Treatment Approach / Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy.
Somatic therapy in Orange County for trauma and stress that live below words — breathwork, movement, and nervous system regulation woven into every PHP and IOP day.
Admissions answers when you call.
A real person — never a call center.
Focus
Body & nervous system
Setting
Ocean-adjacent
Levels of care
PHP & IOP
Integration
Daily practice
What somatic therapy actually is
Healing that starts in the body.
The question isn’t whether you need support. It’s whether the support you have matches the weight you’re carrying.
Not all trauma lives in words. Much of it lives in the body — tight chest, shallow breath, chronic tension, startle responses, the feeling of bracing that never releases. Talk therapy alone can’t always reach what the nervous system holds below language.
Somatic therapy works with body sensations, breath, movement, and nervous system regulation to process and release what’s stored physically. It’s not massage or yoga class — it’s clinical work that uses the body as the entry point for healing.
At High Tide, somatic practice is part of daily life: morning grounding, breathwork before groups, movement sessions, and mindfulness in our coastal setting — a clinical resource for nervous system regulation.
Who it's for
For trauma and stress the mind can’t talk its way through.
Somatic therapy at High Tide fits when body-held trauma or chronic dysregulation needs direct nervous system work.
This level of care fits when
- Trauma symptoms live in your body — tension, bracing, startle, dissociation — more than in your thoughts.
- Talk therapy helped you understand but didn’t change how your body responds to triggers.
- Chronic stress has dysregulated your nervous system — always on, or always shut down.
- You have somatic symptoms — chronic pain, GI issues, tension — alongside mental health concerns.
- You want body-based healing integrated with clinical structure, not a wellness retreat.
A different approach may fit better when
- Primary concern is OCD or phobias — CBT exposure is the evidence-based first line.
- You prefer purely cognitive approaches without body work.
- You need trauma memory processing — EMDR may be more targeted for specific memories.
- You’re looking for massage or spa-style wellness, not clinical somatic therapy.
What we treat here
What somatic therapy addresses.
Body-based work for conditions where the nervous system is a primary target.
01
Trauma
Body-held trauma responses — hypervigilance, bracing, dissociation, startle.
- PTSD
- Complex trauma
- Developmental trauma
- Medical trauma
02
Dissociation
Depersonalization and derealization — somatic grounding as the primary intervention.
- Dissociative symptoms
- Emotional numbing
- Body disconnection
- Memory gaps
03
Chronic stress
Burnout, nervous system exhaustion, and the physical toll of prolonged activation.
- Burnout
- Chronic fatigue
- Sleep disruption
- Tension patterns
04
Anxiety
Somatic anxiety symptoms — panic in the body, chest tightness, GI distress.
- Panic disorder
- Somatic anxiety
- Health anxiety
- Performance anxiety
Somatic therapy at High Tide is clinical work — not yoga class. Your somatic clinician is part of your treatment team.
See everything we treatWhat to expect
Programming hours and weekly groups.
Here is how PHP and IOP are structured — plus the group types offered every week. This modality is delivered inside PHP and IOP programming hours — scheduled into the week with regulation and psychiatry support, not as a fixed sample-day clock.
Our groups aim for a holistic, clinically excellent, and human approach to healing. Programs address the whole self — brain, mind, and body — with a wide range of perspectives and ways to engage in treatment. Individual therapy and psychiatry are scheduled inside PHP or IOP; the weekly mix shifts with your plan.
PHP
9 AM – 4 PM
Full-day programming five days a week — individual therapy, group work, psychiatry, and holistic practices in one integrated day.
IOP
Morning & afternoon tracks
Part-day sessions several days per week. Morning and afternoon tracks are offered so you can keep work, school, or family routines while staying anchored in treatment.
Group
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT focus)
Dialectical behavior therapy skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Group
Therapeutic Process Groups
Small-group therapy where emotional triggers, relationship patterns, and recovery challenges surface and get worked in real time.
Group
Relationships / Family Based Groups (IFS/ACT Focus)
Internal Family Systems and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy lenses on attachment, family dynamics, and values-aligned connection — including family therapy themes when clinically useful.
Group
Physical Movement Groups
Body-based sessions that support regulation, energy, and the physical side of recovery — part of the clinical week, not optional fluff.
Group
Recovery (SUD & MH track focus)
Integrated recovery groups with substance use and mental health tracks — cravings, relapse prevention, and the mental health drivers underneath both.
Group
Somatic Healing Groups
Breathwork, sound bowls, and mindfulness exploration for nervous-system regulation and trauma-informed body awareness.
Group
Art-Based Expression / Music-Based Process Groups
Creative process groups for clients who access emotion and insight more readily through art and music than talk alone.
Group
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT focus)
Cognitive behavioral therapy for thought patterns, behaviors, and the loops that keep depression, anxiety, and related symptoms going.
