- Online Therapy For Toronto And Throughout Ontario
- 865 York Mills Rd #20, Toronto, ON M3B 1Y6
- Online Therapy For Toronto And Throughout Ontario
- 865 York Mills Rd #20, Toronto, ON M3B 1Y6
Somatic Mind Body Therapy
Somatic Mind Body Therapy in Ontario
Relief from neuroplastic symptoms like chronic pain, fatigue, Long Covid, fibromyalgia, and medically unexplained symptoms. . Somatic trauma therapy online across Ontario.
Covered by many insurance plansDirect billing available
How We Can Help
How Sky Therapies can help with releasing chronic symptoms.
If you have done years of talk therapy and still feel the symptoms from your medical illness, we understand how exhausting that is. Your pain is real, we believe you, and you do not have to carry it alone. We work with your nervous system, gently and at your pace, to release what the body has been holding.
A plan built around your nervous system, your history, and a pace that feels safe
One-on-one sessions with a Registered Social Worker or Psychotherapist trained in somatic and trauma care
Done from the comfort of home, anywhere in Ontario, with no need to relive or retell the trauma
We work alongside your doctor or existing care, never instead of it
Covered by most extended health plans, so getting started is easier than you think
Your Body Is Talking
When Your Body Speaks Through Symptoms
Tight shoulders that won’t release. A stomach that knots before a meeting. Headaches, chronic fatigue, racing heart, gut issues with no clear medical cause. You’ve tried medication and talked through your story, yet the body keeps speaking.
When emotion isn’t expressed in words, the body expresses it in symptoms, in the gut, muscles, heart, and nervous system. Somatic mind body therapy works with the body, not just the story.
Online across Ontario, with registered social workers and psychotherapists trained in somatic and trauma therapy.
Therapy That Works With the Body, Not Against It
At Sky Therapies, somatic therapy is slow, titrated, and led by your nervous system. No reliving the trauma, no emotional flooding.
Works Directly With the Body
Sessions work with body sensation, breath, and the nervous system signals where the symptom actually lives.
Polyvagal Informed
Grounded in Dr. Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory, working with the vagus nerve to shift the body from threat to safety.
No Reliving Required
No need to narrate or relive the trauma. The work stays with body sensation, slow and titrated.
Online Across Ontario
Somatic therapy delivered online across Ontario by registered social workers and psychotherapists. No commute.
Works With Medical Care
Runs alongside your medical care for chronic pain, autoimmune, gut, and stress related illness. A complement, not a replacement.
Covered by Most Plans
Covered by Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Blue Cross, Desjardins, and most Ontario extended health plans.
The Research
Why the Body Holds Trauma. The Clinical Evidence
Three decades of research, from van der Kolk and Maté to Stephen Porges’s polyvagal theory, show that trauma is a physiological event held in the body and nervous system, not only a memory.
70%
of adults worldwide will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, with the body and nervous system encoding the event regardless of whether the person consciously remembers it.
Kessler et al., European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2017
2 to 4x
higher rates of autoimmune disease, chronic pain, and stress related illness in adults who experienced four or more adverse childhood events.
Felitti, Anda et al., American Journal of Preventive Medicine 1998 (ACE Study)
44%
reduction in PTSD symptom severity in a randomized controlled trial of Somatic Experiencing therapy, alongside significant decreases in depression scores.
Brom, Stokar, Lawi et al., Journal of Traumatic Stress 2017
How Unverbalized Emotions Become Physical Symptoms
When the Body Speaks What the Voice Could Not
When emotion can’t be expressed or processed, the nervous system holds the charge, and over time it surfaces as physical symptoms with no clear medical cause.
POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
Long Covid and Post Viral Syndrome
Tinnitus and Auditory Hypersensitivity
FND (Functional Neurological Disorder)
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
IBS and Functional GI Disorders
Fibromyalgia
Migraine and Tension Headache
The same brainstem and autonomic systems that hold trauma also regulate heart rate, digestion, and the inner ear. Conditions like POTS, Long Covid, tinnitus, and FND are increasingly understood as nervous system dysregulation, the threat response misfiring when no threat is present.
Somatic therapy at Sky Therapies works alongside your medical care, never replacing it, on the nervous system layer where these symptoms take root.
In Their Own Words
What Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk Have Said About Trauma in the Body
“
Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.
