Why “Getting Rid of Symptoms” Isn’t Healing — and How Somatic Work Gets to the Root

I often see women on their healing journey who want one thing above all else:
to get rid of the anxiety, depression, dysregulation, grief, sadness, or exhaustion they’re living with.

And I get it. When something hurts, of course we want it to stop.

But so often, the way we’re taught to approach healing—especially in the clinical model—doesn’t actually help us understand why these symptoms are happening in the first place.

People are given a label.
A diagnosis.
A prescription.

Sometimes without ever being invited into a deeper conversation about meaning, history, or the body.

The goal becomes symptom reduction.
Make it go away.

And while that can bring temporary relief, it rarely prevents the symptoms from returning—sometimes louder, sometimes in a new form.

What I Struggled With in Clinical Psychology

When I was studying abnormal psychology, I struggled deeply.

Not because the material wasn’t interesting—but because it felt incomplete.

So many diagnoses seemed to me like expressions of trauma, early attachment wounds, or chronic stress. And yet, instead of working directly with those roots, we were often taught to work with the symptoms.

In that approach, something essential gets missed:

The symptoms themselves carry wisdom.

And I believe this is what so many women are sensing on their healing journeys.

They’re anxious, overwhelmed, depressed, exhausted—
and they’ve tried everything.

Therapy.
Medication.
Meditation.
Self-help.

And still… something isn’t shifting.

That’s often when women come to work with me—when they’ve tried almost everything except the very approaches that help them get to the root.

Your Body Is Not Malfunctioning — It’s Protecting You

Here’s what I believe deeply:

Your body is intelligent.
Your nervous system is wise.
Everything your body does, it does for a reason.

And that reason is usually protection.

If anxiety arises, it’s not because your system is broken.
If depression shows up, it’s not because you’re failing.
If you feel chronically dysregulated, overwhelmed, or shut down—it’s not random.

Your body adapted to something.

So the real work of healing isn’t about asking,
“How do I make this stop?”

It’s about asking,
“Why did my system need to do this in the first place?”

That’s where root healing begins.

Why the Mind Can’t Heal What Lives in the Body

So many of us try to heal by staying in the mind.

We analyze.
We ruminate.
We label.
We judge.
We tell ourselves stories about what should be happening.

And the mind is brilliant—it’s a powerful supercomputer designed to keep us safe and comfortable.

But the mind can also:

• Create stories that aren’t true

• Reinforce fear-based narratives

• Loop endlessly without resolution

So if the mind can make things up in service of safety…
why would we rely on it alone to uncover the deepest truth?

The body is a more reliable truth-teller.

It’s connected to a deeper intelligence—one that predates language, logic, and story.

Trauma, attachment wounds, and even genetic vulnerabilities don’t live only in thought.
They live in the nervous system, the tissues, the breath, the gut, the womb, the soma.

That’s why I believe so strongly that these challenges cannot be solved by the mind alone.

Healing Happens in the Body

The body holds the seeds of what you’re trying to heal.

Whether you call it trauma, attachment, conditioning, or survival strategy—it all lives somatically.

This is the foundation of the work I do with my clients.

I don’t believe we need to force healing or “fix” ourselves.
I believe the body already knows how to heal.

The same intelligence that created these patterns for survival
is often the very intelligence that can help transform them.

Getting to the root is not about doing more—it’s about reconnecting with the healing intelligence already within you.

Why Somatic and Altered-State Work Can Help

A big part of root healing is learning how to move out of the thinking mind and into direct experience.

The mind creates defenses to keep us safe—but those same defenses can block access to deeper layers of the psyche.

This is why somatic practices can be so powerful.

And it’s also why altered states of consciousness—such as breathwork or plant medicine (when approached safely, ethically, and intentionally)—can help soften these barriers.

They don’t force healing.
They allow access.

They help us feel what couldn’t be felt before.
They allow memories, sensations, and emotions to surface without needing to be analyzed or explained away.

I’m not saying these are the only paths to healing.
But for many people, they make it easier to access what’s already there.

There Are No “Bad Parts”

Through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS), there are no bad parts.

Every part of you has good intentions.

Anxiety is trying to protect.
Depression is trying to conserve.
Shutdown is trying to keep you safe.

When we can understand why these parts exist, something softens.

And with understanding often comes compassion.

Compassion doesn’t mean staying stuck.
It means creating the safety needed for change.

A Gentle Invitation to Get Curious

As we move through the waning moon—and into this inward, reflective season—it’s a powerful time to get curious about the experiences that shaped you.

Not to judge them.
Not to fix them.
But to listen.

If you feel called to explore this more deeply, I’ve created a free trauma recovery mini course to gently support you in beginning this work.

It’s an invitation to:

• Learn how trauma lives in the body

• Understand your nervous system responses

• Begin reconnecting with your own inner wisdom

You’ll find the link below when you’re ready.

Whatever you’re experiencing inside of you is happening for a reason.

And when you begin to listen—not with force, but with curiosity—
the path forward starts to reveal itself.

Ready to Begin Getting to the Root?

If this resonated, I want you to know something important:
you’re not broken — and you don’t need fixing.

What you’re experiencing is happening for a reason. And when we slow down enough to listen to the body, the nervous system often reveals exactly what it’s been trying to protect.

If you feel ready to explore this more deeply, I’ve created a free Trauma Recovery Mini Course to gently support you in beginning this work.

Inside the course, you’ll learn:

• Why symptoms like anxiety, shutdown, or overwhelm are protective — not pathological

• How to begin working with your nervous system instead of fighting it

• Simple, somatic practices to help you feel safer, more grounded, and more connected

This is not about reliving the past or pushing yourself to “heal faster.”
It’s about building safety, curiosity, and compassion—so your system can begin to unwind in its own time.

✨ If you’re ready to begin, you can access the free course here.