Book Now!Let’s get something straight: CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) has its place. It’s helped countless people identify unhelpful thoughts, break cycles of negative thinking, and build practical tools to function better day-to-day. If that’s all you need? Great. Gold star. Keep on keeping on.
But here’s where I gently (or maybe not-so-gently) offer another perspective: for many people, especially those with trauma histories, complex emotional patterns, or chronic stress (me) —CBT alone just doesn’t cut it.
CBT is built on the idea that by changing our thoughts, we can change our feelings and behaviours. It’s neat, it’s tidy, and it works for surface-level issues or short-term challenges. But… What if your anxiety isn’t just from distorted thinking?
What if your “negative patterns” are actually protective parts of you that formed in childhood?
What if your nervous system is constantly scanning for danger because, at one point, it had to?
In those cases, trying to "think your way out of it" is like trying to meditate your way out of a burning house. It's not that the tool is wrong—it's just not designed for that job.
Before we think, we feel. And before we feel, our nervous system makes a call—“safe” or “not safe.”
This is where Polyvagal Theory becomes pure gold. Dare I say, a potential holy grail for those who try to think their way out of a behaviour or emotional response. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory explains that our bodies are wired to detect cues of safety or threat before our conscious mind even gets involved. I often remind people that these responses are not only faster than the thinking brain, they’re also roughly four times stronger (afferent vs efferent). So in many ways, it’s the nervous system that’s actually running the show, sending signals up to the brain, which then works hard to create a story to match the signals. The state our system is in profoundly shapes the thoughts we have about ourselves, others, and the world around us.
There are three main states we cycle through:
These aren’t personality flaws. These are biological responses.
And if your system has spent years in survival mode, no amount of “reframing your thoughts” is going to override that wiring. That’s why body-based, trauma-informed work is so essential.
Take the image below as an example. A simple, neutral question like “Do you have a minute?” can land in completely different ways depending on which state of the nervous system we’re in. If we're in a protective state — like Sympathetic or Dorsal Vagal — we might hear it as a demand, a threat, or something overwhelming. But if we're in Ventral Vagal, the same question can feel safe, collaborative, or even caring.
When I work with clients—whether in corporate leadership settings or personal wellness sessions—I don’t stop at mindset. Because humans aren’t just minds walking around. We are nervous systems. Bodies. Emotions. Parts. Stories. And all of it matters.
This is where somatic therapies and parts work (like IFS) come in.
IFS therapy recognizes that we are made up of many parts — some that protect, some that hold pain, and some that are still stuck in past experiences.
Instead of overriding or “correcting” these parts (as CBT might attempt), IFS teaches us to meet them with compassion and curiosity. We don’t fix — we befriend.
This was work I started with my therapist 17 years ago (yep — same therapist I still see today. Shout out to Deb). And I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if I hadn’t started to challenge the outdated belief in the mono-mind, and actually met — yes, genuinely met — the different parts of myself that were living inside me. All trying to protect me. All wanting completely different things.
I’ll never forget the first time that internal clash became painfully obvious.
I used to tell Deb that sleeping in was ‘lazy.’ And to the part we eventually named The Driver, this was just a stone cold fact. No negotiation. If Sammy sleeps in, Sammy is lazy. End of story.
Deb gently asked, “Can you tune into the part of you that wants to sleep in? Because if no part of you wanted it, you wouldn’t be doing it.” (She’s got a point, that therapist of mine.)
By then, I’d already met my inner child, so it wasn’t a shock to find her at the centre of this. She was the one who had left home too young — and all she wanted was to feel safe, to rest, to curl up in a cocoon of blankets, free from pressure and The Driver’s wrath.
And when these two parts met — under my watchful, slightly stunned awareness — I could see it so clearly. They were both trying to help. They just thought I needed very different things.
Child = Comfort = Safety.
Driver = Productivity + Achievement = Safety.
Out of all the work I’ve done with clients, this modality — meeting and working with our inner parts — has been one of the most immediately transformational. Because it drops us below the surface of the conscious thinking brain, straight into the real (subconscious) drivers. The ones that are actually calling the shots, often silently, and almost always without being acknowledged.
As I often tell my clients, we use a bottom-up, top-down, and sideways-in approach (hello, mindfulness) to explore what’s really going on beneath a behaviour. This is one way in.
A Simple Self-Check-In:
This kind of check-in isn’t about fixing or forcing change. It’s about building internal relationship. When your parts feel seen — rather than shamed, exiled, or ignored — that’s when something real begins to shift.
Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, understands trauma as something stored not just in our minds but in our nervous systems. These tools work directly with the body to complete survival responses, build capacity, and rewire safety at the physiological level.
When combined with mindfulness, movement, and emotional intelligence practices, somatic work becomes a bridge between past pain and present freedom.
Why I Don’t Recommend CBT Alone
Because lasting change isn’t just cognitive—it’s embodied.
Because no one has ever "thought their way" into safety if their body feels under threat.
Because so many of the clients I work with have already tried CBT, and still feel stuck.
CBT is a great tool—but it’s not the whole toolbox.
What I Do Recommend?
In my sessions, whether one-on-one or in group settings, I use a mix of IFS inspired techniques, somatic tools, breathwork, movement, mindfulness, and trauma-informed coaching. Because humans are layered, and so is healing.
Or as I often say to clients - We work from the bottom up (body and sensation), the top down (story and thought), and the sideways in. (That’s where mindfulness sneaks in and catches what we can often miss.)
If you’ve done CBT and still feel like something’s missing, you’re not broken.
Maybe you’re just ready for a different kind of support—one that listens not just to your thoughts, but to your whole being.
And if you’re curious? I’d love to support that next chapter.
Note: While this work can feel deeply therapeutic, I am not a licensed psychotherapist.
My approach is grounded in psycho-somatic principles—supporting clients in exploring their inner world and the way they relate to themselves and others.
This work is inspired by therapeutic models, but offered through the lens of coaching, somatic exploration, and holistic support.
Sammy's story is one of grit, heart, and healing. After leaving home at 12 and overcoming addiction, she found her way back to herself through movement, mindfulness, and a deep commitment to growth.
Now a wellness facilitator, speaker, and lifelong student of the mind-body connection, Sammy works with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and individuals alike — blending lived experience and science to help people regulate, reconnect, and lead with compassion. Her work is grounded in one mission: to connect people back to themselves, and teams to each other.
