Somatic Therapy for Chronic Pain and Autoimmune Conditions: What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You
By Abi Beri | Integrative Somatic Therapist | Dublin, Naas, Newbridge & Online If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you know what it’s like to live in a body that doesn’t cooperate. The chronic pain that flares without warning. The fatigue that sleep doesn’t touch. The autoimmune symptoms that wax and wane according […]
Why You Can’t Rest (Even When You’re Exhausted)
A somatic approach to burnout, deep exhaustion, and learning to put down the weight You’re tired. Not the kind of tired that a good night’s sleep fixes. Not the kind that a holiday sorts out. This is something deeper — a bone-deep exhaustion that lives in your body, that’s been building for months or years, […]
When Healing Doesn’t Look Like Healing: What Your Nervous System Needs You to Know
You’ve done the therapy. The breathwork. The journaling. The inner child work. The meditation apps and the self-help books and the workshops. And you still hurt. If that’s you, I want to say something important: You are not failing at healing. The model is failing you. As a somatic therapist working with clients in Dublin, […]
The Hidden Cost of Living for Others: How Societal Expectations Dysregulate Your Nervous System
Understanding the somatic experience of performance and the path to authentic living Have you ever noticed a particular tension that settles into your shoulders when you’re about to do something you “should” do rather than something you want to do? Or the way your breath becomes shallow when you’re performing a version of yourself that […]
The Intelligence of Your Shutdown Response: Why Freezing Isn’t Weakness—It’s Survival
Understanding the Freeze Response as Sophisticated Survival I want to share a story from my practice that I think about often. A client—I’ll call her Sarah—came to me deeply frustrated with herself. She kept saying: “I don’t understand why I freeze up. I know I should speak up for myself. I know I should say […]
Why Your Body Says Yes When You Want to Say No: The Somatic Truth About People-Pleasing
Understanding People-Pleasing as a Nervous System Pattern, Not a Character Flaw Your friend asks for a favor. Before your mind even processes the request, your body has already responded: shoulders tensing, breath quickening, jaw clenching—and then your mouth says “yes” while every cell in your body screams “no.” You leave the conversation feeling exhausted, resentful, […]
The Child Who Became Responsible Too Soon: Understanding Parentification Through the Body
When Your Shoulders Remember What Your Mind Tries to Forget Do your shoulders feel like they’re carrying the weight of the world? Does your jaw clench unconsciously when someone asks you for help—even though you’ll inevitably say yes? Do you struggle to take a full, deep breath, as if your body won’t allow you to […]
The Inner Child Who Doesn’t Want to Be Fixed: A Radical Approach to Inner Child Healing
Why Traditional Inner Child Work May Be Keeping You Stuck If you’ve explored inner child healing in Dublin, Kildare, or through online therapy sessions, you may have encountered a familiar narrative: rescue your younger self, comfort them, promise them everything will be okay, and bring them into your present where they’re finally safe. But what […]
Why You Can’t Say No Even When You Want To: Healing the Fawn Response and People-Pleasing Patterns
Picture this scenario: Someone asks you for a favor. Inside, every fiber of your being screams “NO!” – you’re overwhelmed, stretched thin, and desperately need time for yourself. But somehow, what comes out is “Of course! I’d be happy to help!” Sound familiar? If you’ve ever wondered why the word “no” feels absolutely impossible to […]
Why You Freeze When Someone Raises Their Voice: Understanding and Healing the Freeze Trauma Response
Have you ever had someone raise their voice at you and suddenly found yourself completely unable to speak, think, or move? That moment when your mind goes blank, your throat closes up, and you feel frozen in place while your inner world is in complete chaos? If this experience feels familiar, you’ve encountered what trauma […]
