Experiential & Somatic Therapy: FAQ

Talk therapy primarily works through discussion and cognitive insight. Experiential therapy adds somatic, embodied, and imaginal work — such as Brainspotting, ART, IFS parts work, or guided body-based processing — so change registers below the level of “I understand this now” and into how the body and nervous system actually respond. Many clients arrive here having already done years of insight-based work without lasting change.

Insight lives in the thinking brain, but most stuck patterns — freeze, fix, fawn, old attachment loops — are held in the nervous system and body, not just in cognitive awareness. This approach is built on the principle that thoughts, body, and new experience all have to shift together (memory reconsolidation) for a pattern to actually reorganize, not just be understood.

This work suits high-functioning, insight-rich adults who understand their own psychology intellectually but stay stuck repeating the same patterns anyway — often anxious achievers dealing with burnout, perfectionism, people-pleasing, shame, or a persistent sense that something is missing, who have already tried standard talk therapy.

All sessions are telehealth, and I can work with clients located in California, Washington, Virginia, and Florida. That includes experiential individual and couples therapy — EFT, IFS parts work, somatic and polyvagal-informed approaches, ART, and Brainspotting — plus therapy intensives in Brainspotting, ART, I-CBT, and Coherence Therapy.

Yes — somatic and experiential techniques can be adapted effectively to telehealth, since much of the work involves guided internal awareness (body sensation, imagery, parts work) that clients can do from their own space, often with the added benefit of practicing in the environment where their patterns actually show up.

Therapy intensives are usually fixed timeframes and depend on the modality. Somatic sessions can be implemented with a more fixed timeframe. Prior to starting, we can discuss and agree upon a specific number of sessions or parties can agree to remain open to continued assessment of your progress and further needs.

I deeply value this work and honor the skill & capacity needed to create a safe and nourishing space for my clients. For this reason, I do not take on very many clients in order to maintain the integrity of our work together.

I will remember the names of your loved ones. I will want to see pictures of your baby or fur-baby. I will be genuinely curious to bear witness to all you have to express. Session costs are reflective of this care.

Individual Therapy: $250

Couples Therapy: $325

And because I also believe in the importance of accessibility to this work, sliding scale options are available depending on need and availability.

You can check your out-of-network benefits here: https://eligibility.thrizer.com/lauren-ziel-therapy

I am considered “out of network” with insurance companies, which means that all services are paid out of pocket. Your insurance may cover services for out-of-network providers. I partner with a service that can check your estimated insurance coverage for therapy with me.

You can also contact your insurance company directly to access information regarding your mental health benefits. If your health insurance agrees to reimburse you for your sessions, you will pay for services directly and I will provide you with a monthly Superbill that you can submit for reimbursement.

Reimbursement rates will depend on your plan/provider.

You can check you benefits here: https://eligibility.thrizer.com/lauren-ziel-therapy