Somatic Therapy and Nervous System Regulation in Fort Wayne
A racing heart before class. A tight chest that won’t let go. Going numb when someone raises their voice. Sometimes the body reacts long before the mind catches up, and talking alone doesn’t seem to reach it.
Unwilted Counseling offers somatic-informed therapy with Destina Rekeweg, LMHC, for teens and young adults ages 13 to 25. Somatic therapy brings the body into the conversation, helping you notice stress signals early and build a nervous system that feels steadier day to day. Sessions are available in Fort Wayne and online across Indiana and eligible parts of Ohio.
Book a free 15-minute consultation | Call or text (260) 255-6432
Understanding Your Window of Tolerance
Psychiatrist Dan Siegel coined the term “window of tolerance” to describe the zone where you can feel emotions without feeling overwhelmed. Somatic therapy helps you recognize where you are and widen that window over time.
Zone | What It Feels Like | What Helps |
|---|---|---|
Below the window (hypoarousal) | Numb, foggy, flat, disconnected | Gently waking up: orienting to the room, light movement, sitting up straight |
Inside the window | Present, able to think and feel at the same time | Building on it: noticing what “okay” feels like in your body |
Above the window (hyperarousal) | Panic, racing thoughts, anger, restlessness | Slowing down: longer exhales, feeling your feet, steady movement |
Most people bounce between zones during a hard week. The goal isn’t to stay in the middle all the time. Instead, it’s to notice sooner and find your way back faster.
When Your Body Stays on High Alert
After stress or trauma, the nervous system can get stuck in protection mode. It keeps scanning for danger even when you’re safe. You might notice:
-
Jumpiness, a pounding heart, or shallow breathing for no clear reason
-
Shutting down, zoning out, or feeling far away from your body
-
Trouble sleeping, stomachaches, or headaches tied to stress
-
Big reactions to small triggers, like a certain tone of voice
-
Feeling exhausted even when you haven’t done much
None of this means you’re broken. Instead, it means your body learned to protect you, and it hasn’t yet learned that the danger has passed. Our post on the science of chronic stress and anxiety explains what long-term stress does to the body.
What Somatic Therapy Looks Like at Unwilted
Somatic therapy doesn’t replace talking. Instead, it adds a new layer. While you talk about what’s hard, Destina may pause and ask what you notice in your body: maybe your jaw tightening or your shoulders rising. Over time, paying attention to those signals, slowly and safely, helps your nervous system learn new patterns.
Skills you might practice include:
-
Orienting: letting your eyes slowly take in the room to remind your body you’re safe right now
-
Grounding: noticing the chair under you or your feet on the floor
-
Breath pacing: making your exhale a little longer than your inhale
-
Resourcing: recalling a person, place, or memory that helps you feel steady
-
Pendulation: shifting attention between a hard sensation and a calmer one, so neither takes over
You’re always in control. Nothing involves touch, and you can skip any exercise that doesn’t feel right.
A One-Minute Reset You Can Try Now
This short orienting practice is one example of what somatic work feels like:
-
Pause and let your eyes slowly move around the room.
-
Notice three things you can see that are neutral or pleasant.
-
Feel where your body touches the chair, bed, or floor.
-
Breathe in normally, then let the exhale be a little longer.
-
Notice whether anything shifted, even slightly.
If nothing changes, that’s okay. Like any skill, it gets stronger with practice.
How Somatic Work Fits Unwilted’s Approach
Body-based work is one part of Unwilted’s trauma-informed and integrative approach. Destina often combines it with EMDR, IFS-informed work, emotion-focused therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. For example, grounding skills can help someone stay steady enough to process a painful memory in trauma therapy.
Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing and Stephen Porges’s polyvagal theory helped popularize many of these ideas. However, researchers still debate parts of polyvagal theory, so Destina uses these concepts as helpful maps rather than hard rules.
What the Research Says
Research on body-based therapies is still developing. In 2017, Danny Brom and colleagues published the first randomized controlled trial of Somatic Experiencing in the Journal of Traumatic Stress. They studied 63 adults with PTSD. After 15 weekly sessions, the Somatic Experiencing group showed significant improvement in PTSD and depression symptoms compared with a waitlist group.
