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Trauma-Informed Bodywork: A Professional's Guide to Somatic Awareness, Movement Techniques, and Nervous System Regulation
224 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 24, 2026
🌿A Thoughtful and Grounded Guide to Trauma-Informed Practice 🌿
One of the things that immediately stood out to me was the beautiful opening, where the authors share the personal stories that led to the creation of such an in-depth guide.
This line, in particular, stayed with me:
"We (Chelsea and Emily) actively disengage from the title of 'expert' because we cannot be experts on every trauma or life experience."
What a powerful place from which to begin. ✨
It sets the tone for the entire guide: one of humility, curiosity, and continuous learning rather than certainty and authority.
🧭 Letting the Body Lead
The section "Orienting to Letting the Body Lead" was an excellent addition.
Filled with invitations rather than instructions, it encourages readers to approach both the guide and their practice with openness and reflection.
Several points raised in this section are genuinely profound and invite us to question:
• How we do the work.
• Why we do the work.
• What drives the positions we hold.
• How our own experiences influence our practice.
Whether you're a personal trainer, a social worker, or anyone working in a helping profession, this section offers rich opportunities for introspection.
I could easily see readers spending significant time reflecting on these ideas long after finishing the chapter.
🤝 Power, Relationships, and Holistic Practice
I also deeply appreciated the authors' recognition of the power we hold as helpers.
Too often, discussions about trauma-informed practice focus solely on techniques and interventions, while overlooking the relational dynamics and responsibilities that come with supporting others.
The guide thoughtfully acknowledges:
• Power and positionality.
• The importance of learning about the land we occupy.
• Holistic approaches to care.
• The role of relationships in healing and growth.
These considerations add important depth to the practical guidance offered throughout the book.
📚 Practical, Accessible, and Evidence-Based
Overall, this is a very practical, informative, focused, and helpful guide.
What I appreciated most is that every recommendation feels grounded in evidence, while still being explained in accessible language.
The authors do an excellent job of translating research into practice without oversimplifying the concepts.
At no point did I feel lost or left guessing about the rationale behind a recommendation. The explanations consistently capture the essence of the evidence while remaining clear and approachable.
💪 A Strong Focus on Body-Based Professions
The guide primarily focuses on personal trainers and professionals working with the body, particularly within private practice or business-oriented settings rather than humanitarian contexts.
Because of this, I appreciated the authors' diligence in exploring what it means to make not only the practice itself, but also the business surrounding it, trauma-informed and values-based.
Important topics such as:
• Rest
• Boundaries
• Attunement
• Co-regulation
• Client relationships
• Sustainable practice
are all thoughtfully addressed.
Thank you, Netgalley and North Atlantic Books, for the eARC.
One of the things that immediately stood out to me was the beautiful opening, where the authors share the personal stories that led to the creation of such an in-depth guide.
This line, in particular, stayed with me:
"We (Chelsea and Emily) actively disengage from the title of 'expert' because we cannot be experts on every trauma or life experience."
What a powerful place from which to begin. ✨
It sets the tone for the entire guide: one of humility, curiosity, and continuous learning rather than certainty and authority.
🧭 Letting the Body Lead
The section "Orienting to Letting the Body Lead" was an excellent addition.
Filled with invitations rather than instructions, it encourages readers to approach both the guide and their practice with openness and reflection.
Several points raised in this section are genuinely profound and invite us to question:
• How we do the work.
• Why we do the work.
• What drives the positions we hold.
• How our own experiences influence our practice.
Whether you're a personal trainer, a social worker, or anyone working in a helping profession, this section offers rich opportunities for introspection.
I could easily see readers spending significant time reflecting on these ideas long after finishing the chapter.
🤝 Power, Relationships, and Holistic Practice
I also deeply appreciated the authors' recognition of the power we hold as helpers.
Too often, discussions about trauma-informed practice focus solely on techniques and interventions, while overlooking the relational dynamics and responsibilities that come with supporting others.
The guide thoughtfully acknowledges:
• Power and positionality.
• The importance of learning about the land we occupy.
• Holistic approaches to care.
• The role of relationships in healing and growth.
These considerations add important depth to the practical guidance offered throughout the book.
📚 Practical, Accessible, and Evidence-Based
Overall, this is a very practical, informative, focused, and helpful guide.
What I appreciated most is that every recommendation feels grounded in evidence, while still being explained in accessible language.
