Essential Somatics

Essential Somatics Essential Somatics is a revolutionary approach to eliminating muscle pain. It's safe, easy, and common sense. Learn to move without pain!

It goes to the root of most chronic muscular pain: the brain and its control of muscles and movement. Since 2010, Essential Somatics® has grown from a small solo practice to a team of highly skilled and devoted Clinical Somatic Educators who teach multi-day introductory courses, clinical certification trainings, and embodied movement for corporate leadership. The trainings we provide are offered i

n the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe. The teachings of Somatic Education have helped thousands of people worldwide to return to a more vibrant life of movement, self-agency, and awareness.

You’ve tried approaches that helped temporarily, then stopped working. You’ve done exercises that never stuck. You’ve wo...
06/10/2026

You’ve tried approaches that helped temporarily, then stopped working. You’ve done exercises that never stuck. You’ve wondered if this is just how your body is now.

Here’s what changes at a retreat:

“I’ve tried everything and nothing lasts” - Those approaches treat the symptom without addressing the source. Our retreats teach you to address the nervous system pattern.

“I don’t have time for a long program” - A week of concentrated practice does what months of sporadic practice can’t. Your nervous system needs focused time to actually rewire.

“I don’t understand why I’m in pain” - You’ll learn about Sensory Motor Amnesia, stress reflexes, how your nervous system creates tension.

“I’m skeptical this will work” - Clinical Somatic Education isn’t a quick fix or miracle cure. Skeptics often become the most convinced because they see the results themselves.

“I’m worried about going alone” - Most people come alone. Community forms quickly when everyone’s there for the same reason.

The retreats work because they address what’s actually happening, not just what you feel.

06/08/2026

Imagine walking into your doctor’s office with chronic back pain you’ve carried for years. Instead of just prescribing medication or referring you for surgery, your GP writes you a prescription for Clinical Somatic Education sessions.

Six weeks later, the pain that defined your daily life has reduced significantly. You’ve learned how to release the muscular patterns your body built up over decades. You’re moving differently. Sleeping better. The tension you thought was just part of getting older turns out to have been something you could address all along.

This isn’t a far-fetched idea. In countries where somatic education is integrated into healthcare systems, people are finding relief from chronic pain, reducing their reliance on medication, and regaining movement they thought they’d lost permanently.

Clinical Somatic Education works with your nervous system to release chronic muscular tension at its source. It’s not a quick fix. It’s a process of retraining your body to let go of patterns it’s been holding onto, sometimes for years.

The question isn’t whether it works. Research is increasingly showing that it does. The question is when healthcare systems will start recognising it as a legitimate treatment option rather than something people have to seek out and pay for privately.

What could change if somatic education was as accessible as physiotherapy?

For thousands of people living with chronic pain, that shift could mean the difference between managing symptoms and actually resolving them.

06/04/2026

Most of us move on autopilot. Walking without thinking about walking, reaching without noticing how we reach.

Our bodies keep score.

They remember every time we braced, collapsed, and tightened. We don’t even know what we’re doing anymore.

Mindful movement is different. It’s paying attention to what your body is actually doing right now.

What does your shoulder blade feel like when you lift your arm? Which muscles engage when you turn your head? Where exactly does your heel touch the ground when you walk?

It seems simple until you try it.

Most of us have lost the ability to feel what we’re actually doing because we’ve been moving unconsciously for so long. That’s how habits are formed – through repetition.

When you slow down enough to actually sense your body, something shifts. You can change an unhelpful habits into more efficiency and ease.

Clinical Somatic Education is built on this principle.

When you remember how to move with awareness, everything changes, because you’re finally present in your own body again.

06/02/2026

Where did the idea for Essential Somatics come from? Here’s more about how we started this company and what inspires us to continue spreading the work of Thomas Hanna worldwide.

If you could ask us one question about Clinical Somatic Education, what would it be?We get questions constantly. Some we...
05/27/2026

If you could ask us one question about Clinical Somatic Education, what would it be?

We get questions constantly. Some we’ve answered a hundred times. Some make us think differently about how we explain this work.

