Frequently Asked Questions: Somatic Coaching:

What is somatic coaching in Virginia Beach?

Somatic coaching uses a body-based approach toward personal growth and healing. Most of us spend the majority of our time living in our minds, only noticing our bodies when something hurts. What we sometimes forget is that the mind and body are not separate. They are in constant conversation with each other. Somatic coaching teaches you how to listen to that conversation and use what your body already knows to help you grow.

Somatic coaching at Healing Arts Center in Virginia Beach supports individuals throughout Hampton Roads as well as clients virtually.

Why does the body matter in healing?

Most of us have been taught to think our way through problems. What nobody taught us is that the body keeps its own record. Years of stress, unprocessed experiences, and emotional pressure do not just disappear because we understand them intellectually. They settle into the body and show up as tension, fatigue, anxiety, and patterns we cannot seem to break, no matter how much we know about them. Somatic coaching works with what the body has been holding so that healing can happen on a deeper level than the mind alone can reach.

Now that you've seen why the body is so integral to healing, let's explore what actually happens in a somatic coaching session at Healing Arts Center.

Victoria works with you to slow down and notice what is happening in your body in real time. Sessions may include guided imagery, movement, and mindfulness practices that help you reconnect with what your body has been holding. Many clients describe feeling a release of long-held tension, increased relaxation, and a revived sense of ease and clarity after sessions. Sessions are built around where you are right now.

After understanding how a session unfolds, it's natural to wonder: How is somatic coaching different from other wellness approaches?

Most approaches ask you to talk through what is happening. Somatic coaching asks you to feel it. Stress, anxiety, and unprocessed experiences do not just live in your thoughts. They live in your shoulders, your jaw, your chest, and your breath. Somatic coaching works directly with the body, so the changes you make are not just intellectual. They are felt.

With those distinctions in mind, you may ask: How can somatic coaching help me personally?

Somatic coaching helps you build a closer connection with what your body already knows. When you learn to tune in to your body's signals rather than override them, you begin to respond to stress and difficult emotions with awareness rather than reactivity. Over time, this work supports greater emotional balance, self-trust, and the competence to navigate daily challenges without experiencing overwhelm. Many clients find that as they become more grounded in themselves, their relationships improve and their feeling of clarity grows. This is a practice that builds on itself the more you show up for it.

You may also be curious about the specific challenges somatic coaching can address. Here are some examples:

Somatic coaching at Healing Arts Center supports those facing stress, anxiety, tension, disruptive relationship patterns, emotional management challenges, self-compassion issues, parenting through self-regulation, difficulty trusting intuition, decisions not aligned with values, guilt, perfectionism, and life transitions.

Naturally, you might wonder how long it takes to notice changes. How many sessions are usually needed to see results?

The number of sessions varies for every person, depending on where they are starting from and what they are working through. Somatic coaching at Healing Arts Center moves at the pace that feels safest for you. There is no timeline you need to meet.

During the first few sessions, Victoria focuses on building trust and giving your nervous system time to settle into the work. Tuning into your body can feel strange at first, and that is completely normal. Sessions are intended to help you connect with your body in ways that feel comfortable, at a pace that suits where you are right now.

Beyond that foundation, you are welcome to continue for as long as feels right at whatever frequency works for your life. Healing Arts Center offers individual sessions as well as longer-term packages for those who want to go deeper.

You might also be wondering whether somatic coaching can be used alongside other forms of support. Let’s look at the way it integrates:

Somatic coaching works well alongside other forms of support you may already be receiving. The body-based approach of somatic coaching helps you integrate what you are discovering in other spaces more deeply. If you are working with a therapist, a grief counselor, or any other provider, somatic coaching can complement and deepen that work. At Healing Arts Center, we believe that healing rarely comes from a single source. That is why we have brought together different modalities under one roof, so that your support may work together rather than in isolation.

If you’re considering starting, you might want to know what the first appointment is like. Here’s what to expect:

During your first session with Victoria, you will have the opportunity to share what brought you to somatic coaching and what you are hoping to work through. Victoria will walk you through what to expect, answer any questions you have, and begin building a picture of where you are and what kind of support will serve you best. The first session is as much about getting clear on your needs as it is about beginning the work. You will leave with a sense of direction and a space that already feels safe to return to.

About Victoria

Victoria is a certified Neuro Somatic Coach and mindfulness coach with over 15 years of experience. Her work is rooted in the belief that healing requires the whole person and that the body holds wisdom the mind alone cannot access. Victoria co-founded Healing Arts Center in Virginia Beach in 2022, a veteran owned mindfulness, creative, and wellness collaboration serving the Hampton Roads community and military families.

Visit healingartsvb.com to learn more, or contact Victoria directly to schedule your first session. Book your session directly through Vagaro: https://www.vagaro.com/healingartscenter