“
As long as the trauma is not resolved, the stress hormones that the body secretes to protect itself keep circulating, and the defensive movements and emotional responses keep getting replayed.
Body Symptoms Somatic Therapy Helps With
Conditions That Often Have an Emotional Root in the Body
Many physical symptoms that have no clear medical cause respond to somatic work on the nervous system. Common conditions our clients bring us:
IBS and Gut Issues
Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia
Migraines and Tension Headaches
Chronic Fatigue and Burnout
Autoimmune and Stress Illness
TMJ and Jaw Tension
Insomnia and Disordered Sleep
Body Tension and Panic
More Conditions We Work With
Conditions Often Linked to a Sensitized Nervous System
Neuroplastic and stress-related symptoms can appear almost anywhere in the body. Below are conditions commonly recognized in mind body medicine as often having a nervous system component, grouped by area of the body.
Pain and musculoskeletal
Chronic neck, joint and tendon pain
Back and sciatic pain
Myofascial pain syndrome
Plantar fasciitis
Repetitive strain injury
Whiplash
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Paresthesias (tingling, numbness)
Digestive
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Chronic heartburn or GERD
Functional dyspepsia
Functional abdominal pain
Cyclic vomiting syndrome
Neurological
Migraine and chronic headache
Brain fog and memory difficulty
Functional neurological disorder (FND)
Post-concussion syndrome
Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness
Vertigo and dizziness
Visual snow syndrome
Trigeminal and occipital neuralgia
Restless leg syndrome
Non-epileptic (functional) seizures
Pelvic and genito-urinary
Pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction
Interstitial cystitis
Frequent urination
Vulvodynia and dyspareunia
Chronic prostatitis
Ear, nose and throat
TMJ / TMD jaw pain
Tinnitus
Chronic cough
Burning mouth syndrome
Globus sensation (lump in throat)
Heart and circulation
Non-cardiac chest pain
POTS (postural tachycardia)
Inappropriate sinus tachycardia
Raynaud phenomenon
Skin
Chronic eczema, hives and itching
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
Mood and emotional
Anxiety and panic attacks
Depression
Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
Obsessive-compulsive patterns
Insomnia
Sensitivities
Sound, light, smell and touch hypersensitivity
Multiple chemical or food sensitivities
Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
Chronic Lyme-type symptom patterns
Conditions list adapted from the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS). Source: symptomatic.me/commonconditions. Having a condition listed here does not mean it is neuroplastic for you; that is assessed together, alongside your medical care.
What Is Somatic Therapy
What is Somatic Mind Body Therapy?
Somatic mind body therapy is an evidence based, body centered approach to trauma, chronic stress, and chronic pain. Grounded in The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and the work of Dr. Gabor Maté, it treats the nervous system, where stress and trauma are stored, not only the thinking mind.
Unlike talk therapy, which works with thoughts and story, somatic therapy works with body sensation, breath, and the autonomic nervous system. At Sky Therapies we use Somatic Experiencing and polyvagal informed practice to help the nervous system release what it has been holding.
Your Path Through Somatic Therapy at Sky Therapies
A clear, supported process, online across Ontario.
1
Step 01
Free 20 Minute Consultation
A short, confidential call with our intake coordinator. We learn what has and has not worked for you, confirm somatic therapy is a good fit, and match you with a somatic trained therapist. No commitment, no cost.
2
Step 02
Somatic Sessions Online
50 minute sessions guided by your therapist. Attention moves to body sensation, breath, and autonomic state. The work is slow, titrated, and never forces what the system is not ready to release.
3
Step 03
Integration and Embodiment
As the body releases what it has been holding, clients commonly report easier sleep, reduced startle, fewer somatic symptoms, less chronic pain, and a felt sense of being more at home in the body. Your therapist supports integration into daily life.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Somatic Mind Body Therapy
What is somatic mind body therapy?
Somatic mind body therapy is a clinical approach to trauma and chronic stress that works directly with the body and the autonomic nervous system rather than primarily through talk or cognitive reframing. It is based on the trauma research of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, and Dr. Gabor Maté, author of When the Body Says No, both of whom established that traumatic experiences are stored in the body and nervous system before they are stored in conscious memory. Common somatic modalities include Somatic Experiencing, polyvagal informed therapy, and integrative body based trauma work.
How is somatic therapy different from regular talk therapy?
