Neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurone Disease (MND), dementia, stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) often bring more than physical or cognitive symptoms. They frequently come with a profound emotional and existential impact: grief for what was, fear for what is, and uncertainty about what may come. For many, this triggers deep internal responses: loss of identity, mounting stress, activation of survival patterns, and a sense of disconnection from body, self and others.

In my work as a somatic therapist, I aim to hold space for the emotional and somatic realities that accompany neurological conditions. I believe these layers — body, nervous system, history, and emotional life — are deeply entwined, and addressing them together can bring about meaningful small changes, resilience, and renewed quality of life.

There is growing awareness that neurological and chronic conditions may — at least in some cases — be influenced by trauma, chronic stress, or long-term nervous system dysregulation. Some people living with Parkinson’s or other neurodegenerative conditions trace back histories of early life stress, emotional trauma, or adverse experiences. Others experience the shock, grief, and trauma that a sudden diagnosis, sudden injury (e.g., TBI or stroke), or the onset of a progressive illness brings — the body they once knew feels altered, and the future becomes uncertain.

When someone has been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative condition or has survived a brain injury or stroke, purely medical or behavioural approaches can help. But often they fall short of addressing the deeper layer of lived experience: the emotional loss, the grief, the sense of disempowerment, the body that doesn’t feel like “home” anymore.

A somatic approach can offer something valuable - the possibility to:

- Regulate the nervous system — gentle, embodied practices can help shift from chronic stress patterns to states of greater safety, integration, and co-regulation

- Reconnect with the body — to listen to what it holds: tension, fear, trauma, pain, and also the capacity for building resilience.

- Process grief and loss — not only cognitively but in the body, where grief lives as tension, contraction, shut-down, or numbness

- Empower self-agency and adaptive identity — reclaim a sense of self grounded in body and mind. 

Living with a neurological condition can reshape every layer of a person’s life — yet within this complexity, there remains an innate capacity for connection, adaptation, and meaning. Somatic therapy does not promise to change a diagnosis, but it can gently support how you meet your experience: with more grounding, more compassion, and more support. My intention is to walk alongside you as you navigate this terrain, helping you cultivate a relationship with your body that feels steadier, safer, and more your own. In this space, healing is not defined by outcomes, but by the possibility of living with greater presence, dignity, and wholeness.