Somatic Healing

A Body-Centered Path to Deeper Personal Growth

In-person Pasadena Sessions

Connect in a supportive, reflective setting designed for deeper exploration and embodied awareness.

Virtual Sessions Available

Explore depth-oriented work from the comfort and privacy of your own space.

What is Somatic Healing?

Somatic work invites you to notice the connection between thought, emotion and physical experience. It offers a powerful path for discovering patterns and inner responses that may hold deeper meaning, awaken new realizations and support greater integration.

For those looking for something different from traditional therapy, somatic work offers another path through embodied awareness, mindfulness and reflection. The focus is on deep personal growth and awakened self-understanding rather than the diagnosis or clinical treatment of mental health conditions.

Meet Andrea-Marie Stark, PhD

Depth-Oriented Personal Growth • Embodied Awareness • Spiritual Exploration

Andrea-Marie Stark, PhD brings a depth-oriented, integrative perspective to personal growth. She earned her PhD in Depth Psychology with a Specialization in Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices from Pacifica Graduate Institute, where her studies brought together psychoanalytic, Jungian and archetypal traditions with diverse healing practices.

She supports clients in exploring inner wisdom, meaning and healing through embodied and reflective experiences.

Andrea-Marie’s work is well suited to those drawn to questions that extend beyond familiar explanations or traditional approaches. She encourages exploration of meaning, identity, recurring patterns, life transitions and the deeper questions that arise through life experience.

Andrea-Marie’s Integrative Approach

PhD in Depth Psychology
Hakomi Education
Mindfulness & Meditation
Dream, Symbolic & Personal Myth Work
Reiki & Energy Practices
Intergenerational Patterns
Eco-Spirituality
Shamanic Practices

See What People Are Saying About Us

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 29 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Tristan Cimini 
 November 2, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Chris leads sessions with thoughtfulness and curiosity. He has helped my partner and I learn so much about each other and given us many practical tools and exercises to try outside of session. I highly recommend his practice!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Michelle Miranda 
 October 29, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Working with Chris has truly changed our lives for the better. After nearly 20 years of marriage, we found ourselves facing one of the most difficult periods we’d ever experienced, and Chris guided us through it with compassion, patience, and incredible insight. His approach helped us not only reconnect as a couple but also grow individually. Because of Chris, we feel stronger, more self-aware, and better equipped with the tools to communicate and work through challenges on our own. He created a space where we could be honest, heard, and understood, and that made all the difference. We are deeply grateful for his support and can honestly say that knowing him has made us better people and partners. I wholeheartedly recommend Chris to anyone seeking genuine help and guidance. It took us years to find someone who truly understood us and could get to the root of our challenges, and Chris did exactly that. We truly love and appreciate him and know we wouldn’t be where we are today without his support.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   GL 
 October 29, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Chris is a caring, exceptionally kind, and intelligent person—really, the only therapist who has measurably improved the quality of my life. He not only helped me to stabilize after crisis but has taken up the enormous task of working through my trauma history and anxiety with me. I've been in therapy on and off for 30 years, and I've never trusted someone more to guide this challenging, necessary work. Chris balances extensive knowledge with gentleness and humor in a way that just works. He has helped me step back from my entrenched thoughts and behaviors enough to start to make sense of myself, ask for what I need in my life, and, perhaps most importantly, start to feel safe again. I feel very lucky to have found him.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Marie L 
 October 29, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My partner and I saw Bethany for couples therapy. Bethany is just wonderful—a truly warm and lovely person. She was able to work very gently with my partner, who had not previously been in therapy, and he went from feeling anxious about the experience to being able to integrate the knowledge and practices he learned into his life, improving his confidence and allowing him to recognize his own resilience. I attribute this to Bethany's amiable and supportive approach. We are both grateful to her!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   D C 
 October 29, 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Dr. Tickner is warm, knowledgeable, insightful, and has a way to lighten the mood at the best possible times.  He is a pleasure to work with, and probably the best I’ve met in his profession.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Charles Irvin 
 August 22, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Chris T is the best therapist ever! He runs the practice with his wife, Andrea, who is also amazing. I would recommend working with anyone on their team.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   John Sloan 
 June 10, 2024
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had the good fortune of training with Chris early in my career. He is compassionate, thoughtful, and brings deep knowledge and experience to the work. I am so grateful for the time I spent at California Integrative Therapy. He hires exceptional therapists and I do not hesitate to refer clients to this practice. The therapists there bring a breadth of experience and a variety of approaches to the work--whether you're looking for couples therapy, treatment for depression or anxiety, or healing from trauma, I highly recommend you give them a call.

