Telehealth Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Women in Australia Body-based trauma therapy | Australia-wide
Written by Natasha Kiemel-Incorvaia, Registered Psychologist (PSY0001977411) | Last updated: 29 April 2026
I offer Sensorimotor Psychotherapy via secure telehealth to women and girls aged 15 and over across Australia. This body-based therapy can support trauma, chronic stress, dissociation and other difficulties that are held not only in thoughts and emotions, but also in the body.
What is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-based approach to working with trauma, stress and emotional difficulties. Developed by Pat Ogden, it integrates somatic, cognitive and emotional experience, drawing on neuroscience, attachment research and somatic traditions.
It recognises that difficult experiences may be held not only in thoughts and emotions but also in the body, in the form of posture, movement patterns, breath, muscular tension and physical sensation. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy pays particular attention to your somatic narrative, the story your body tells through posture, gesture, facial expression, movement and eye gaze, alongside what you say in words.
Talking about a difficult experience can be helpful, and sometimes it is not enough. When the body continues to hold the imprint of stress or trauma, symptoms such as chronic tension, hypervigilance, fatigue, dissociation, gut issues or a sense of disconnection from yourself can persist even after years of talk-based therapy.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy gently brings attention to what the body is doing in the present moment. With the support of a trained psychologist, you learn to notice sensations, tension patterns, breath and small movements, and to work with them at a pace your nervous system can tolerate. Over time, this may support your body to complete responses that were interrupted at the time of the original experience and to update old protective patterns that no longer fit your current life.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy as a Standalone Approach
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can be used as the primary modality for your therapy. Some clients prefer this body-based approach throughout their work, particularly when:
Talk therapy in the past has felt circular or has not led to lasting change
Symptoms feel located in the body more than in thoughts, for example chronic tension, gut symptoms, fatigue or freeze responses
You find it difficult to access or describe emotions in words
You feel disconnected from your body or numb
Cognitive approaches feel overwhelming or activating
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can also be combined with other approaches such as EMDR, ACT, CBT, DBT or mindfulness-based work, depending on what suits your needs and preferences.
What symptoms can Sensorimotor Psychotherapy support?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is most often used for trauma and stress-related presentations. The list below offers examples of areas it may support, it is not exhaustive, and not every approach suits every person.
Post-traumatic stress and complex trauma
Chronic stress and burnout
Anxiety, particularly when felt strongly in the body
Disconnection from the body or numbness
Chronic muscular tension, jaw clenching and shallow breathing
Somatic symptoms linked to stress, for example gut symptoms, headaches or fatigue
Hypervigilance, startle responses and difficulty feeling safe
Freeze, shutdown or collapse responses
Difficulty regulating emotions
Dissociation
How Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Works
This approach draws on what we now understand about how the nervous system stores and processes stress. When an experience is overwhelming, the body's protective responses, such as fight, flight, freeze or shutdown, can become incomplete or stuck. The nervous system may continue to behave as though the threat is still present, even when the danger has passed.
In session, your psychologist supports you to:
Track sensations and movement patterns in the present moment
Slow down enough to notice what the body is doing in response to a memory, thought or feeling
Stay within a tolerable range of activation, often called the window of tolerance, so that processing can occur without overwhelm
Allow small, organic movements that may help complete protective responses that were interrupted
Update old body-based patterns with new responses that fit your current life
Rather than only talking about past events, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy prioritises mindful attention to what is happening in your body right now, including sensations, small movements, emotions and thoughts, and then works from the bottom up with these patterns at a pace that feels manageable.
This work is collaborative and paced. Nothing is forced. Your psychologist supports you to build the skills to regulate before any deeper processing begins, so that you feel resourced throughout the work.
Is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Effective via Telehealth?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can translate well to telehealth when the work is adapted intentionally for videoconferencing. The approach involves observing and tracking the body, breath and movement, all of which can be done in your own space with your psychologist on screen.
Recent meta-analyses suggest that video-delivered psychotherapy can achieve outcomes comparable to in-person care for many common mental health presentations when the same treatment is provided in both formats. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy itself has been adapted for videoconferencing in clinical practice, with guidance around room setup, screen size, body awareness, pace and frequent check-ins about what is happening in the body.
Many clients find that being in their own space, with their own supports nearby, allows the body to settle more easily into the work. You may choose to have a blanket, a glass of water, a comforting object or a pet near you, and you can move more freely than you might in an unfamiliar clinical room.
Telehealth Sensorimotor Psychotherapy may be particularly suitable if you:
Live in a regional or remote area of Australia
Find it overwhelming or activating to attend an in-person clinic
Prefer the comfort and familiarity of your own environment for body-based work
Have caring or work responsibilities that make in-person appointments difficult
Feel self-conscious about body-based work and would feel safer starting from home
All sessions are delivered via secure video to clients across Australia.
Ready to talk about whether Sensorimotor Psychotherapy via telehealth is right for you?
Book an initial appointment on via our Halaxy booking page or call 0457 427 876.
What an online Sensorimotor Psychotherapy session may look like
Sessions follow a similar structure to other telehealth psychology appointments. Initial sessions focus on understanding your history, current symptoms and goals, and on building the foundational skills of body awareness and regulation.
As the work progresses, you and your psychologist may:
Notice what is happening in your body as you discuss a topic
Pause and bring mindful attention to a sensation, tension pattern or impulse
Explore small experiments such as adjusting posture, breath or movement
Track what shifts in the body when something new is tried
Build a vocabulary for your internal experience over time
Sessions are paced to your nervous system, not to a fixed agenda. Some sessions may include more talking; others may include more body-based exploration. Your psychologist will check in regularly about what feels manageable and useful.
