and trauma healing of any kind between a client/patient (especially a licensed professional) never involves sexual activity or sexual touch.
The therapeutic relationship is built on trust, respect, and professional boundaries, and any violation of this is illegal, unethical, and absolutely unacceptable.
If you have ever experienced a violation of your physical boundaries or felt unable to give full consent due to power dynamics or other circumstances, please reach out for support. Touch work is not appropriate for everyone, and if you have a history of physical violation, we will take the time to process this thoroughly before considering any touch-based or alternative therapy modalities.
Your body will tell you everything you need to know—if you slow down enough to listen.
GET STARTED TODAY