What are you curious about? What’s confusing? What sounds too good to be true? What’s stopping you from trying it?

Drop your question in the comments. We’ll answer as many as we can. The ones that come up most often might become their own posts.

What do you want to know?

You’ve been thinking about this for months. Scrolling past retreat photos. Reading testimonials. Wondering if this is th...
05/25/2026

You’ve been thinking about this for months. Scrolling past retreat photos. Reading testimonials. Wondering if this is the year you finally prioritize yourself.

But then the questions start. Which location? What if you pick wrong?

Here’s the truth: there’s no wrong choice. Each retreat offers the same depth of Clinical Somatic Education teaching with Martha Peterson. The differences are setting and timing.

Trust what calls to you. Your body already knows what it needs.

CANADA: Hollyhock, Cortes Island, BC - August 26-31, 2026

Six days with Martha Peterson. Our longest-running retreat location. Island setting off the BC coast with full resort amenities.

Best for: people based in North America, those who want an established retreat center close to home.

$900 CAD plus lodging. Save 10% on accommodation when you book before May 27.

PORTUGAL: Vale de Moses, October 19-24, 2026

Six days in the mountains of central Portugal with Martha Peterson. Mountain retreat at 500 meters elevation. Forested hillsides. River swimming. The kind of quiet your nervous system rarely gets.

Best for: people drawn to mountains and nature, anyone seeking quiet alongside the physical work.

All-inclusive: $1,350-$1,900 USD depending on accommodation.

MEXICO: Mar de Jade, January 16-23, 2027

Eight days on Mexico’s Pacific coast with Martha Peterson. Beachfront setting. Warmth that lets chronically tight muscles actually soften.

Best for: escaping winter, people who want extended time, those drawn to ocean and beach settings.

$850 USD plus lodging booked separately.

HOW TO CHOOSE

The year will pass either way. You’ll either look back in December having finally understood your chronic tension, or you’ll still be wondering when the right time will come.

Island summer. Mountain autumn. Beach winter. Choose the setting where your nervous system will feel most supported.

Most people come alone. Community forms quickly.

Links in bio.

05/21/2026

What your morning stiffness is actually telling you

You wake up stiff. Your back hurts. Your neck is tight. It takes ten minutes of moving around before you feel even remotely normal.

You blame your mattress, or your pillow, or the way you slept.

But here’s what’s actually happening: your nervous system doesn’t stop holding tension just because you’re asleep.

There are patterns your brain learned during your waking hours that don’t turn off at night. Your brain holds the same tension patterns during sleep that it holds during the day.

So you sleep in those patterns. Your muscles stay contracted, your shoulders stay up by your ears, your back stays braced.

And you wake up feeling like you’ve been clenched in the same position for eight hours.

Because you have been.

Morning stiffness isn’t about your mattress or your sleeping position. It’s your nervous system showing you what it’s been holding all along. You just didn’t notice during the day because you were moving, distracted, busy pushing through.

The good news is this: when you address those patterns through Clinical Somatic Education and Somatic Movement, when you teach your nervous system to actually let go, you don’t just move better during the day.

You sleep better at night, and wake up feeling like your body actually rested.

Colm and Martha just finished an exciting weekend teaching in Ljubljana, Slovenia.Participants came from varied backgrou...
05/12/2026

Colm and Martha just finished an exciting weekend teaching in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Participants came from varied backgrounds including professional sports and massage therapy.

The group spent two days learning Clinical Somatic Education, understanding the three stress reflex patterns, and discovering how to address chronic tension at the nervous system level.

This is what happens at PRTM workshops. People arrive carrying tension they’ve held for years, often skeptical that anything will actually help. They leave with understanding of why their body holds what it holds and practical skills they can use immediately.

The hands-on feedback makes the difference. When you can feel what you couldn’t feel before, when someone helps you sense the exact moment a muscle releases, that’s when the work clicks in a way videos and descriptions can’t replicate.

Address

Manitou Springs, CO
80829

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Essential Somatics posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Essential Somatics:

Shortcuts

Share