Who Sensorimotor Psychotherapy may suit
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy may be a good fit if you:
Feel your symptoms live in the body as much as in the mind
Have done significant talk therapy and feel you have hit a ceiling
Live with chronic stress, burnout or trauma symptoms that have not fully shifted with cognitive approaches
Want a gentle, paced approach to trauma work
Are interested in understanding the link between the nervous system and your symptoms
Who Sensorimotor Psychotherapy may not suit
There are some situations where Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is not the right starting point, and where other forms of support are needed first. These include:
Situations involving immediate risk to your life or safety, where calling 000 or attending your nearest emergency department is the appropriate step
Active non-suicidal self-harming behaviours
Risk of harm to others
Untreated psychosis
Untreated bipolar disorder without active engagement with a psychiatrist or GP
If any of these apply, your GP can help you find the most appropriate support. You can also visit our Emergency Resources page for crisis support contacts.
Telehealth Sensorimotor Psychotherapy with Natasha
Natasha Kiemel-Incorvaia is a Registered Psychologist with over 10 years of experience supporting women and girls aged 15 and over across Australia. Natasha has completed training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy with Pat Ogden and integrates it with other evidence-based approaches such as EMDR, CBT, ACT and DBT, depending on what best supports each client.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can also be used as a standalone approach for clients who prefer body-based work as their primary modality.
As a solo telehealth practice, you meet with Natasha for each session, which supports the consistency and trust that body-based trauma work often relies on.
If you would like to know more about Natasha’s background and approach, you can visit the About page.
Appointment length and cost
Initial appointments are 60 minutes; all subsequent appointments are 50 minutes.
Initial 60-minute appointment: $230
Subsequent 50-minute appointments: $215
A Medicare rebate of $98.95 is available with a valid Mental Health Care Plan from your GP. Visit our Appointments page for full pricing information and our Medicare rebate information page for more information about Mental Health Care Plans.
Frequently asked questions about online Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
What is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-based talking therapy that works with trauma, stress and attachment-related difficulties by paying attention to posture, movement, breath, sensation, emotion and thought together, rather than focusing only on words.
How is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy different from talk therapy?
Traditional talk therapy often focuses mainly on thoughts, emotions and meaning. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy includes these, but also works directly with how your body responds in the present moment, such as tension, collapse, breath changes, urge to move or numbness.
Is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy the same as somatic therapy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy sits within the broader family of somatic or body-based therapies, but it is its own specific clinical model developed by Pat Ogden and shaped by trauma, attachment and nervous system theory.
How is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy different from EMDR?
EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy are both used for trauma but work in different ways. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, to help the brain reprocess specific traumatic memories. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy works more slowly with the body itself, tracking sensations, movements and nervous system responses to update body-based patterns held from past experiences. Some clients find one approach suits them better than the other; others benefit from a combination, depending on their history and goals.
What can Sensorimotor Psychotherapy help with?
It is most commonly used for trauma and stress-related presentations, including PTSD, complex trauma, dissociation, chronic stress, burnout, hypervigilance, shutdown responses and body-based anxiety symptoms.
Does Sensorimotor Psychotherapy involve touch?
No. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-oriented talking therapy. In Australia, psychologists do not use touch in this work, instead, sessions focus on noticing and working with your own posture, movement, breath and sensations.
Can Sensorimotor Psychotherapy be done online?
Yes. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy can be adapted for telehealth when sessions are set up intentionally to support body awareness on screen, with enough space to move, clear visibility, and regular check-ins about sensations and movements that may not be obvious on camera.
Is telehealth Sensorimotor Psychotherapy effective?
Broader telehealth psychotherapy research suggests that video-delivered therapy can produce outcomes comparable to in-person care for many common mental health presentations when the same treatment is delivered in both formats. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy has also been adapted for videoconferencing in clinical practice, although the telehealth evidence base for Sensorimotor Psychotherapy specifically is still smaller than for approaches such as CBT.
Who is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy most suitable for?
It may suit people who feel their symptoms live strongly in the body, who have done a lot of talking in therapy without enough change, or who feel overwhelmed by approaches that are heavily cognitive.
Can Sensorimotor Psychotherapy help if I dissociate or go into freeze?
It may be helpful for dissociation, freeze and shutdown patterns because it works slowly with body awareness, regulation and nervous system responses. Whether it is the right approach for you depends on your history, current symptoms and stability, which can be discussed in an initial appointment.
How many Sensorimotor Psychotherapy sessions will I need?
The number of sessions varies depending on your goals, history, current symptoms and how paced the work needs to be. Natasha can discuss this with you in your initial appointment.
Can I get a Medicare rebate for Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
Yes. A Medicare rebate of $98.95 is available with a valid Mental Health Care Plan from your GP.
How do I prepare for an online Sensorimotor Psychotherapy session?
It helps to choose a quiet, private space where you can sit comfortably and, if needed, stand or adjust your position. Some clients like to have water, a blanket, a notebook or a comforting object nearby.
How do I book a Sensorimotor Psychotherapy appointment?
You can book an initial appointment online through the Halaxy booking page or call the admin team on 0457 427 876. The initial appointment is a chance to talk through what you are experiencing, ask questions, and decide whether this approach feels like a good fit.