a safe space
Find Safety in Your Body After Trauma, Grief, or Birth
Gentle, body-oriented trauma resolution with Jan Duffy, Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) in South County Dublin
Healing from the Body Up
Why talking about it isn't always enoughWhen an experience overwhelms us—whether a sudden shock, a distressing birth, or enduring grief—our autonomic nervous system mobilizes for survival (fight, flight, or freeze). If that survival energy is unable to complete its natural cycle, it becomes trapped in the physical body.You may understand what happened intellectually, yet your body still feels hyper-vigilant, exhausted, anxious, or emotionally numb.Two-Column Feature:Column A: Top-Down (Talk Therapy) Engages the thinking brain (neocortex). Focuses on narrative, understanding patterns, and analyzing past events. Powerful for insight, but often leaves physical survival patterns untouched.Column B: Bottom-Up (Somatic Experiencing®) Engages the instinctual nervous system (brainstem & body). Works directly with physical sensations, breath, and involuntary reflexes to gently release held survival charge safely.How We Work Together (Key Principles):Slow & Gentle (Titration): We never push you into overwhelm. We process physical activation in small, manageable pieces.Anchored in Safety (Pendulation): We constantly connect back to internal comfort and resilience, allowing your system to learn that the danger has passed.Spontaneous Relief: As stuck fight/flight/freeze energy completes, the body naturally returns to balance, vitality, and deep ease.
About Jan
Jan trained in SE therapy with Somatic Experiencing Ireland. She has trained extensively in grief counseling theory, studying Loss & Bereavement with the Royal College of Surgeons and the Irish Hospice Foundation. She has extensive experience helping people cope with terminal illness, death and grieving, and past traumas that have been difficult to reconcile. Her expertise is in birth trauma and she works with both the women and their partners, to facilitate trauma resolution. She is frequently recommended by psychologists and other therapists.Fees for SE therapy work are in line with standard rates. Please contact Jan to enquire.In addition, Jan has more than 20 years of experience as a yoga teacher and birth Doula, helping women and couples navigate often challenging aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. Learn more about her yoga work at janyoga.com.
What to expect
What happens during an SE session?We work slowly, at your nervous system's pace. It can be like learning a new language, since our body and mind work on different clocks. We track physical sensations, breath, and involuntary responses, rather than focusing on the story that may have brought you to the session.Is this talk therapy?Talk therapy engages the neocortex; SE engages the autonomic nervous system where survival patterns are held.Do I have to do this in-person?Sessions are available at a relaxed and comfortable studio in Blackrock, or in your home, which can be easier when the outside world doesn't feel safe. Online sessions are also an option.
Thank you
Jan will be in touch soon x