Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions. Need more detail?
Check out What is Somatics? or email me.
📍 Getting Started
Start with my free 7-day email course. It teaches you the basics through short daily emails and simple movements. After that, you can explore the Library, try a free class, or book a 1-1 session if you want personalized guidance.
- Free 7-day course: Introduction to Somatics, basic movements, no cost
- Library: 62 structured classes for systematic practice, €20/month
- 1-1 Sessions: Personalized instruction tailored to your specific needs
New? Start with the free course. Ready to practice regularly? Subscribe to the Library. Have specific chronic pain? Book a 1-1 session.
When a muscle stays contracted for a long time — days, months, even years — it restricts your movements, compresses the joints and structures around it, reduces blood flow, pulls your skeleton out of alignment, and becomes fatigued.
Your brain is controlling this tension subconsciously. It’s not a structural problem. It’s a learned pattern — which means it can be unlearned.
Somatics addresses the source directly: your brain and nervous system.
Yes, if your pain is caused by chronic muscle tension — which most chronic pain is.
Somatics teaches you to reset that tension at the neurological level, retraining the brain patterns keeping your muscles in a state of chronic contraction.
Common issues Somatics helps: Back pain, neck/shoulder tension, hip pain, sciatica, headaches, stress-related pain, stiffness, restricted movement.
What it doesn’t help: Structural damage (fractures, torn ligaments, muscle tears). If you have structural issues, see a doctor first. Once you’re structural issue has been resolved you can try Somatics.
💻 About 1-1 Sessions
Online (Zoom): We’ll discuss your pain/goals, I’ll assess your movement patterns, then teach you specific movements for your needs. You’ll practice with my guidance and get immediate feedback. Sessions last 60-75 minutes.
In-Person (Dublin): I use hands-on techniques to help you sense and release tight muscles more effectively. Then teach you specific movements for your needs. Sessions last 75-90 minutes
Most common pain issues: 3-5 sessions (spaced about a week apart) for online, 2-4 sessions for in-person.
Complex or long-standing issues: May need more.
You’ll see improvement after the first session. Each session builds on the previous one.
In-person is more effective (I can use hands-on guidance), but online works very well for most people and is more convenient.
Choose online if:
- You’re outside Dublin
- You prefer flexibility
- You’re comfortable with video calls
Choose in-person if:
- You live in/near Dublin
- You have severe or complex pain
- You want hands-on assistance
- Zoom (free app)
- Webcam (phone/tablet/computer camera)
- Quiet space with room to lie down
- Yoga mat or comfortable surface
- Wear comfortable clothing (see below)
Comfortable, stretchy clothing (leggings/joggers + t-shirt). Nothing restrictive. You’ll be lying down and moving gently.
Community Well, Lambay House, Ballisk Court, Donabate, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
I will record the session for you and email it to you afterwards with follow-up notes from each session.
📚 About the Library
€20/month or €190/year (save €30). Cancel anytime, no questions asked.
Unlimited access to all classes (11 video + 60 audio + 3 shorter practices). New classes added every 2 weeks.
Not currently. You’ll need an internet connection to stream classes.
For your first 2-3 blocks (about 18 classes): Yes, order is recommended. Each class builds on the previous one.
After that: You’ll have enough understanding to drop into any class that calls to you.
Most classes are 45-60 minutes. Perfect for a deep practice when you have time.
There are also some short practices exclusive to the Library too (5-15 minutes).
You’ll need to cancel and resubscribe when ready. But with monthly billing at €20, there’s no pressure to stay if life gets in the way.
You can try Class #11: Neck & Shoulders for free. Experience the depth and quality before subscribing.
🧘 Practicing Somatics
For chronic pain or tension: Daily practice (10–20 minutes) yields the best results.
For maintenance: 2–3 times per week keeps you comfortable and mobile.
Once your pain has resolved and you’ve learned to pandiculate effectively, you can practise less frequently and still maintain results. Your brain retains what it’s learned — you’re just reinforcing the pattern.
Many people feel noticeable relief after a single session or class. For lasting change, consistent practice over 2–4 weeks typically produces significant improvement.
The more regularly you practise, the faster your nervous system recalibrates.
That’s completely normal. Do what you can comfortably. Somatics is about awareness and control, not flexibility or range of motion.
If a movement causes pain (not just effort), skip it and try something else. Or simply imagine yourself doing the movement. You can always revisit it later.
Yes, but move slowly and gently. Start with the simplest movements and stop if anything increases your pain.
Pandiculation — the core Somatics technique — can provide immediate relief even in acute pain. But always listen to your body and work within a comfortable range.
No. Just:
- Quiet space with room to lie down
- Yoga mat, rug, or comfortable surface
- Comfortable clothing
That’s it.
Morning: Great for releasing overnight stiffness, setting yourself up for the day.
Evening: Excellent for unwinding, releasing accumulated tension, improving sleep.
Honestly: Whenever you’ll actually do it consistently. That’s the best time.
Pandiculation is the core technique in Somatics — and the reason it works.
