Most people don’t arrive in therapy because life is going smoothly. Oftentimes we arrive because obviously or subtly, something feels off. We feel stuck, overwhelmed, scattered, or like we’re made up of competing parts that just won’t fall into step. In my work as a somatic therapist, I often help clients explore a missing link in their healing journey: coherence.
What Is Coherence?
Coherence is a state of internal alignment. It’s not about being calm all the time, or having everything figured out. Quite the opposite. Instead, it’s about having your thoughts, emotions, & body sensations in relationship with each other rather than in conflict or disconnection or in a process of actively suppressing or numbing from them.
You can think of coherence as an inner conversation. Your mind is listening to your body. Your emotions are allowed to have a voice. Your body isn’t overriding everything, nor is it being ignored. Even if there are different parts of you with different needs or stories, they’re acknowledged. They're not exiled, muted, or dismissed. They’re guided into coherence.
In this state, your system doesn’t have to fight itself. We can honor the wisdom that’s there. There’s more space, more flow, & often, more choice & creativity.
Coherence is when your thoughts, feelings, & body sensations are in conversation, not competition.
What It Feels Like to Be in a Coherent State
A coherent state might feel like:
Being present without needing to escape/avoid
Sensing an emotion & allowing it without being overtaken by it (restoring nervous system capacity)
Noticing a body sensation & being curious about it, like hmmmmmmm
Feeling like different parts of you are in the room together, what I call, “showing face”.
Knowing what you feel, & trusting it—even if it's super uncomfortable
This doesn’t mean you’re happy or peaceful all the time. Non of that toxic positivity. It just means you’re with yourself in a more integrated way.
What Disrupts Coherence?
Many things can interfere with our natural ability to be coherent:
Trauma & chronic stress
The current external state of the world & oppressive class systems
Early attachment wounds or unmet emotional needs
Growing up in environments where emotions were unsafe or unwelcome
Learning to disconnect from intuition or bodily signals as an adaptation for safety & connection
Internalized shame or survival adaptations that push parts of us away
When coherence is disrupted, we often feel like we’re fragmented & torn apart. It’s like one part of us is driving the car while another part is frozen in the backseat, or like we’re having an emotion but aren’t sure if we’re allowed to feel it.
Reclaiming Coherence Through the Body
The body is often where coherence is lost so it’s also where it can be recovered.
Somatic practices like TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises), parts work, memory reconsolidating, & therapeutic touch help us reconnect with the body as a wise, living system that holds our story instead of a place we have to leave. In that way, I believe that we are living libraries.
In my work, I guide clients to gently meet their inner parts & embodied patterns with curiosity. It leads to the deeper truths. We listen to what has been pushed aside. We allow protective responses to be heard & soften at their pace. We give the body a chance to complete what was once interrupted.
For some, this also includes integrating expanded states of consciousness we’ve experienced through life transitions, intense emotional breakthroughs, or psychedelic experiences*. In these moments, coherence practices help anchor insights in the body, making healing feel more truthful & alive than intellectualized from the neck up.
*I offer non-judgmental support for clients integrating psychedelic experiences for growth & healing. I do not provide or facilitate the use of illegal substances.
A Living Process
Coherence isn’t a final destination. It’s a state we return home to, again & again & again. Like tuning an instrument or tending a fire, it’s a practice of connection. A practice of relationship with ourselves, our histories, & our bodies.
Wherever you are in your healing journey, coherence is possible. And it often begins simply with listening to what’s already within you right now.
Curious about what coherence might feel like in your system? The work deeply connects, nourishes, & is specific to you. Schedule a free consultation so we can connect & explore together.