Trauma Release Therapy in Carlton North, Melbourne
When Your Mind Knows You’re Safe, But Your Body Hasn’t Quite Got the Message
Sometimes an experience is over.
But your body still seems to be responding as though it isn’t.
Your shoulders brace.
Your breath changes.
Your stomach tightens.
You startle easily.
Something small happens and suddenly your reaction feels enormous.
You know you’re safe, but you don’t necessarily feel safe.
Or perhaps you’ve spent so long holding everything together that you’ve become remarkably good at functioning while feeling almost completely disconnected from what’s happening inside you.
Trauma Release Therapy at The Urban Alchemist is a body-aware, somatic approach that explores the relationship between emotions, thoughts, physical sensations and protective responses.
Rather than asking you to explain everything from the neck up, the work creates space to notice:
What is happening in my body right now?
And perhaps, over time:
What does my body need in order to feel a little safer here?
Book Now!
Not sure whether Trauma Release Therapy is right for you? Contact our team on (03) 9347 9247.
Is Trauma Release Therapy Right for You?
People come to Trauma Release Therapy for many different reasons.
You might recognise:
- Feeling constantly braced or on edge
- Difficulty relaxing
- Feeling disconnected from your body
- Emotional overwhelm
- Feeling numb or shut down
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Difficulty sleeping
- Strong reactions to particular situations
- Feeling easily triggered
- Grief and loss
- Shame
- Difficulty feeling safe
- Feeling stuck in fight, flight, freeze or appeasing responses
- Difficulty identifying what you’re feeling
- Feeling intellectually aware of your patterns but unable to shift them
- Wanting a therapeutic approach that includes the body rather than relying entirely on conversation
You don’t necessarily need to have experienced a single dramatic traumatic event.
Sometimes people simply arrive saying:
“I feel like my body never really switches off.”
That’s something we can begin with.
Your Trauma Release Therapists
Fees
- 60 minutes – $200
- 90 minutes – $250
Current appointment options and fees are displayed through our online booking system.
If you’re unsure which appointment to choose, contact reception on (03) 9347 9247.
Ready to Explore a More Body-Aware Approach?
You don’t need to arrive ready to “release” anything.
You can begin by noticing what’s happening now.
Book Now!
Not sure which appointment to book? Contact our team on (03) 9347 9247.
Gift Vouchers
The Urban Alchemist Gift Vouchers are available to purchase online.
What Is Trauma Release Therapy?
Somatic simply means of the body.
Somatic approaches recognise something that most of us already know from experience:
Emotions aren’t experienced only as thoughts.
Anxiety might arrive as a tight chest.
Fear as a sudden drop in your stomach.
Anger as heat.
Grief as heaviness.
Stress as a jaw that appears to have been clenching since approximately 2019.
Our physical responses and emotional experiences constantly interact.
Trauma Release Therapy works with this relationship.
Depending on the practitioner and what is appropriate for you, sessions may draw on approaches such as:
- Body awareness
- Emotional regulation strategies
- Breathwork
- Grounding
- Movement
- Mindfulness
- Therapeutic conversation
- Guided attention to physical sensations
- Mindset or behavioural strategies
- Other trauma-informed somatic approaches
The aim isn’t to force something out of your body.
It’s to become more able to notice what is happening within you and develop different ways of responding to it.
Is Trauma Really “Stored in the Body”?
You’ll often hear the phrase:
“The body keeps the score.”
Or:
“Trauma is stored in the body.”
These can be useful ways of describing something people genuinely experience, but they shouldn’t necessarily be taken literally.
There isn’t a traumatic memory physically lodged inside your left shoulder waiting for somebody to massage it out.
Traumatic and overwhelming experiences can, however, influence the way we respond to stress, physical sensations, emotions, memories, relationships and perceived threat.
People may notice patterns such as:
- Muscle guarding
- Changes in breathing
- Hypervigilance
- Startle responses
- Avoidance
- Feeling disconnected or numb
- Difficulty settling after stress
- Strong physical responses to reminders of past experiences
So when somebody says:
“I know I’m okay, but my body doesn’t seem to know that,”
there can be something very real in that experience.
Somatic work gives us a way of becoming curious about it.
Your Body Isn’t the Enemy
One of the shifts that can happen in trauma-informed work is moving away from:
Why is my body doing this to me?
towards:
What might my body be trying to protect me from?
Fight.
Flight.
Freeze.
Appease.
Withdraw.
Brace.
Become hyper-alert.
Disconnect.
These aren’t character flaws.
They’re responses human beings can develop when something feels threatening or overwhelming.
