Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from traditional "talk" therapy?
Somatically-informed psychotherapy builds on traditional talk therapy by engaging attention to both mind and body. While talk therapy focuses on thoughts, emotions, and verbal processing, somatically-informed approaches help clients notice how stress, trauma, and difficult emotions show up in their physical experience. This work may include gentle movement, breath awareness, body-focused mindfulness, and exercises grounded in Polyvagal Theory and mind-body principles — all used within psychotherapy to increase awareness, support emotional processing, and cultivate coping strategies. Clients are guided to pay attention to sensations and patterns in the body in a safe, paced way, helping them reflect on how experiences show up in everyday life. Somatically-informed psychotherapy can be especially helpful for those who feel stuck in traditional talk therapy or have difficulty expressing their experiences, including people living with chronic stress, dissociation, or complex trauma.
Who Does This Help?
This therapeutic approach supports individuals experiencing stress, anxiety, or past trauma and may be helpful for those whose emotional well-being is affected by physical experiences such as chronic pain or digestive discomfort. While we focus on the emotional and psychological aspects of these experiences, medical concerns should always be addressed with appropriate healthcare providers.
Why I Don’t Participate in Insurance or Third-Party Billing and Why That Might Be a Good Thing for You
I know that therapy is an important investment, and it can be frustrating when a provider doesn’t take insurance. I want to be transparent about why I’ve made this choice — and how it supports your privacy and control over your care. What Happens When You Use Insurance for Therapy To use insurance, therapists must provide a diagnosis and demonstrate that your struggles are “medically necessary” for treatment. This means: Your personal mental health history is shared with your insurance company Your diagnosis becomes part of your medical record The insurance company can request detailed notes about your sessions Your care may be limited to what they consider “approved” or “billable” This system isn’t always designed to prioritize your privacy or your control over therapy. I do not participate in third-party billing for these reasons. If you’d like, I can provide copies of your bills for you to submit to your insurance or a third-party payor for reimbursement.
The Benefits of Private Pay (Out-of-Pocket Therapy)
Paying out of pocket for therapy offers you: Greater Privacy Your records stay fully confidential — I don’t share diagnoses or session notes with a third party. You maintain control over your personal story, without it being recorded in medical or insurance files. Freedom from Labels You don’t need a mental health diagnosis to receive care. We focus on insight, growth, support, and integration — not on fixing something “wrong.” More Flexibility We’re not restricted by insurance timelines or what is considered “medically necessary.” We can adapt our work to your needs, rather than insurance requirements. Tailored, Mindful Approaches Some psychotherapeutic tools — including somatically-informed and neuro-integrative practices — are often not covered by insurance. Used within psychotherapy, they help you notice patterns in thoughts, emotions, and bodily awareness, explore difficult experiences safely, and develop strategies for coping and resilience. Choosing to work together outside of insurance is a choice for privacy, flexibility, and personalized care. It allows us to engage in trauma-informed, somatically-informed psychotherapy at your pace, honoring the complexity of your experience. If you’d like, I can provide a superbill — a receipt you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement.
Do You Offer a Sliding Scale or Scholarships?
Yes! Affordable and accessible mental healthcare is available. Please contact me at contact@haventherapytn.com to talk about your needs.
What If I Want to Stop Therapy?
It’s completely normal to feel the urge to pull away from therapy when things start to feel challenging — this is often part of noticing difficult emotions or experiences. You’re always in control of your therapy, including when and whether to continue, pause, or end sessions, and who you choose to work with. I welcome open conversations about how you’re feeling in our work together, especially if you’re unsure, frustrated, or considering stepping back. Talking about it can often bring insight, clarity, or a smoother transition. Ultimately, you remain in charge of your process, and you will find support here.
What does Neuro-Integrative and Somatosensory mean?
Neuro-integrative psychotherapy combines insights from neuroscience, psychology, and somatically-informed approaches to support insight, emotional processing, and personal growth. It attends to how the mind, body, and nervous system interact, using this awareness to guide personalized psychotherapy. Somatosensory psychotherapy is a body-aware approach that focuses on noticing physical sensations to explore and process emotional experiences. It recognizes the deep connection between mind and body and helps clients become more aware of how emotions and experiences show up physically.
What is Somatic Psychotherapy?
“Somatic” means body-based. Somatic psychotherapy is a therapeutic approach that honors a simple but often overlooked truth: our minds and bodies are connected. When we experience stress, grief, trauma, or long-term illness, those experiences don’t just affect our thoughts or emotions—they also show up as physical sensations, in posture, breath, or subtle patterns of tension. Somatic therapy brings attention to the body as part of the therapeutic process. That might look like noticing what you feel—not just what you think. It might mean slowing down, tracking your breath, paying attention to subtle shifts in sensation, or exploring gentle movement. These moments can help you notice patterns in your body, increase awareness, and support emotional processing. You don’t have to be physically unwell to benefit from this work—somatic therapy offers a grounded, compassionate way to explore your experiences, supporting self-awareness, presence, and emotional insight across mind and body.
What is the Brain-Body-Gut Connection?
The brain, body, and gut are in constant communication—and that connection shapes how we feel, think, and respond each day. You may have heard the gut called the “second brain.” That’s because it has its own nervous system (the enteric nervous system) that communicates with the brain and responds to stress and emotions. In fact, about 80% of the nerve signals between the brain and gut go from the body to the brain. When you’re under stress, you may notice stomachaches, changes in digestion, or shifts in appetite. These experiences can influence mood, energy, and focus, even when no medical cause is apparent. Understanding the brain-body-gut connection is helpful in somatically-informed psychotherapy, because it can explain why you sometimes feel anxious, unsettled, or physically uncomfortable without knowing exactly why. Therapy helps you notice these signals, explore how your experiences show up in your body, and develop insight and coping strategies. While I do not provide medical or nutritional treatment, therapy can complement other whole-body approaches when coordinated with your healthcare providers.
What is Neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to change, adapt, and form new connections throughout your life. That means your patterns—of thinking, feeling, reacting, or even moving—aren’t fixed. Your brain constantly adjusts based on what you experience, practice, and pay attention to. This is really good news for personal growth and change. When you’ve gone through stress, trauma, illness, or long-standing habits, your nervous system may have developed survival responses that no longer feel helpful. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to form new patterns, which can support greater awareness, coping, and emotional flexibility. In therapy, we work with neuroplasticity by engaging both mind and body. That might include noticing sensations, practicing coping tools, exploring movement, or shifting how you relate to your experiences. Over time, these practices can help you develop new ways of thinking, feeling, and responding. You don’t have to “think” your way into change—you can experience your way into it. Your brain is built for that kind of adaptation.