That trial involved adults and a specific trained method. So at Unwilted, somatic techniques support other established approaches rather than replacing them.
Concerns Somatic Therapy Can Help With
-
Trauma and Triggers: When certain sounds, places, or tones of voice set off your body’s alarm, somatic skills help you calm the response. Our post on how trauma triggers show up in daily life explains why it happens.
-
Anxiety and Panic: A pounding heart and tight chest often come before anxious thoughts. Learning to settle the body can make panic less frightening. See anxiety and depression therapy.
-
Overwhelming Emotions: For teens whose feelings spike fast, body-based skills offer a quick way back to calm. Learn about emotion regulation counseling.
-
Self-Harm Urges: Grounding and pacing skills can help you get through intense moments safely, alongside a full safety plan. Read about self-harm and emotional regulation therapy.
-
Burnout and Chronic Stress: High achievers who never fully rest often live above their window of tolerance. Somatic work helps the body learn to downshift.
Who You’ll Work With
Destina Rekeweg, LMHC, is the founder and only therapist at Unwilted Counseling, which she opened in 2024. She works exclusively with ages 13 to 25 and has supported young people since 2019 in community mental health and social service settings.
Her credentials include a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, EMDR training, an IFS-informed approach, and ASIST suicide intervention training. She’s licensed in Indiana (license #39005463A) and is a member of the National Board for Certified Counselors. She doesn’t prescribe medication but can coordinate with a prescriber.
For Parents of Teens
You may see your teen’s stress before they can name it: stomachaches before school, snapping over small things, or shutting down at dinner. Somatic therapy gives teens a way to understand those body signals without needing perfect words.
For clients ages 13 to 17, parents meet briefly with Destina at intake and receive general progress updates. What your teen shares stays private, except when safety is a concern. With your teen’s agreement, Destina may invite you to a session to learn calming skills you can use together. Read more about counseling for teens and young adults.
Before You Book
-
Location: 3514 Stellhorn Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46815, with free parking and accessible facilities. Clients come from Fort Wayne, Allen County, New Haven, Huntertown, and Leo-Cedarville.
-
Online option: Virtual therapy uses encrypted video in your browser, with no download and no recording. You must be in Indiana or an eligible part of Ohio, through the Counseling Compact.
-
Flexible format: Switch between online and in-person sessions as needed.
-
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
-
Fees: $160 for the 50-minute intake; $135 per 50-minute session; intensives at $202.50 (75 minutes), $270 (100 minutes), and $405 (150 minutes).
-
Payment: Card, HSA or FSA card, cash, check, or the client portal.
-
Insurance: Private pay only, with superbills available for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
-
Good Faith Estimate: Available on request under the No Surprises Act.
-
Cancellations: 48 hours’ notice; late fee waived if you reschedule the same week.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Somatic Therapy
No. Somatic therapy at Unwilted is entirely hands-off. Instead, the work focuses on noticing sensations, breathing, posture, and gentle movement that you do yourself. You stay in control the whole time, and you can pause or skip any exercise that doesn’t feel comfortable.
No. Somatic therapy often works by building safety and calm in the body first, without retelling every detail. When painful memories do come up, you move at a pace your nervous system can handle. Grounding skills help you stay steady throughout the process.
Research is growing. A 2017 randomized controlled trial found Somatic Experiencing reduced PTSD symptoms in adults compared with a waitlist. However, studies are still limited, especially with teens. That’s why Destina combines somatic techniques with other well-established approaches instead of using them alone.
Yes. Most somatic skills, like grounding, breath pacing, and orienting, work well over secure video. In fact, some people find it easier to practice in their own space. Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Indiana and in eligible parts of Ohio.
It can be. Many teens struggle to put feelings into words but can notice a tight stomach or a racing heart. Somatic therapy starts there. Because the skills are simple and practical, teens can use them at school, at home, or before a big event.
Good Faith Estimate: Clients paying privately have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining expected costs of care. You may request this prior to scheduling.
Help Your Body Feel Safe Again!
Your nervous system learned to protect you. With the right support, it can also learn to rest. Book a free 15-minute consultation with Destina to see if somatic therapy fits. Contact Unwilted Counseling, or call or text (260) 255-6432.
