Somatic Coaching: Supporting the nervous system (and ADHD)
WHY THE NERVOUS SYSTEM MATTERS
In a fast-paced, overstimulating world, many of us live largely in our heads. Our nervous systems are frequently pushed into chronic stress, leaving us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, shut down or disconnected from ourselves.
Much personal development focuses on changing thoughts or improving performance. While helpful, this can miss something fundamental: real change is only sustainable when the nervous system feels safe enough to support it.
Somatic coaching works directly with the nervous system, using the body as a gateway to awareness, regulation and meaningful change.
WHAT IS SOMATIC COACHING?
The word soma means “the living body.” Somatic coaching recognises that we are not just thinking minds, but integrated body–mind systems.
Alongside conversation, clients are invited to notice sensations, breath, posture, movement and emotional tone — all signals of the nervous system in action. Rather than analysing problems, the work focuses on felt experience, helping change become embodied rather than purely intellectual.
Sessions are responsive and relational, shaped by what is happening in the present moment. This makes the work accessible for people who feel constrained by rigid or overly cognitive approaches.
HOW SOMATIC COACHING DIFFERS FROM TRADITIONAL COACHING
Traditional coaching tends to prioritise thinking, behaviour and strategy. While effective for some goals, it can bypass the underlying nervous system patterns that shape how we respond to life.
Somatic coaching works bottom-up rather than top-down. By attending to bodily cues — tension, restlessness, collapse or expansion — clients can recognise habitual stress responses and develop new ways of regulating themselves.
This approach draws on somatic psychotherapy, Gestalt, Focusing and Hakomi, alongside contemporary neuroscience, embodied cognition and Polyvagal Theory. Together, these fields point to the same insight: humans function best as integrated, self-regulating systems.
ADHD AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
ADHD is often described in terms of attention, focus and executive functioning. From a somatic perspective, it can also be understood as a highly sensitive nervous system.
Many people with ADHD experience rapid shifts between: - Hyper-arousal – restlessness, racing thoughts, overwhelm - Hypo-arousal – fatigue, disengagement, shutdown.
These are not flaws, but adaptive nervous system responses to stimulation and stress.
Somatic coaching does not aim to fix or cure ADHD. Instead, it offers a supportive space to understand how each individual nervous system works and how to build greater regulation, capacity and self-trust.
Clients often learn to: - Recognise early signs of overload - Work with attention and energy rather than forcing focus - Develop grounding and regulation skills - Reduce shame and self-criticism
Because somatic coaching is flexible and experiential, it can sit alongside therapy, medication or other forms of support.
STORED STRESS AND THE BODY
Stress and past experiences live not just in the mind, but in the body — held as tension, shallow breathing, jaw clenching, restlessness or fatigue. These are signs of a nervous system working hard to cope.
Somatic coaching helps bring awareness to these patterns so they can begin to shift, supporting greater ease, resilience and choice.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A SOMATIC COACHING SESSION?
Sessions take place in person or online and involve open conversation alongside gentle body-based awareness.
Rather than analysing, clients are supported to stay with sensations as they arise. A feeling of tightness, heaviness or agitation can become a doorway to insight and regulation through breath, movement, imagery or focused attention.
This work helps integrate understanding with lived experience — so change is not just understood, but felt.
WHO IS SOMATIC COACHING FOR?
Somatic coaching can support anyone experiencing stress, burnout, anxiety or life transitions. It can be particularly helpful for people who identify as neurodivergent, or who feel that talking-based approaches haven’t fully met their needs.
EMBODYING CHANGE
We are not just what we think — we are how our nervous system meets life.
Somatic coaching offers a compassionate, body-based way of working with ourselves, supporting regulation, self-awareness and sustainable change.
FIND OUT MORE
If you’re curious about whether somatic coaching might be supportive for you, I offer a free, no-obligation discovery call. This is an opportunity to ask questions, explore what you’re looking for, and see whether this way of working feels like a good fit.
Visit www.somatic-coach.org or call Sarah on : 07710 329 449
Sarah Yearsley is an ICF Accredited Body-Oriented Coach and Bowen Technique Therapist working at The Open Door, Lewes.