Somatic Experiencing® · Group Therapy · NYC
A grounded return to the body.
Somatic Experiencing® is a body-oriented psychotherapy that works with the nervous system rather than against it — gently releasing the energy of unresolved stress and trauma that the body has held, often without our conscious awareness.
Our group sessions are not workshops, classes, or fitness experiences. They are a clinical, therapist-led container for slow, careful, embodied healing — alongside others doing the same work.
Held by a licensed psychotherapist with both clinical depth and embodied training, our group container welcomes anyone navigating trauma, anxiety, or the long aftermath of chronic stress.
YOUR Simple Path FORWARD
Book a Consultation
Begin with a free 15-minute consultation. We'll explore your history, goals, and whether group sessions are the right fit for where you are right now. There is no pressure — only a genuine conversation.
Verify & Onboard
Our team will verify your insurance benefits and walk you through the onboarding process. Group therapy is often covered by major insurance plans, making this an accessible path to healing. We handle the details so you can focus on arriving. We orient you to the rhythm of group — what to expect, what to bring.
Weekly Sessions
Sessions meet weekly in a small group. Each session is 60 minutes, therapist-led, and structured around SE™ principles. Rebook as often as you’d like.
FEATURED - SATURDAY SESSIONS
Somatic Experiencing®-Informed:
Foundational Skills
A gentle, all-levels practice led by a licensed psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner. Using guided awareness, slow movement, and breath, you will track your nervous system - deepening connection to your body and expanding capacity to hold physical sensation and emotion.
This group works well to support integration from individual therapy or is amazing for nervous system regulation all on its own. No prior experience is required.
Format
In-Person Group · NYC
Schedule
Saturdays · 12:00 PM –1:00 PM
Duration
60 min/session
Group Size
1–10 Participants
Led By
Madeline Manning, LCSW, SEP
Insurance
Accepted ✓
Next Cohort
Enrolling Now
MEET THE INSTRUCTOR
Madeline Manning, LCSW, SEP
Licensed Psychotherapist · Somatic Experiencing Practitioner® · RYT 1000
Madeline brings a rare depth of clinical training and embodied practice to her work. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner®, and 1000-hour certified instructor through Naropa University's contemplative tradition, she holds the intersection of rigorous therapy and ancient wisdom with precision and warmth.
Her group sessions are not simply educational — they are carefully designed therapeutic containers where genuine healing can unfold within the safety of community. Madeline's approach is direct, credible, and profoundly human.
Madeline's Rituals:
Morning coffee and green juice, daily dog walks, yoga practice, mindful eating
WHY IT WORKS
Benefits of Somatic Experiencing®
Unlike talk therapy alone, SE™ invites you to slow down and tune into body sensations, impulses, and internal states. Over time, this builds a deeper capacity for self-regulation, resilience, and connection. Our group sessions bring this work into a carefully held collective container — offering the profound power of shared healing alongside evidence-based somatic practice.
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Learn how to notice when your body is in stress, overwhelm, freeze, or shutdown and gently return to a calmer, more grounded state. These Somatic Experiencing® group therapy sessions in NYC help you build real-time regulation skills you can use in daily life.
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Process unresolved trauma in a safe, supported way. Somatic Experiencing® focuses on releasing stored survival energy in the body without forcing you to relive or re-experience traumatic events.
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Move out of overthinking and into your body. These NYC somatic therapy groups help you feel more present, connected, and aware of physical sensations, emotions, and intuition.
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Learn to understand anxiety as a message from your nervous system, not something that takes over. Build tools to stay grounded and regulated even during stressful moments.
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The group context itself is healing.
Heal in connection with others. These NYC group sessions support co-regulation, healthy attachment patterns, and rebuilding trust in safe relationships.
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As your nervous system becomes more regulated, your body naturally shifts into deeper rest. Many participants experience improved sleep quality, easier falling asleep, and fewer nighttime disturbances.
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Build lasting emotional and physiological resilience. Learn how to recover from stress more quickly and stay grounded through life’s ongoing challenges.
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Develop the ability to distinguish between past survival responses and present-moment experience, allowing emotions to be felt more clearly, processed more accurately, and responded to with greater choice rather than reactivity.
CLARIFYING THE DIFFERENCE
How This Differs From a Fitness or Yoga Class
These sessions may look similar to a movement class from the outside. They are categorically different. Understanding that difference matters — for your healing and your safety.
Clinical Framework, Not a Fitness Format
These sessions are structured around SE™ clinical principles developed by Dr. Peter Levine and refined across decades of trauma research. Each session has a therapeutic arc — not a fitness progression. The facilitator is a licensed psychotherapist, not a movement instructor.
Nervous System Regulation is the Primary Goal
In a fitness class, the goal is physical output, endurance, strength, flexibility. In Somatic Experiencing® group sessions, the goal is nervous system state. We are working with the autonomic nervous system: its patterns, its triggers, and its capacity for regulation and resilience.
Trauma-Informed Facilitation Throughout
Every instruction, every invitation, every pause is delivered through a trauma-informed lens. We never cue "push through discomfort." We never shame the body for what it can or cannot do. Consent, titration, and individual pace are woven into every moment of the session.
Performance Is Never the Point
There is no "correct" way to do these sessions. There is no posture to perfect, no level to reach, no comparison to others. The inquiry is always inward: what do I notice? What arises? What does my body need right now? This is the antithesis of performance culture.
The Group Container Is Itself Therapeutic
The presence of others — carefully chosen, consistently present — is part of the medicine. Co-regulation, mirroring, and the felt sense of being witnessed are therapeutic mechanisms. Group sessions leverage the relational nervous system in ways individual therapy and classes simply cannot.
Integration Is Built Into the Structure
Sessions include deliberate pauses, tracking, and processing time. We do not move from one thing to the next without giving the nervous system time to integrate. This is fundamentally different from a vinyasa class where movement is continuous and the pace is externally set.
Insurance Coverage Reflects Clinical Status
Because these are licensed, clinical group therapy sessions, not fitness classes they can be covered by health insurance. This is a meaningful distinction: these sessions are recognized as medical treatment, not lifestyle enhancement. Fitness and yoga classes, by contrast, are not reimbursable.
INSURANCE & FEES
Yes! We Accept Insurance!
Group therapy sessions led by a licensed therapist are frequently covered by insurance at in-network rates. Many of our clients find that their out-of-pocket costs are significantly lower than expected.
We work with major insurance plans including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Oxford, and more. Our team will verify your benefits before your first session — no surprises.