The problem is that protective responses can sometimes continue appearing in situations where they’re no longer particularly useful.
The work isn’t about declaring war on those responses.
It’s about becoming familiar enough with them that another response may eventually become possible.
What Does Feeling Safe in Your Body Actually Mean?
It doesn’t mean being calm all the time.
Nobody is calm all the time.
And if somebody claims to be, we have questions.
Feeling safer in your body might mean:
- Recognising activation earlier
- Feeling more able to stay present with uncomfortable sensations
- Knowing when you need to pause
- Being able to settle after stress more readily
- Feeling less frightened by your own emotional responses
- Recognising what helps you feel grounded
- Becoming more aware of your limits
- Feeling more connected to your physical experience
- Having more choice about how you respond
The goal isn’t permanent serenity.
It’s greater flexibility.
What Happens When We Feel Threatened?
When something feels threatening, our bodies can respond extremely quickly.
Heart rate changes.
Breathing changes.
Muscles prepare.
Attention narrows.
We become more alert to potential danger.
This is useful when something genuinely requires immediate action.
The difficulty comes when our alarm system becomes extremely enthusiastic.
A facial expression.
A tone of voice.
A smell.
A place.
Conflict.
A memory.
A sensation.
Something that resembles an earlier experience.
And suddenly the body is responding before the thinking mind has had time to say:
Hang on. What’s happening here?
Trauma-informed somatic work can help you notice these responses and explore ways of returning attention to the present.
What Does “Regulating the Nervous System” Mean?
The internet has become extremely enthusiastic about nervous system regulation.
Apparently every problem we’ve ever had can now be solved by humming, shaking, buying a weighted blanket and taking three extremely deliberate breaths.
We like a little more nuance.
Your nervous system is supposed to change state.
You need activation.
You need rest.
You need alertness.
You need sleep.
You need energy.
You need the ability to respond when something genuinely requires a response.
Regulation isn’t about forcing your body into permanent calm.
It’s about becoming better able to move between states without getting stuck there.
That may mean recognising when you’re becoming overwhelmed.
Knowing what helps you settle.
Learning what makes things worse.
Developing greater tolerance for uncomfortable sensations.
And becoming less frightened of your body’s responses.
Body Awareness
A Trauma Release Therapy session might invite you to notice things you normally move straight past.
Where do you feel that?
What happens to your breathing when you talk about this?
Do you notice tension anywhere?
What happens when you imagine saying no?
Do you want to move towards this or away from it?
Does anything change when you put your feet on the floor?
There is no correct answer.
And you don’t need to become an Olympic-level interpreter of bodily sensations.
Sometimes:
“I have absolutely no idea.”
is where the work begins.
What If I Can’t Feel My Body Very Well?
That’s okay.
Some people have extraordinarily detailed awareness of physical sensations.
Others have spent years living primarily in their heads.
And for some people, disconnecting from physical or emotional sensations has been protective.
The aim isn’t to demand:
FEEL YOUR FEELINGS IMMEDIATELY.
That would rather miss the point.
Body awareness can develop gradually and with choice.
Does Trauma Release Therapy Make You Shake?
Not necessarily.
Some somatic approaches deliberately incorporate movement or shaking.
People may also spontaneously notice trembling, stretching, yawning, sighing, changes in breathing or other physical responses when tension changes.
None of these responses is required.
You don’t need to shake dramatically for the session to have “worked.”
And your therapist shouldn’t manufacture a physical response simply because it looks satisfyingly therapeutic.
Your experience belongs to you.
Emotional Release
Sometimes emotions arise during body-focused work.
Sadness.
Anger.
Fear.
Relief.
Grief.
Tenderness.
Sometimes people cry.
Sometimes they laugh.
Sometimes absolutely nothing dramatic happens and they leave feeling slightly quieter.
All are legitimate.
The goal isn’t to produce an emotional catharsis.
A session doesn’t become more successful because you cried harder.
And emotions don’t need to be forcibly “released” from the body as though you’re emptying an emotional recycling bin.
Sometimes simply being able to experience an emotion without immediately suppressing it, explaining it, fixing it or becoming overwhelmed by it is meaningful work.
Trauma Release Therapy and Triggers
A trigger is something that prompts a strong emotional or physical response because it has become associated with threat, distress or a previous experience.
Sometimes the connection is obvious.
Sometimes it isn’t.
Trauma-informed work may help you become more aware of:
- What tends to activate you
- What you notice first
- What happens in your body
- What thoughts appear
- What you feel compelled to do
- What helps you remain connected to the present
- What helps you recover afterwards
The goal isn’t necessarily to live in a world without triggers.
