Our bodies are coded to stay alive. But what potentials are beyond survival?
Our nervous systems are brilliantly designed for survival—constantly scanning for safety, adapting to threat, and protecting us. But when survival patterns become the default, they can limit our capacity for connection, ease, and vitality. Through somatic therapy, we work together to gently update these patterns at the primitive level of the nervous system, allowing your body to move beyond survival and into greater choice, resilience, aliveness, and potential. This is the process of recoding your somatic story—through safety, presence, and the intelligence of your body itself.
About
My work is rooted in the understanding that the body holds essential information about our experiences, patterns, and capacity for healing. By working directly with the nervous system and the body’s implicit memory, clients can access deeper regulation and lasting change beyond cognitive insight alone.
I am a Certified Somatic Transforming Touch (TT) practitioner and Reiki Master, with over ten years of experience in trauma-informed somatic practice. I integrate somatic therapy, energetic modalities, Somatic EMDR and Primitive Reflex therapy to address the physiological imprints of stress and trauma. While traditional talk therapy focuses on conscious thought and narrative, somatic work engages the body’s primitive memory—where experiences are stored and expressed through sensation, emotion, and nervous system response. Through this integrative approach, I support clients in restoring safety, increasing capacity, and reconnecting with their innate resilience. I look forward to supporting you on your healing journey. ~ Shanna Spencer
Epigenetics
Through epigenetics, our ancestors’ responses to stress and trauma can influence how genes are expressed across generations, passing down a shared “survival playbook.” From conception, this playbook shapes how the nervous system organizes around safety, connection, and threat. Some survival patterns are actively expressed, while others remain dormant, all influencing how we respond to stress and challenge.
While these adaptations once supported survival, the threats they were designed to manage may no longer exist in our present-day lives—yet the body can still respond as if they do. Somatic therapy helps the nervous system update this inherited playbook, creating greater regulation, resilience, and choice in how we meet the present moment.
What Is Developmental Trauma?
Developmental trauma forms from conception through early childhood (birth–age 3), before we have words or conscious memory. These early experiences—including prenatal stress, birth, early caregiving, and generational trauma—are stored in the nervous system rather than the thinking mind, shaping how we feel, relate, and respond throughout life.
Because this trauma is held in the body, healing requires a somatic approach. Through gentle, attuned touch and nervous system–based work, we access these early imprints safely—without needing to relive or retell the past. Together, we bring in the safety and support that were missing, allowing the nervous system to restore regulation, connection, and resilience.
Survival Code
Imagine our nervous system as a piece of software. If we’re coded in the womb with survival strategies from our ancestors, we might be operating on outdated software. Just like an old iPhone struggles with outdated updates, our bodies can overreact to perceived threats that do not actually exist. Somatic Transforming Touch Therapy works to update and reprogram this old survival code, enhancing nervous system regulation and resilience.
What is somatic touch work helpful for?
Anxiety
Depression
Fertility
Overwhelm
Unresolved Trama
Chronic Pain
Difficulty Connecting
PTSD
Stress
Performance Anxiety
Panic Attacks
Grief
Hormonal Imbalances
Support
Learning Difficulties
Testimonials
Working with Shanna has created profound shifts in my being that are honestly difficult to put into words. Her intuitive presence and ability to attune to exactly what’s needed in each moment is extraordinary. Each session brings me back to myself in a deeper way—grounded, centered, whole, and truly connected. It’s not just physical touch; it’s an invitation into presence, healing, and transformation on every level. I leave feeling more in alignment with who I really am, with a sense of spaciousness and peace that ripples into the rest of my life. This work is subtle and powerful, and I’m deeply grateful to her for the impact it has had.
Katrina S.
I have been working with Shanna over a year now both one on one and in the group settings. I found both venue’s therapeutic and valuable for different reasons .The level of relaxation and ease in which Shanna delivers this work is truly remarkable.My nervous system completely transforms, I can literally feel it calming down and start to “regulate“ in real time. This somatic process is like nothing else I have experienced
Terry K.
As someone who was exclusively in regular talk therapy for years, I am happy I discovered somatic therapy with Shanna Spencer. This form of therapy has been an especially transformative experience for me. Through this work, Shanna has helped me bring mindfulness to my body, thus allowing me to regulate my nervous system and confront the traumas that have been stored in my body for essentially all my life. I leave feeling empowered as my mind and body finally feel balanced. Like any other form of therapy, you will only benefit from this work if you are seeking real, tangible change. Meditation takes practice, and it wasn’t until Shanna that I have been able to sit still and feel my own energy in such an intimate way. If you’re tired of living on autopilot and want to reclaim your power, look no further. I highly suggest this form of therapy, specifically with Shanna. You can tell how invested she is in this work, which makes putting your trust in her extremely easy. Thank you, Shanna, for providing such a safe space for your clients.
Ava G.
Since starting somatic therapy 8 weeks ago, with Shanna, I’ve felt noticeably more grounded and at ease. I’m able to release stress almost instantly, leaving me with a deep sense of peace in both mind and body.It’s amazing to feel this inner calm & truly regulated. What’s surprised me most is the physical pain relief it has brought to my chronic knee pain, an unexpected and welcome benefit. This work has brought me back to myself in such a meaningful way.
Connie B
Shanna is an excellent guide for somatic therapy! I recently participated in somatic therapy in a group setting for the first time ever, and I was a little nervous to get started, but Shanna made it a priority to make sure I was well prepared. She provided an introductory session where she answered my questions and explained the concepts very well. Over the course of a few months, the sessions began to help me regulate my nervous system a lot. I noticed after just the first few sessions how eager I was to get back to it! I have tried many different forms of therapy to try to manage anxiety, but somatic has helped me in a way that I think will last. And Shanna was so wonderful! I really felt like she paid attention to how I was progressing, and asked questions to ensure I was comfortable. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone seeking somatic therapy, even if you are a beginner. Thank you Shanna!!!
Isabel G
The somatic work I’ve done with Shanna has had an enormous impact on my emotional regulation. Situations that would have previously sent me over the edge, I now find myself navigating through somewhat easily. I find the process of showing my body how to regulate through the variety of emotions easily due to Shanna’s somatic sessions!
Buffy B.
My somatic work with Shanna has been an integral part of my healing journey. Shanna’s willingness to go at a pace that is comfortable and honoring of where I am at makes her a very special practitioner. She makes me feel grounded, safe, and heard. In turn, through these somatic sessions, I receive and embody more of this regulation and groundedness within my body. After a year and a half of receiving somatic sessions, I can truly say consistency and patience is key in this healing modality. Somatic works its own subtle magic … all you have to do is sit back and receive in order to realize you truly are healing from inside the body and out.
~S.S.
Being at college was very overwhelming. I had massive amounts of anxiety and I was forgetting everything I just learned or tried studying. I started working with Shanna and after each session felt more relaxed and capable of handling life. The work is subtle and has truly changed my life, not just with my classes, but also in my relationships and now I have hope for my future.
~A.S.
I have suffered from anxiety since I was in middle school and have done different types of therapy in the past to help me develop tools and coping skills. Working with Shanna made me realize that some of the ways I was coping with my anxiety or actually harming my long-term health Through Transforming Touch I feel much more calm and less anxious.
~S.A.