Where My Journey Began: From Grief to Somatic Counselling

My journey into Somatic Counselling didn’t begin in a classroom or through a textbook—it began with a deep, personal loss that shattered my world. When my mum chose to leave this life through suicide, it wasn’t just a physical and emotional shock; it was as though my entire nervous system had been thrown into chaos. It was grief on a level I had never known before, a grief so intense it felt like I could barely breathe. Despite my years of experience in the wellness world and all the counselling and coaching sessions I had attended, nothing had prepared me for the storm that followed.

It’s hard to describe the enormity of her loss. Losing a parent is devastating, but when it’s by their own choice, it adds a layer of confusion and abandonment that’s almost impossible to comprehend. I found myself vacillating between deep sadness and mind-numbing rage, between feeling utterly lost and, at times, just wanting to scream and shake my body to get it all out. In those moments, part of me thought I was losing it—telling myself to “pull it together”—but I quickly realised that there was no ‘pulling it together’ in the face of this kind of loss.

Someone once told me that suicide is like grief on steroids, and although I’ve never taken steroids, that description felt painfully accurate. My emotions were huge, uncontainable, and there were days when I didn’t know what to do with myself. What I did know, instinctively, was that shaking, moving, and allowing my body to express the grief in its own way made me feel better. My body seemed to know what it needed, even when my mind was overwhelmed and often harshly shaming my emotions.

That intuitive practice of shaking and releasing led me to the realisation that there was more going on in my body than I had ever truly paid attention to. I had been processing everything mentally for so long that I hadn’t allowed my body the same opportunity to express, to heal, and to release the trauma it was holding. This was when I first became curious about Somatic Counselling.

I started to research different approaches, diving deep into somatic work and how the body holds onto emotional pain. I had already tried more traditional methods, like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), but they just didn’t work for me. It wasn’t until I experienced Gestalt therapy, which allows for more embodiment in the healing process, that I started to see the value in moving beyond the mind and into the body.

The more I learned, the clearer it became that somatic practices were not just a personal interest—they were a lifeline. They had helped me survive the hardest time of my life and actually start to make me feel better. I knew then that I wanted to help others in the same way, guiding them to reconnect with their bodies, release their own grief and trauma, and rediscover their inner power.

Professionally, my background had always been focused on making a difference in the world, whether it was through working on systemic change projects or supporting environmental causes like the plastic crisis with organisations such as Greenpeace UK. But after this experience, my calling shifted. I knew that while creating change in the external world was important, helping people change their internal worlds—helping them heal—was where I wanted to spend more of my time.

I became a trauma-informed Somatic Counsellor, certified through the ISOHH and accredited by ACCPH, specialising in grief recovery and shadow work. My personal journey informs every aspect of my practice. I now understand that trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind, and that true healing requires us to give voice to both.

Somatic counselling isn’t just about talking—it’s about feeling, moving, and understanding the wisdom of the body. For me, it’s about helping people unlock the power they already have within them, to move through their pain and come out the other side feeling lighter, more connected, and more at peace.

Looking back now, I see that my mum’s passing—though devastating—set me on this path, a path that is enabling me to help others heal in ways I never imagined. It’s a journey I’m still on, and one that continues to shape the work I do every day.