That would require controlling an unreasonable amount of the universe.
It’s to develop greater understanding and choice around what happens when they appear.
Trauma Release Therapy for Anxiety
Anxiety often has a very physical component.
Racing heart.
Shallow breathing.
Tight chest.
Butterflies.
Nausea.
Muscle tension.
Restlessness.
Feeling wired.
Feeling unable to switch off.
For some people, approaching anxiety through the body can complement approaches that work more directly with thoughts and behaviour.
Trauma Release Therapy may help you explore the sensations associated with anxiety and practise ways of staying present when those sensations arise.
Where anxiety is persistent, severe or significantly affecting your functioning, Psychology or other appropriate mental health care may also be important.
Trauma Release Therapy and Sleep
It’s difficult to drift peacefully into sleep when your body appears convinced it’s responsible for overnight security.
Stress, anxiety and hyperarousal can all interfere with sleep.
Somatic practices that support relaxation and present-moment awareness may be useful for some people when difficulty settling is part of the problem.
But insomnia has many possible causes.
Persistent sleep difficulties deserve appropriate assessment rather than automatically being attributed to trauma or nervous system dysregulation.
Trauma Release Therapy and Grief
Grief isn’t only something we think about.
It can be profoundly physical.
Heaviness.
Exhaustion.
Restlessness.
A tight chest.
Changes in appetite.
Difficulty sleeping.
A feeling that your entire body has somehow become heavier to carry around.
Trauma Release Therapy can provide a space to notice and be with some of these experiences without requiring grief to disappear.
Because grief isn’t necessarily something to “release.”
Sometimes it’s something we gradually learn how to carry.
Read more about Psychotherapy and Counselling
Shame and Self-Compassion
Shame has a peculiar talent for making us want to disappear.
Don’t look at me.
Don’t know this about me.
Don’t see this part.
Body-aware therapy can explore what happens physically when shame appears and create opportunities to respond with greater curiosity and compassion rather than automatically collapsing into self-criticism or avoidance.
Self-compassion isn’t pretending everything you’ve ever done was fine.
It’s learning to remain in relationship with yourself even when something is difficult to face.
Breathwork
Breathing is one of the few body processes that happens automatically but can also be influenced deliberately.
That makes it an interesting tool.
Some practitioners may incorporate breath awareness or gentle breathwork into sessions to support grounding, body awareness or relaxation.
More intense breathwork isn’t appropriate for everybody and isn’t necessary for effective somatic therapy.
If focusing on your breathing makes you more anxious, dizzy or uncomfortable, tell your practitioner.
You don’t get extra therapeutic points for persevering.
Movement
Sometimes bodies want to move.
Stretch.
Stand.
Push.
Walk.
Shake out tension.
Change position.
Feel the ground.
Movement may be incorporated into Trauma Release Therapy when appropriate.
It doesn’t need to be dramatic.
Sometimes the meaningful movement is simply noticing:
Actually, I want to move away from this.
For somebody who has spent a lifetime overriding that impulse, even noticing it can be interesting.
Consent Is Part of the Therapy
Trauma-informed care should not reproduce the experience of having your boundaries ignored.
You should be able to:
- Ask questions
- Decline an exercise
- Change position
- Open your eyes
- Stop
- Take a break
- Say something doesn’t feel right
- Choose not to discuss something
- Ask for a different approach
More intense isn’t automatically more therapeutic.
Being overwhelmed isn’t proof that you’ve reached the “real trauma.”
Your capacity and consent are central to the work.
Do I Have to Tell the Whole Story?
No.
Body-focused therapy doesn’t necessarily require you to describe every detail of a difficult experience.
Sometimes the work may focus on what is happening in the present rather than reconstructing everything that happened in the past.
You can discuss with your practitioner what feels appropriate to explore.
Trauma Release Therapy vs Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy often uses therapeutic conversation to explore emotions, relationships, identity, experiences and recurring psychological patterns.
Trauma Release Therapy places greater emphasis on what is happening in the body alongside thoughts and emotions.
There can be significant overlap.
If you’re interested primarily in deeper exploration of relationships, identity, attachment or recurring emotional patterns, Psychotherapy may be particularly useful.
If you’re drawn to exploring physical sensations, regulation and body awareness, Trauma Release Therapy may appeal.
Read more about Psychotherapy and Counselling
Trauma Release Therapy vs EMDR
EMDR is a structured psychotherapy developed specifically for trauma and other distressing experiences.