Talk therapy works at the level of thought, narrative, and meaning. Somatic therapy works at the level of body sensation, breath, muscle tension, posture, and autonomic state. Most clients who come to somatic therapy have already done years of cognitive work. They understand their story. What they describe is a gap between understanding what happened and the body still reacting as if it were happening. Somatic therapy works in that gap. It does not replace talk therapy. It reaches a layer cognitive work cannot directly access.
Who is somatic therapy best suited for?
Somatic therapy is particularly indicated for adults dealing with complex PTSD, childhood trauma, chronic stress, burnout, autoimmune and stress related illness, chronic pain, anxiety, panic, dissociation, and disordered sleep. It is also clinically useful for clients whose symptoms have not fully resolved through cognitive or talk therapy, or who notice that their body keeps reacting even when their thinking mind understands the situation. The free 20 minute consultation at Sky Therapies is used in part to confirm somatic therapy is clinically appropriate for your situation.
Will I have to move my body, touch, or do exercises during somatic therapy sessions?
No. Somatic therapy is not movement therapy or bodywork. At Sky Therapies, sessions are conducted entirely online, you remain seated and clothed, and the work is done through guided attention to body sensation, breath, and autonomic state. Your therapist may invite gentle awareness experiments such as noticing where you feel something in your body, or what shifts when you breathe. You are always in control of what you engage with and at what pace.
How many somatic therapy sessions will I need?
There is no fixed number. Most clients work in a course of 50 minute sessions. Single incident trauma sometimes resolves more quickly. Complex developmental trauma or chronic stress related illness typically takes longer. Your therapist will review progress with you at regular intervals so you can decide together when the work is complete or when a different focus is needed. Somatic therapy has a recognizable shape and most clients feel concrete shifts within the first 4 to 8 sessions.
Is somatic therapy covered by insurance in Ontario?
Somatic sessions at Sky Therapies are delivered by registered social workers and registered psychotherapists, which are the credentials that determine coverage in Ontario, not the specific modality used within the session. Most extended health plans that cover psychotherapy or social work services will cover somatic therapy, including Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Blue Cross, and Desjardins. We bill several of these directly. Sessions are also eligible for the Medical Expense Tax Credit on your Canadian tax return.
Research Foundation
The Authors Behind Somatic Therapy. Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Modern somatic mind body therapy rests on three decades of trauma research. Two clinicians did more than anyone to make this work visible to the public.
Dr. Gabor Maté, MD
Hungarian Canadian physician. Author of When the Body Says No. Vancouver, British Columbia.
Dr. Maté is internationally recognized for his work on the mind body connection in chronic illness, stress, and disease. His book When the Body Says No links suppressed emotion and chronic stress to autoimmune and other illness, and he created the Compassionate Inquiry method used by trauma therapists worldwide.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD
Dutch American psychiatrist. Author of The Body Keeps the Score. Founder of the Trauma Research Foundation, Boston.
Dr. van der Kolk is considered the founder of modern body based trauma treatment. His bestseller The Body Keeps the Score synthesizes 40 years of research showing that trauma is stored in the body, and that effective healing must include body based modalities alongside talk therapy.
References
Scientific References and Further Reading
- van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking. besselvanderkolk.com
- Maté, G. (2003). When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress Disease Connection. Knopf Canada. drgabormate.com
- van der Kolk, B. A. (1994). The body keeps the score: Memory and the evolving psychobiology of posttraumatic stress. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 1(5), 253-265. doi.org/10.3109/10673229409017088
- Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel-Porat, V., Ziv, Y., Lerner, K., & Ross, G. (2017). Somatic Experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304-312. doi.org/10.1002/jts.22189
- Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self Regulation. W. W. Norton.
- Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
- Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245-258. doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
- Kessler, R. C., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Alonso, J., et al. (2017). Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8(sup5), 1353383. doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2017.1353383
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Ready to Take the First Step?
Free 20 minute consultation. No commitment. Online across Ontario. Somatic trained therapist.
Serving the following areas: Toronto, Ontario, North York, Ontario, Markham, Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Vaughan, Ontario, Guelph, Ontario, Brampton, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario, St. Catharines, Ontario, Oshawa, Ontario, Kingston, Ontario, Timmins, Ontario, Scarborough, Ontario, Oakville, Ontario, Peterborough, Ontario, RIchmond Hill, Ontario, Whitby, Ontario, and all of Ontario online