It has three steps: deliberately contract a tight muscle, then slowly and consciously release it, then rest completely. This sequence sends a direct reset signal to your brain, reducing the chronic tension keeping that muscle contracted.
You’ve actually done this naturally — it’s what happens when you stretch and yawn at the same time. Somatics turns that instinct into a precise, teachable skill.
Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA) is a term coined by philosopher and educator Thomas Hanna to describe what happens when your brain loses the ability to fully sense and control a muscle.
It’s caused by stress, injuries, emotional holding patterns, repetitive movements and poor posture habits. Over time, your brain “forgets” how to relax certain muscles — they stay in a state of chronic contraction without you realising it.
SMA is the root cause of most chronic muscle pain and stiffness. Somatics is specifically designed to reverse it.
⚕️ Safety & Suitability
Somatics is gentle and safe for most people. Movements are slow, low-load, and always done within your own comfortable range — there’s no passive stretching, no manipulation, and nothing is done to you. You’re in control throughout.
However: If you have a serious injury, recent surgery, or medical condition, consult your doctor before starting.
Generally yes, but consult your doctor first. Avoid movements that involve lying on your stomach in later stages of pregnancy.
Wait until your doctor clears you for gentle movement. Somatics is excellent for post-surgical recovery once you’re healed enough to move safely.
No need to stop other treatments. However, for the duration of 1-1 sessions, it’s helpful to practice Somatics in isolation so you can assess its effects clearly.
Once you understand how Somatics works for you, feel free to combine approaches.
es. The movements are safe, gentle, and accessible.
One requirement: You need to be able to lie down and get back up (or practice in bed/chair if needed).
Modifications are available for different abilities.
Common conditions Somatics helps:
- Chronic back/neck/shoulder pain
- Sciatica, piriformis syndrome
- Hip pain, SI joint pain
- Tension headaches
- Carpal tunnel, tennis elbow
- Stress/anxiety-related tension
Conditions requiring caution:
- Recent surgery or injury
- Severe osteoporosis
- Acute disc herniation
- Pregnancy
When in doubt: Email me at connect@learnsomatics.ie with your specific situation.
Somatics is an educational practice, not a medical treatment — but there are a couple of things worth knowing before you start.
Medication: Some medications can reduce your ability to sense your body clearly, which matters in Somatics as the practice depends on paying close attention to subtle sensory feedback. If you’re on medication that affects sensation, awareness, or muscle function, mention this before we begin so we can work accordingly.
Other treatments: If you’re currently seeing a physiotherapist, osteopath, or similar practitioner, I recommend pausing those sessions for the duration of our work together. Somatics works very differently to most conventional approaches — continuing both at the same time often creates confusion, and makes it harder to assess what’s actually helping.
If you have a serious medical condition or have recently had surgery, check with your doctor before starting.
💰 Pricing & Policies
Online sessions: €95 each / €270 for 3
In-person sessions: €110 each
1-1 Sessions: Minimum 24 hours notice required for cancellation/rescheduling.
Library: Cancel subscription anytime, no questions asked. No cancellation fees.
Credit/debit card, Link, etc via the Stripe payment platform.
❓ Other Questions
No. Somatics should feel good.
If your muscles are very tight, you might feel mild discomfort initially as you contract and release them. But this subsides quickly.
If any movement causes pain (not just effort), stop and try something gentler.
No. Allow 24 hours for your brain to consolidate the new learning.
A gentle walk however is recommended to help integrate the changes.
It’s also common to feel tired after a session, so clear your schedule if possible.
You may experience some mild pain/discomfort in the following 24/hours. This is normal and will dissipate quickly.
Short answer: Somatics teaches your brain to release chronic muscle tension from the inside out. Stretching, yoga, and massage work from the outside in.
Full explanation: See What is Somatics? – Section: “What Makes Somatics Different”
Those approaches work on your body from the outside in — a practitioner does something to you. Somatics works from the inside out — you learn to change your own muscle patterns through movement and awareness.
Many people come to Somatics after years of PT, chiro, or osteopathy with limited lasting results. That’s often because chronic pain isn’t a structural problem — it’s a neurological one. No amount of external treatment changes the brain patterns keeping your muscles tight.
Somatics gives you the tools to do that yourself.
Your brain controls your muscles via the motor cortex. When muscles are chronically tight, it’s because the brain is holding them in contraction — usually below your conscious awareness.
Pandiculation overrides this pattern. By voluntarily contracting a tight muscle and then slowly releasing it, you engage the sensory-motor feedback loop — essentially restoring your brain’s ability to sense and control that muscle again.
Over time, with regular practice, your brain recalibrates. Muscles that were stuck in contraction learn to rest at their natural resting length. Pain caused by that tension reduces — often significantly and quickly.
This is why Somatics produces results that passive treatments can’t. You’re not treating a symptom. You’re retraining the system causing it.
Got a question that’s not covered here?
Email me: connect@learnsomatics.ie
I’m happy to answer any questions you have about Somatics, my approach, or whether it’s right for you.