Body Wisdom Massage School’s Blog

In March 2026, Body Wisdom Massage School will launch one of its most meaningful offerings to date, a 24-hour continuing education course designed for massage therapists and all wellness professionals: Trauma-Informed Somatic Touch.

This training emerges from a deep need in our profession. While more and more clients seek out body-based therapies for stress, pain, and emotional overwhelm, many of them carry unresolved trauma in their nervous systems. Sometimes it’s obvious. Often, it’s subtle. But what we now understand—thanks to the integration of neuroscience, Polyvagal Theory, and somatic psychology, is that touch itself must adapt.

Gone are the days when deeper pressure alone was the answer.
Today, we are called to offer something different: touch that listens, touch that regulates, touch that empowers.

What Is Trauma-Informed Somatic Touch?

This course brings together:

• A working understanding of Polyvagal Theory (in simple, usable language)
• Real-world tools for recognizing autonomic nervous system states in clients
• Principles of co-regulation, safety, and attuned presence
• Gentle, grounded hands-on techniques that help shift clients from survival states into connection and calm
• Practitioner tools for self-regulation and resilience, so you can offer more without burning out

Unlike talk-based or purely educational approaches to trauma, this training focuses on the body—where trauma lives, and where healing begins. You’ll explore how the nervous system responds to touch, how to adjust your presence and pacing moment-to-moment, and how to become a safe place for others through your way of being, not just your technique.

This training is open to:

• Massage therapists and bodyworkers
• Yoga and movement educators
• Energy workers and breathwork facilitators
• Somatic coaches, doulas, caregivers, and wellness professionals

Whether you’re just starting or decades into your practice, this course will give you fresh insight and new tools to deepen the healing potential of what you already offer.

Why Now?
The world is overwhelmed. Many people are living in chronically activated states, often without realizing it. Practitioners are feeling it too. As healing professionals, we’re in a powerful position—but only if we’re equipped with the tools to meet our clients where they are.

Trauma-Informed Somatic Touch is a shift in how we think about healing, safety, and the power of human connection. It’s about learning to see what the body is trying to say, and how to respond in a way that promotes true regulation and resilience—without needing to “fix” or “figure it all out.”

What You’ll Walk Away With:

• A new lens for understanding trauma in the body
• Practical tools to use with clients the very next day
• Embodied confidence to navigate emotional moments in sessions
• A renewed connection to your own body, your own breath, your own presence
• A community of like-minded practitioners who want to heal the world—one grounded touch at a time

Let’s meet the world’s pain with grounded hands and open hearts.
Let’s make trauma-informed touch the new standard of care.

For more information and to enroll, contact:
G Kelley at 515-727-4890
or email g.kelley@bodywisdomschool.com