Would You Introduce Ketamine Into a Session Without Training? I Don't Think So

Corena Hammer
Apr 8
3 min read

Somatic Work Isn’t Something You “Throw In”

I’ve been spending some time in therapist Facebook groups lately, and I keep seeing the same question come up in different forms:

“What somatic movement should I use with my client?”

Or,

“I want to start adding some somatic work… any suggestions?”

I understand where this is coming from. The field is shifting and clients are asking for more than talk therapy. The body is finally being recognized as part of trauma resolution.

But I want to say something clearly — and I mean this with respect.

Somatic work isn’t something you just “throw in.”

There’s a reason we don’t approach other powerful interventions that way.

I would hope no therapist would casually introduce ketamine into a session without proper training. But body-based interventions can shift the nervous system just as powerfully—often without being recognized that way.

And because it looks simple — a breath, a posture, a small movement — it’s easy to underestimate what’s actually happening underneath it.

The Part That Gets Missed

A movement is never just a movement. When you ask a client to bring awareness to their body, change their breath, or shift their posture, you are interacting directly with their nervous system.

You’re influencing:

arousal levels
emotional processing
memory activation
sense of safety or threat

Sometimes in very subtle ways. Sometimes not subtle at all, and without a framework, it can become guesswork.

You might get a positive response, yet you might also open something that moves faster than expected. And believe me, I've heard some horror stories from our grads that have had other therapists throw in some somatic work when they aren't trained.

Why a Framework Matters

This work requires more than techniques. It requires a clear clinical framework for when, why, and how to use them. When you have a comprehensive training, you know you're not going to just ask clients "where they feel that in their body".

Not every client needs activation. Not every client needs calming. Not every moment in a session is the right time to bring the body in. It depends on the clients dosha, resources and nervous system regulation. Sometimes the most skillful intervention is actually doing less, not more.

A proper / safe framework helps you track:

what state your client is in
what direction would actually support them
how much to titrate without overwhelming the system

It also helps you understand what you’re seeing in real time — not just what to do, but why something is (or isn’t) working.

After reading about the importance of training and you're interested in learning more click here.

Structure and understanding... that's what CYI offers to our grads.

A Different Way to Think About It

If a therapist wants to bring the body into their work, they will want to get trained to understand how to work with that — even in small, contained ways — it changes how sessions feel.

Get the proper training in somatic movement. You'll gain more confidence, have less guessing and hesitation, because you'll have safety and clarity instead.