Group
Aftercare Planning Groups
Discharge and aftercare planning so outpatient therapy, medication, recovery support, and home structure are mapped before you leave.
Group
Adventure
Experiential outdoor and adventure-based groups that practice regulation, trust, and peer connection outside the therapy room.
What's included
Somatic approaches we use.
Evidence-informed body-based modalities integrated with clinical care.
01
Somatic Experiencing
Pendulation and titration for trauma held in the body — processing without flooding.
02
Breathwork
Diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, and regulation techniques for nervous system balance.
03
Mindful movement
Gentle movement, stretching, and yoga-informed practice for body awareness and release.
04
Ocean-side mindfulness
Present-moment awareness practice using the coastal setting — sound, air, horizon.
05
Body scanning
Systematic awareness of sensation — the foundation for all somatic work.
06
Integration with EMDR
Somatic preparation and stabilization surrounding EMDR processing sessions.
What changes
What daily somatic practice builds.
A nervous system that can regulate — not perfectly calm, but no longer stuck in chronic activation or shutdown.
Daily
Somatic regulation practice in every PHP block.
Coastal
Laguna Beach setting — used clinically, not just aesthetically.
Integrated
Somatic clinicians on your treatment team — communicating with your therapist and psychiatrist.
Skills
Regulation techniques you keep after discharge — not dependent on the setting.
Somatic vs. EMDR
Body regulation vs. memory processing.
Somatic therapy and EMDR complement each other. Many clients use both.
Somatic therapy
This program- Primary focus
- Nervous system regulation and body-held trauma
- Best for
- Chronic dysregulation, dissociation, body symptoms
- Format
- Daily practice + individual somatic sessions
- Mechanism
- Release body-held tension and rebuild regulation
- At High Tide
- Woven through every day
EMDR
The step down- Primary focus
- Specific trauma memory processing
- Best for
- PTSD, flashbacks, intrusive memories
- Format
- Scheduled processing sessions with bilateral stimulation
- Mechanism
- Reprocess stuck memories to reduce charge
- At High Tide
- Scheduled 1–2× weekly within program
How to start
From first call to first day — usually within a week.
Admissions is one phone call, not a paperwork gauntlet. Here’s the whole process.
01
Call or verify online
A confidential conversation with our admissions team — what’s going on, what you’re looking for, and whether somatic therapy is the right fit. We verify your insurance the same day, usually while you’re still on the phone.
02
Modality & program fit
We assess whether this approach belongs in PHP intensity, IOP flexibility, or outpatient cadence — and whether it should lead your plan or support other work. Modality choice follows clinical need, not marketing preference.
03
Integrated enrollment
Once admitted, your modality is scheduled inside the full program — regulation practice, psychiatry, and individual therapy around it — so EMDR, DBT, somatic work, or holistic elements land with enough structure to be safe and effective.
Most PPO plans cover this program. Verification is free, confidential, and usually same-day.
Common questions
Answers before you have to ask.
Can't find your question? Call us — a real person answers, and there's never pressure to commit.
Will insurance cover somatic therapy?
Most PPO plans cover PHP and IOP for mental health, and California parity law requires insurers to cover mental health care at the same level as physical health care. We verify your exact benefits before you commit — free, confidential, and usually same-day. Start at /insurance or read /mental-health-guides/does-insurance-cover-php-iop.
Is this modality covered inside PHP or IOP?
Somatic regulation and body-based sessions are part of your PHP or IOP treatment day — covered as program care alongside therapy and psychiatry. Verify at /insurance.
How often will I receive this treatment?
Somatic regulation is daily in PHP (grounding, breathwork, movement) with individual somatic sessions 1–2× weekly. IOP integrates regulation into each session block.
Can this be combined with other approaches?
Somatic work complements EMDR and CBT — body regulation before and after processing sessions, especially for dissociation and chronic trauma.
What if I only want this modality — not a full program?
Our modalities are delivered inside structured PHP, IOP, or outpatient care — not as standalone drop-in sessions. If weekly outpatient therapy with this approach is enough, we’ll say so during assessment.
What happens after I finish?
You’ll leave with outpatient referrals that continue this work — DBT skills group, trauma therapist, somatic practitioner, or psychiatrist — plus written guidance on practicing skills between sessions.
What is somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy works with body sensations, breath, movement, and nervous system regulation — not only talk. It helps when anxiety, stress, or trauma show up as tension, bracing, or shutdown that words alone do not reach.
What does a somatic therapist do?
A somatic therapist helps you track body cues, titrate activation, and practice regulation skills. At High Tide in Orange County, somatic work is woven into PHP and IOP days — grounding, breathwork, and body-based sessions — alongside talk therapy and psychiatry.
Will insurance cover somatic therapy?
When somatic therapy is delivered inside covered PHP or IOP, it is part of the program day — not a separate spa service. We verify your plan’s behavioral health benefits before you start.