Trauma Release Therapy is a broader somatic service that may use body awareness, grounding, emotional regulation and other approaches depending on the practitioner.
If intrusive traumatic memories, flashbacks, nightmares or PTSD symptoms are a significant concern, an appropriately qualified mental health professional or structured trauma therapy such as EMDR may be a more suitable starting point.
Trauma Release Therapy vs Psychology
Psychologists are AHPRA-registered health professionals who can assess and treat a range of psychological difficulties and mental health conditions.
Trauma Release Therapy isn’t a replacement for psychological assessment or treatment where that is needed.
Some people choose body-focused work alongside psychological therapy.
Others begin with one and discover that another approach would better suit what they need.
You don’t have to know the answer before you walk through the door.
Is Trauma Release Therapy the Same as Trauma Treatment?
Not necessarily.
This is an important distinction.
Trauma Release Therapy can provide supportive, body-aware work around stress, emotional regulation, physical responses and a sense of safety.
Treatment of conditions such as PTSD or complex mental health difficulties may require appropriately qualified mental health professionals and specific evidence-based trauma treatments.
A body-focused approach can be valuable without pretending it should do every job.
What Happens in Your First Session?
Your practitioner will usually begin by talking with you about:
- What brings you in
- What you’re experiencing
- What you’d like support with
- Relevant health or personal history
- What feels comfortable
- What doesn’t
- Your goals for the work
Depending on the practitioner and your needs, the session may then include conversation, grounding, breath awareness, body awareness, movement or other somatic approaches.
You don’t need to arrive ready to “release your trauma.”
You can arrive exactly as you are.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
There isn’t a universal number.
Some people use Trauma Release Therapy for support during a particular period.
Others choose to explore body awareness and emotional patterns over a longer period.
Your practitioner can discuss what might be appropriate and review the work with you as it progresses.
There should be no assumption that you need indefinite treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Trauma Release Therapy
Is Trauma Release Therapy massage?
No.
Trauma Release Therapy is a therapeutic service that may include body awareness, movement, breathing, grounding and conversation depending on the practitioner.
Check the individual practitioner’s profile for details about how they work.
Do I have to have experienced trauma?
No.
People may also explore this work for stress, anxiety, overwhelm, grief, emotional regulation or feeling disconnected from their bodies.
Will I have to talk about what happened?
Not necessarily.
You can discuss with your practitioner what feels appropriate and what you are comfortable sharing.
Will trauma come out of my body?
We don’t think of trauma as a physical substance that needs to be expelled.
People can experience physical and emotional changes during somatic work, but there isn’t one required “release.”
What if I don’t have a dramatic response?
Completely fine.
No shaking.
No crying.
No revelation.
No sudden cinematic montage of your childhood.
Still therapy.
Can Trauma Release Therapy help PTSD?
People with PTSD may experience physical and emotional symptoms that make body awareness relevant.
However, PTSD is a mental health condition that deserves appropriate assessment and evidence-based treatment.
Trauma Release Therapy shouldn’t automatically replace psychological or psychiatric care.
Can I do this alongside Psychology or EMDR?
Potentially, yes.
Complementary body-focused work may sometimes sit alongside other mental health treatment, provided the approaches are appropriate and coordinated where necessary.
Is Trauma Release Therapy safe?
Trauma-informed work should emphasise pacing, consent and choice.
Some people can find focusing on bodily sensations activating, so it’s important to tell your practitioner if something feels overwhelming or uncomfortable.
Will I feel better immediately?
Some people feel deeply relaxed after a session.
Others feel reflective, tired, emotional or simply normal.
There isn’t one correct response and immediate relief isn’t guaranteed.
Trauma Release Therapy in Carlton North, Melbourne
Sometimes the mind has already understood.
It happened.
It’s over.
I’m safe now.
And still, something in the body braces.
Trauma Release Therapy creates space to become curious about that gap.
Not to force the body to let go.
Not to dig relentlessly for trauma.
Not to manufacture a dramatic release.
But to notice.
To breathe.
To move when movement feels right.
To feel the ground.
To recognise the moment activation begins.
To discover what helps you return.
And perhaps, little by little, to experience your body as somewhere you can inhabit rather than something you need to escape.
Our Carlton North clinic is conveniently located for people seeking Trauma Release Therapy from Carlton, Fitzroy, Fitzroy North, Clifton Hill, Brunswick East, Northcote, Collingwood and Melbourne’s inner north.
Ready to Explore What Your Body Has Been Trying to Tell You?
You don’t have to force anything.
You can start by noticing.
Book Now!
Not sure which appointment to book? Contact us on (03) 9347 9247.