Somatic therapy is changing trauma treatment—but what happens when therapists can’t provide it?

In this episode, I'm chatting with Keeley and Michelle, practitioners of a consent-based relational touch modality, to explore a provocative question: what do we do when our clients need experiences we ethically cannot provide?

This is a rich conversation about the gap between insight and lived experience. We talk about why somatic therapy for trauma can be so powerful, and why there are moments when even excellent therapy, strong psychoeducation, and all the right language around boundaries still do not create the kind of embodied, relational experience a client may be longing for. If you’ve ever wondered what is somatic therapy when it moves beyond talking and into something more experiential, this episode opens up a fascinating and sometimes uncomfortable question.

Keeley and Michelle walk us into the world of consent-based relational touch work and explain how it can support clients healing from relational trauma, childhood sexual abuse, grief, loneliness, people-pleasing, avoidant attachment, and disconnection from their own bodies. We also talk about ethics, referral decisions, and the responsibility we carry as clinicians when we introduce clients to any modality that asks them to be vulnerable in a new way.

Keeley has practiced as a full-time Cuddle Therapist since 2015, supporting clients in both individual and group settings. She is a certified Cuddle Party facilitator and has taken every training program that exists for professional cuddlers. She continues her education in IFS, EFT, somatic experiencing, embodiment practices, the Wheel of Consent, and racial equity. In 2017, she became the Director of CuddleXpo, the first-ever professional cuddlers convention.

Michelle Renee has been a pioneering force in the field of professional cuddling since joining Cuddlist as a Cuddle Therapist at its inception in late 2015. She is a certified Cuddle Party facilitator and trained surrogate partner, bringing deep experience to the intersection of relational touch and therapeutic practice. From 2016 to 2020, Michelle served as Cuddlist’s Director of Operations. In 2023, she returned to Cuddlist leadership as Director of Training and officially became a co-owner in early 2025.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Why This Conversation Matters

08:20 What Cuddlist Work Actually Is

12:05 Somatic Therapy, Trauma, and Safe Relational Touch

24:28 What Happens in a Session

32:55 Boundaries, Consent, and Bodily Autonomy

38:12 Neurodivergence, Sensory Needs, and Relational Safety

41:36 When Therapists Might Consider a Referral

55:00 Ethics, Risk, and Safe Referrals

And if this conversation stirred something in you, professionally or personally, I want to offer you a gentle next step. Sometimes the most important shift is not figuring it all out alone, but finding the right kind of support. At Growing Self, thousands of people have transformed themselves, their relationships, or their careers with the help of the right counselor or coach, and you can too. Answer three quick questions so we can help you book your free consultation meeting with the right expert. It’s private, secure, only takes a couple of minutes, and it’s here for you whenever you’re ready.

xoxo,

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

Growing Self