A Deeper, More Integrative Approach

Embodied & Mindful Awareness — Notice sensations, responses and patterns with greater awareness.
Dreams, Symbols & Personal Myth — Explore dreams, imagery, symbolism and personal myth as pathways to self-understanding.
Meaning, Identity & Life Transitions — Reflect on who you are, what is changing and what feels meaningful.
Intuition & Spiritual Exploration — Explore intuition, spirituality and deeper dimensions of your inner life.
Reiki & Energy Practices — Incorporate energy-based practices when they align with your interests and intentions.

Body-centered personal growth can open the door to more than physical awareness alone. Andrea-Marie’s approach draws from depth psychology, mindfulness and embodied awareness while creating space to explore the deeper personal, symbolic and spiritual dimensions of your experience.

Depending on what draws you to this work, sessions may include attention to dreams and symbolism, intuition, creativity, life transitions, spiritual questions or energy-based practices such as Reiki. The process is individualized, allowing the work to unfold around what feels most meaningful and relevant to you.

frequently asked questions about somatic healing

What is somatic healing?

Somatic healing is an experiential, body-centered approach that works with the deep connection between mind and body. Through attention to physical sensations and internal responses, somatic work can bring greater awareness to unconscious patterns, deeply held beliefs, habits and the ways past trauma may continue to shape present experience. Bringing these patterns into awareness can create opportunities for deeper understanding and integration.

How is somatic healing different from psychotherapy?

Somatic healing, as offered here, focuses on self-understanding and mindful awareness and utilizes a bottom-up approach that listens deeply to the wisdom of the body. Rather than focusing on clinical diagnosis or mental health treatment, somatic work creates space to explore unconscious patterns and core beliefs, embodiment, meaning, identity, intuition and other dimensions of lived experience.

What can I explore through somatic healing?

The work is highly individualized. You might explore embodied awareness, mindfulness, life transitions, identity, meaning, dreams, symbolism, intuition, archetypes, creativity and personal or spiritual exploration. Reiki and energy-based practices may also be incorporated when they align with your interests and intentions.

What can I expect during a session?

Sessions offer a compassionate space that is both reflective and collaborative. Gentle mindfulness can support greater awareness of your emotional, physical and mental experience. Depending on your interests, the process may draw from depth-oriented reflection, intuition, archetypal exploration, dream and symbolic work or other elements of Andrea-Marie’s approach.

Do I need previous experience with somatic work or mindfulness?

No. You do not need prior experience with somatic practices, meditation, Reiki or depth-oriented work. Curiosity and a willingness to explore your experience are enough to begin.

Can somatic healing be done virtually?

Yes. Virtual sessions allow you to engage in this work from the privacy and comfort of your own space. In-person sessions are also available in Pasadena.

Is somatic healing a replacement for mental health treatment?

No. Andrea-Marie’s work is distinct from clinical psychotherapy, diagnosis, crisis care and clinical treatment of mental health conditions. If you are seeking clinical mental health assessment or treatment, California Integrative Therapy can help connect you with an appropriately licensed clinician.

How do I know if Andrea-Marie’s approach is right for me?

A free consultation is a good place to start. You can discuss what you are looking for, learn more about Andrea-Marie’s approach and determine whether the work feels aligned with your interests and goals.

How long are sessions, and how often will we meet?

The length and frequency of sessions can vary depending on your interests, goals and the kind of exploration you are seeking. During your consultation, you can discuss what format and rhythm may be the best fit for you.

Do I have to incorporate spiritual practices or Reiki into my sessions?

Not at all. Andrea-Marie’s work is individualized, and practices such as Reiki and spiritual exploration are incorporated only when they resonate with you or are requested by you. Your sessions can focus on embodied awareness, mindfulness and depth-oriented personal growth without including spiritual or energy-based practices.

Ready to Explore Somatic Healing?

Schedule a free consultation to learn more about Andrea-Marie’s approach, share what you’re looking for and see whether this work feels like the right fit for you.