Written by Native Moons
Helenita & Danny Frounfelkner
One of the questions we hear most often is:
“If I start working with you, does that mean I should stop going to therapy?”
Our answer is almost always the same.
No.
In fact, many of the people we work with are actively seeing a therapist, and we believe that can be an incredibly supportive combination.
At Native Moons, we don’t see somatic healing and traditional therapy as competing approaches. We see them as different lenses through which we can better understand ourselves. Each offers something unique, and together they can create a more integrated healing experience.
Therapy Helps Us Understand Our Story
One of the things we’ve both experienced personally, and witnessed time and time again with clients, is the incredible value of having a safe space to talk through life’s experiences. Therapy can help us process grief, navigate relationships, explore family dynamics and gain insight into patterns that may have shaped us over the years. It often provides language for experiences we’ve never quite known how to describe, and for many people, that understanding is life changing.
Understanding your story matters because it’s difficult to change what we can’t see. Awareness is often the first step toward healing, and therapy has helped countless people begin that journey.
Sometimes Insight Is Only One Part of the Conversation
At the same time, we’ve also met many people who say something like this:
“I understand why I react this way, but my body still does it.”
That sentence captures the heart of why somatic approaches resonate with so many people.
You may know you’re safe, yet your shoulders still tense when someone raises their voice. You may know you don’t have to prove your worth, yet your body continues pushing you to overwork and overperform. You may know you’re no longer living in the circumstances that shaped you, while your nervous system still responds as though those experiences are happening today.
This isn’t because you’ve failed at healing. More often, it’s because understanding and experiencing are two different processes. Our minds can recognize that something has changed long before our nervous system learns to believe it.
Where Somatic Healing Fits
Somatic healing invites the body into the conversation.
Rather than focusing only on thoughts, it also explores the physical experience of being human. How does your breath change when you’re overwhelmed? Where do you notice tension? What happens in your body when you feel supported, criticized or finally allow yourself to slow down?
These aren’t questions meant to diagnose or analyze. They’re simply invitations to become more curious about how your nervous system has learned to move through the world. That awareness often opens the door to new experiences, new choices and new ways of relating to yourself.
We Believe Healing Works Best Together
One of the reasons we’re so grateful for our partnerships with counseling practices is because we’ve seen how powerful collaboration can be.
A therapist may help someone better understand their experiences, relationships and emotional landscape, while somatic work helps that same person notice how those experiences continue to show up through their breath, posture, muscle tension, nervous system responses and embodied patterns. Neither approach replaces the other. Instead, they complement one another by supporting different aspects of the healing process.
When each practitioner stays within their scope while communicating openly and keeping the client’s wellbeing at the center, people often experience a more connected and supportive healing journey.
Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Either-Or
It’s easy to fall into the trap of wondering which approach is “better”: therapy or coaching, mind or body, insight or experience.
In reality, healing is rarely that simple.
Every person’s journey is unique. Some people find exactly what they need through therapy alone, while others discover that adding body-based practices helps them integrate what they’ve already learned in a deeper way.
Our role isn’t to replace another professional or suggest that one approach is superior. Our role is to help people reconnect with themselves through embodied, nervous system-informed practices while honoring the important work already taking place in other healing relationships.
A Collaborative Approach
At Native Moons, we believe some of the most meaningful healing happens when professionals work together with the client’s best interest at heart. That’s one of the reasons we’ve intentionally partnered with counseling practices whose values align with our own.
We believe people deserve compassionate, collaborative care that honors the whole person, not just their thoughts and not just their body, but both. Healing isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about finding the combination of support that helps you feel more connected to yourself and more equipped to move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is somatic healing the same as therapy?
No. Native Moons offers non-clinical somatic coaching and body-based support. Our work complements therapy but is not psychotherapy or mental health treatment. - Can I see a therapist and work with a somatic coach?
Absolutely. Many people choose to integrate both approaches, finding that therapy and somatic practices support different aspects of their growth and healing. - Will you communicate with my therapist?
With your written permission and when appropriate, we’re happy to collaborate with licensed providers to support a cohesive, client-centered approach.
Healing Doesn’t Have to Be a Solo Journey
Whether you’re already working with a therapist or you’re exploring somatic support for the first time, we’re here to help you discover what approach feels most supportive for where you are today. Contact us and learn more.
