Recovering From Burnout Through Somatic Practices
I need to tell you about a version of myself I barely recognize anymore.
It was the early 2020s. I was a mom of three kids - ages zero, two, and four. I was running a marketing agency. I was working around the clock, operating on fumes, and completely burned out. But here's the thing: I didn't even know I was drowning. I was thinking so much that I couldn't feel how deep I was under water.
My body was screaming at me, but I wasn't listening. I'd gained 70 pounds with my first pregnancy, a little less with my second, and even less with my third. Through breastfeeding and movement, I'd gotten within 20-25 pounds of my normal weight—but then I was stuck. Completely stuck. No matter what I did, the weight wouldn't budge.
At the time, I thought it was just my body. I thought I needed to work harder, move more, eat less. But what I didn't understand - and quite frankly, what we're not taught to understand - is that our mental health is directly tied to our physical well-being. The trauma, the limiting beliefs, the unprocessed emotions we carry? They don't just live in our minds. They live in our bodies. In our cells. In our nervous systems.
This is the story of how I found my way back to myself through somatic practices - and why I believe this work is the future of healing.
What Are Somatic Practices?
Somatic practices are body-based healing modalities that help you release what you're carrying beneath the surface. They include breathwork, sound healing, movement, somatic experiencing, and other tools that allow you to access trauma, stress, and emotion stored in your physical body - not just your mind.
The phrase "your body keeps the score" has become more mainstream in recent years, and it's absolutely true. Every experience we have, every emotion we don't fully process, every moment of stress or trauma - it all gets stored in our cells. And until we address it and release it through our body, it stays there.
For me, somatic practices were the key to unlocking what I'd been carrying for years: grief from two miscarriages, trauma from sexual assault, the weight of three traumatic births, and the relentless pace of entrepreneurship and motherhood. My body was holding onto all of it - and it was showing up as extra weight, chronic stress, and a nervous system stuck in fight or flight.
My Introduction to Transformational Breathwork
The first somatic practice that changed my life was transformational breathwork.
I'm not talking about box breathing or simple breath awareness (though those are valuable too). I'm talking about a specific breathwork modality that takes you into an altered state of consciousness. It's a three-part breath: you inhale into your belly, up into your chest, and then exhale. With the guidance of a trained practitioner, this pattern - combined with healing touch, energy work, and support - unlocks what you're carrying in your body.
The first time I did transformational breathwork, I had visions of singing. I saw myself leading a retreat. I connected to what was really, really true for me - things I'd been ignoring or suppressing for years. And then I released so much grief. Grief I'd been holding in my womb space. Grief from my miscarriages, my traumatic births, my sexual assault. It poured out of me.
And here's the thing: that grief wasn't just emotional. It was physical. It was living in my cells, contributing to the weight my body was holding onto as protection.
“When your body doesn’t feel safe, disconnection becomes a survival strategy.”
Other Somatic Tools That Changed My Life
Beyond breathwork, I've worked with:
Sound healing: Using vibration and frequency to soothe the nervous system and release stored tension
Gateless writing: A free-form writing practice that helps you access your subconscious and process what you're holding
Equine therapy: Working with horses to regulate the nervous system and build trust and presence
Connection to nature: Grounding practices that help you return to your body and the present moment
Plant medicine: Sacred, intentional work with plant allies to access deep healing (always with trained facilitators)
Each of these practices works with the body, not just the mind. And that's the key. Therapy is important. Medication can be life-saving. But somatic work is the "yes, and" that allows you to address trauma at the root - in your physical form, where it lives.
In this episode, I talk about:
Why traditional therapy and self-care weren't enough to pull me out of burnout
How chronic stress and fight-or-flight mode kept my body holding onto weight
What transformational breathwork is and how it unlocks what you're carrying in your body
The connection between trauma, the nervous system, and physical health
How I finally released grief, trauma, and stress from my womb space and my cells
Why finding the right somatic practitioner matters—and how to trust your body in the process
My Key Takeaways:
Your body keeps the score.
Unprocessed emotions, trauma, and stress don't just disappear—they live in your cells and affect your physical health, weight, and overall well-being. If you've been stuck in chronic stress or carrying weight that won't budge, your body may be trying to tell you something.Burnout isn't just mental - it's physical.
When your nervous system is stuck in fight or flight, your body holds onto weight, inflammation, and tension as a protective mechanism. Healing burnout requires more than rest - it requires addressing what's living beneath the surface.Transformational breathwork can access deep healing.
Unlike basic breathing exercises, transformational breathwork takes you into an altered state of consciousness where you can release what you're carrying in your body. It's vulnerable, powerful, and deeply transformative when done with a trained practitioner.Somatic healing is a "yes, and" practice.
Therapy is important and medication can be life-saving, but pairing these tools with somatic work allows you to address trauma at the root - in your body, not just your mind. This is the future of healing.Trust your body when choosing a practitioner.
Not every person or practice is for you. Listen to what feels like a yes, what feels safe, and what aligns with your own history and needs. There's a difference between being nervous about trying something new and feeling like someone isn't the right fit. Honor that.
Looking back on that season of my life, I can see now how much my body was trying to protect me. It was holding onto weight because it didn't feel safe to let go. It was stuck in fight or flight because I was operating at a pace that wasn't sustainable. And it took somatic practices - breathwork, sound healing, nervous system work - to help me finally release what I'd been carrying.
This work changed my life. It helped me feel at home in my own body again. It helped me regulate my nervous system, process my trauma, and show up as the version of myself I'd been longing to be.
And now, I'm dedicating my life to sharing these tools with others.
Listen to the Full Episode Here:
Connect with me:
Resources Mentioned
Breathwork
Sound healing
Gateless writing
Equine therapy
If you have questions about somatic practices, breathwork, or anything else, feel free to reach out. I LOVE to talk about this stuff and would love to hear from you!
If you have a topic or guest you’d love to see featured on the podcast, reach out at podcast@unapologeticallyyours.com.
Unapologetically Yours,