The authors do an excellent job of translating research into practice without oversimplifying the concepts.
At no point did I feel lost or left guessing about the rationale behind a recommendation. The explanations consistently capture the essence of the evidence while remaining clear and approachable.
💪 A Strong Focus on Body-Based Professions
The guide primarily focuses on personal trainers and professionals working with the body, particularly within private practice or business-oriented settings rather than humanitarian contexts.
Because of this, I appreciated the authors' diligence in exploring what it means to make not only the practice itself, but also the business surrounding it, trauma-informed and values-based.
Important topics such as:
• Rest
• Boundaries
• Attunement
• Co-regulation
• Client relationships
• Sustainable practice
are all thoughtfully addressed.
Thank you, Netgalley and North Atlantic Books, for the eARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I saw this book was available and immediately wanted to read it. I have worked with people with trauma for decades but only recently trained in EMDR and whilst the training was excellent I wanted more information about the body and trauma. This book focused on people who do the embodied work with people rather than the talking therapies. I still found it helpful and it gave me the information and the reflections I was after.
I loved the explorations and questions it asked of me and I did find the personal information given by the authors brought the book alive, for me.
It covered information about trauma, nervous system dysregulation, embodiment and how to let the body lead.
It appeared to be well researched and there is a lengthy reference sections after each chapter. It felt like a book created with thought and I do think it would be especially useful for people doing somatic work if they wanted more information around trauma to build their confidence. Again I found the somatic scripts and reflections would be very helpful and can see a made a few highlights of ones I found especially handy. The authors talk a lot about their own experiences and if you dislike a lot of sharing you might not appreciate it, for me it felt like I was in a Special Interest Group having a conversation with someone so I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced copy for free, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion.
Does this book fill every need I have in this area? No. Does this layer up my understanding of a complex area of work that I really want to develop my expertise in? Yes. Sometimes it wasn’t an easy read but, for me, it did not feel triggering. The emphasis on self care that ran throughout the book was especially welcome.
I loved the explorations and questions it asked of me and I did find the personal information given by the authors brought the book alive, for me.
It covered information about trauma, nervous system dysregulation, embodiment and how to let the body lead.
It appeared to be well researched and there is a lengthy reference sections after each chapter. It felt like a book created with thought and I do think it would be especially useful for people doing somatic work if they wanted more information around trauma to build their confidence. Again I found the somatic scripts and reflections would be very helpful and can see a made a few highlights of ones I found especially handy. The authors talk a lot about their own experiences and if you dislike a lot of sharing you might not appreciate it, for me it felt like I was in a Special Interest Group having a conversation with someone so I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced copy for free, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion.
Does this book fill every need I have in this area? No. Does this layer up my understanding of a complex area of work that I really want to develop my expertise in? Yes. Sometimes it wasn’t an easy read but, for me, it did not feel triggering. The emphasis on self care that ran throughout the book was especially welcome.
February 1, 2026
3.5⭐️
Trauma-Informed Bodywork is a guide relating to somatic awareness and body regulation. I really loved the personal touch to this one, we have backgrounds of both authors and they are able to show the healing of bodywork through their experiences. The book also presents scientific evidence to back up statements and provide the reader with that knowledge in an accessible format. Overall I really liked the exercises but I wanted more, I felt that the psycho education outweighed the actual bodywork exercises. Although I understand this will be very personal and something one does not simply get from in a book. This would be a good starting point for people new to the area and wanting to know more. It would also be good for someone starting a wellness business as the authors covered their business journey. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
Trauma-Informed Bodywork is a guide relating to somatic awareness and body regulation. I really loved the personal touch to this one, we have backgrounds of both authors and they are able to show the healing of bodywork through their experiences. The book also presents scientific evidence to back up statements and provide the reader with that knowledge in an accessible format. Overall I really liked the exercises but I wanted more, I felt that the psycho education outweighed the actual bodywork exercises. Although I understand this will be very personal and something one does not simply get from in a book. This would be a good starting point for people new to the area and wanting to know more. It would also be good for someone starting a wellness business as the authors covered their business journey. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was an interesting book but for me it was lacking a bit in the practical elements. There was lots of psycho education and theory but really these were things I knew and I was looking for things to integrate into my practice. Overall I got a few points from it but I think it’s more useful for a personal trainer wanting to get into trauma work than a therapist wanting to do more bodywork. Thanks to North Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
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March 22, 2026NETGALLEY ARC
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews