Episode 12: Community Q&A on Somatics and the Body's Path to Healing
Description:
What does it actually mean to listen to your body? In this community Q&A episode of The Holistic Therapist Podcast, LeNaya Smith Crawford answers listener questions about somatics, nervous system regulation, intuition, trauma responses, and bringing body-based practices into real-life work as therapists, healers, and entrepreneurs.
LeNaya explores how to tell the difference between intuition and anxiety or a trauma response, what to do when a somatic practice makes you or your client more activated, and why nervous system regulation does not mean being calm all the time. She also shares practical guidance on staying within your scope of practice while incorporating somatic tools and explains why your healing and nervous system regulation don't have to be separate from your ambition.
In This Episode:
- How to distinguish intuition from anxiety or a trauma response by getting curious about bodily sensations instead of immediately labeling them
- What to do when a somatic practice increases activation, and why not every practice will work for every client
- Why nervous system regulation doesn't mean being calm all the time, but rather being able to experience stress without getting stuck in it
- Simple practices like extended exhales, affirmations, gentle movement, and grounding that can help you return to a state of regulation
- How therapists can incorporate somatics while staying within their training and scope of practice
- Why having a toolbox of different somatic and holistic practices is essential for meeting clients where they are
- How entrepreneurs and helping professionals can listen to their bodies without abandoning their goals, and why your healing doesn't have to be separate from your ambition
Resources Mentioned:
- Holistic Therapist Conference — October 1 to 4, 2026, Art of Living Retreat Center, Boone, North Carolina. Virtual tickets available. Save $100 when you register by September 18: https://lenaya-crawford.mykajabi.com/holistic-therapist-conference
- Holistic Therapist Academy — training in nervous system regulation, polyvagal theory, trauma-informed facilitation, somatics, breathwork, yoga, energy healing, and sound healing for therapists
- LeNaya's previous episode on orienting and connecting to different surfaces as a nervous system regulation practice
Stay Connected:
Join LeNaya's Newsletter: weekly reflections, journal prompts, affirmations, and holistic mental health resources
https://lenaya-crawford.mykajabi.com/newsletter
Work and Heal With LeNaya:
Heal: https://www.lenayasmithcrawford.com/heal
Learn: https://www.lenayasmithcrawford.com/learn
Grow: https://www.lenayasmithcrawford.com/business-mentorship
Speak: https://www.lenayasmithcrawford.com/speaking/guest-facilitation
Follow LeNaya:
Instagram: @lenayasmithcrawford
Threads: @lenayasmithcrawford
TikTok: @lenayasmithcrawford
Website: lenayasmithcrawford.com
Contact: hello@lenayasmithcrawford.com
Keywords/Tags:
somatics, nervous system regulation, somatic healing, holistic therapist podcast, trauma response, intuition and anxiety, polyvagal theory, holistic mental health, trauma informed practices, somatic therapy, nervous system regulation for therapists, holistic healing
