Somatic & Mind-Body Therapy in Berkeley, California and Virtually
Malachi Gillihan is a Trauma Specialist and Certified Spiritual Counselor, offering Somatic & Mind-Body Therapy in Berkeley, the East Bay, and virtually, nationwide and internationally. Somatic & Mind-Body Therapy goes a level deeper than Malachi's broader trauma work. It's for people who already know they want support for trauma and are looking specifically at body-based, somatic work as the leading approach, not just one piece of it.
Malachi is also a survivor-practitioner, and this work reflects that integration firsthand, not just training. Somatic work rests on a simple premise: your mind and body were never separate to begin with, and full recovery has to include both. Sessions blend guided practices and gentle movement, memory work, and what's sometimes called resourcing, deliberately cultivating a sense of safety and strength in the body, not only working through what's difficult. None of this requires flexibility, athletic ability, or any experience with yoga.
This work is grounded in the same three truths that shape everything Malachi does: you're not alone, you're not broken, and you can heal and grow. Somatic work is simply one of the clearest paths there, because healing that leaves the body out is often incomplete.
What you can expect:
Guidance from a survivor-practitioner whose approach treats mind and body as one system, not two
Practices and tools you can use beyond sessions, not just insight you have to figure out how to apply on your own
Guided movement and body-based work, without yoga leading the sessions
Sessions in person in Berkeley, virtual, or in a group setting
A starting point that asks nothing of you but a conversation
What Is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is an approach to trauma recovery that works directly with the body, not just the mind. Sessions might include guided practices, gentle movement, or working with physical sensation alongside more familiar talk-based work, but the through-line is always the same: trauma lives in the body as much as it lives in memory, and recovery has to reach both.
Why the Body Has to Be Part of Recovery
Mind and Body Aren't Separate
In somatic work, there's no dividing line between psychological healing and physical experience; they're treated as a single interconnected system, sometimes called psychophysiology. That's not just a philosophy. It shapes what actually happens in sessions: recovery that only addresses thoughts and leaves the body untouched is, in Malachi's experience, often incomplete.
Working With Memory and Sensation, Together
Trauma isn't only stored as memory you can picture and describe. It's also stored as sensation: tension, bracing, a nervous system that stays on alert long after the danger has passed. Somatic work engages both kinds of memory, the explicit kind and the kind that lives in the body itself.
Building Safety, Not Just Addressing Difficulty
Somatic work isn't only about processing what's hard. It also includes what's sometimes called resourcing, deliberately building a felt sense of safety, strength, and nourishment in the body, so you have somewhere steady to return to, not just material to work through.
Sessions Designed Around You
In-Person, Virtual, and Group Sessions
You can choose what fits your life. Sessions happen in person in Berkeley, California, virtually if you're anywhere else in the country, or the world, and somatic work is also available in a group setting.
Session Length and Format
Sessions combine guided practices, movement, and memory work, shaped around your own pace and comfort, not a fixed sequence.
Starting With a Consultation Call
There's no assessment to pass and nothing to prepare beforehand, and no movement experience required. A consultation call is simply a conversation, so you and Malachi can both find out whether this is the right fit.
Practices You Carry With You
The work doesn't stay in the room. Part of what makes somatic and mind-body work different is that you leave sessions with practices you can use in daily life, not just insight you have to figure out how to apply on your own.
"Impressive synthesis and integration of the science"
Workshop Attendee
"Malachi presented the complex information very clearly. His passion for the subject came through and I found it very motivating to learn more."
Workshop Attendee
"Malachi was a skilled facilitator and the training was well-organized, well-paced, and engaging."
Workshop Attendee
"All the information given in the workshop was not only relevant, but well documented, which made the workshop very valuable."
Workshop Attendee
"Absolutely blew my mind in the best way. I feel empowered, seen, and am excited to try out so many of these tools and strategies!!!!! Thank you Malachi"
Workshop Attendee
"The class was excellent - I wouldn’t change a thing"
Workshop Attendee
More Ways to Heal and Grow
If you'd rather work with a specific trauma type as the primary focus, with body-based work as one part of a broader approach rather than the lead, one of these may be a better starting point.
Individual Trauma Recovery
For trauma recovery more broadly, with somatic work as one part of a fuller approach.
Complex PTSD Recovery
For trauma that's chronic and long-standing, with body-based work supporting a broader focus.
Sexual Trauma Recovery
For sexual trauma specifically, with somatic work as one part of the approach rather than the lead.
Group Trauma Therapy
For those who'd rather do this work, including somatic work, alongside others.
Begin With a Consultation Call
You don't have to already know this is the right approach before you reach out. Somatic & Mind-Body Therapy starts with one conversation: a short, low-pressure consultation call to see if working with Malachi, a Trauma Specialist based in Berkeley, makes sense for you.
Sessions are available in person in Berkeley, California, virtually, or in a group setting.
Common Questions About Somatic & Mind-Body Therapy
For many people, yes, especially when other approaches have plateaued. Somatic work addresses the body's role in trauma directly, which is sometimes the missing piece for people who've already done other work. Every person's experience is different, but the body-based piece often matters more than people expect.
Does Somatic Work Actually Work?
1
It doesn't have to be either or. Somatic work and the EMDR approach address the body and memory differently, and some people find somatic work particularly valuable after EMDR hasn't fully addressed what they're carrying. A consultation call can help you think through what makes sense for you.
Should I Choose Somatic Work Instead of EMDR?
2
No. This isn't a yoga class, and no movement experience or physical ability is required. The practices used in sessions are accessible regardless of your fitness level or familiarity with movement-based work.
Do I Need to Be Flexible, Athletic, or Already Familiar With Yoga?
3
Somatic work is generally guided verbally, through attention to sensation and movement, rather than hands-on touch. If touch were ever part of a practice, it would always be discussed and agreed to first.