Healing Through the Body: How Somatic Therapy Supports Creatives

Creatives—whether you're an actor, writer, dancer, musician, or visual artist—often feel deeply, think intensely, and express what many struggle to put into words. While this can be a gift, it also means you're more vulnerable to emotional overwhelm, performance anxiety, creative blocks, and burnout. That’s where somatic therapy can help.

At The Feeling Space, a California-based group psychotherapy practice, we support artists and creatives using trauma-informed and body-based modalities like Brainspotting, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and IFS (Internal Family Systems).

Why Creatives Are Drawn to Somatic Therapy

Creative professionals tend to process the world somatically—through sensation, movement, rhythm, and emotion. Traditional talk therapy doesn’t always reach the places where pain or creative blocks live. Somatic therapy helps you access and release stuck emotional energy through the body, not just the mind.

Brainspotting for Performers and Artists

BrainspottingBrainspotting Therapy and Intensives works by identifying eye positions (or “brainspots”) that correlate with stored trauma or emotional charge in the body. It’s especially helpful for:

• Stage fright and performance anxiety
• Creative blocks or loss of inspiration
• Releasing trauma held in the body, especially from early experiences or past performance failures
• Enhancing flow and focus

For dancers and musicians who are deeply attuned to the body, Brainspotting often feels intuitive and freeing.

EMDR for Creative Professionals

EMDR helps desensitize painful memories or beliefs that may be interfering with your creative process. It can be used to process:

• Criticism or rejection in competitive industries
• Fear of failure or imposter syndrome
• Childhood wounds that affect your voice or confidence
• Public speaking or audition trauma

With EMDR, many creatives find they regain a sense of clarity, purpose, and inner calm—allowing their true selves to shine through their art.

IFS: Healing the Inner Critic and Embracing Your Creative Parts

IFS (Internal Family Systems) helps you explore the different “parts” of yourself—including the inner critic, the perfectionist, the people-pleaser, and the vulnerable artist. This approach is powerful for creatives who feel emotionally pulled in different directions or overwhelmed by self-doubt.
In IFS, we help you:

• Build a relationship with your inner critic instead of fighting it
• Protect your sensitive, creative self without shutting it down
• Heal past wounds that limit self-expression
• Cultivate self-compassion and confidence

Why Work with a Therapist Who Gets Creative Brains?

At The Feeling Space, many of our therapists have creative backgrounds themselves. We understand the highs and lows of creative life—from auditions and deadlines to artistic blocks and burnout. Whether you're based in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or anywhere in California, our telehealth therapy services make it easy to connect with someone who speaks your language. We also have in person availability in Santa Monica, West LA, Beverly Hills, Encino, and Pasadena. 

​Ready to Reconnect with Your Creative Self?

You don’t have to navigate the emotional toll of creative life alone. Somatic therapy can help you return to your body, regulate your nervous system, and reclaim your creative voice with greater ease and confidence.
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📅 Schedule a free 15-minute consultation today and let us match you with a therapist who gets it. Feel free to reach out to [email protected] or (424) 274-0518. 

Book A Consultation now