Why Somatic Practice Makes Therapy Work with Natalie Brooks

Send us Fan MailYour smartest thoughts go missing when your nervous system is on fire. That’s the hard truth—and the opportunity—at the centre of this conversation with Los Angeles-based psychotherapist and educator Natalie Brooks, whose SMART framework blends somatic practice with mentalisation to make therapy work when life feels unworkable.We trace Natalie's path from UCLA’s behavioural health services—where highly capable students struggled to apply CBT and DBT tools—to mentalization-based treatment that restored reflective function, but only once arousal dropped. The breakthrough came by bringing the body into the room. Natalie walks us through targeted breath and movement sequences drawn from yoga science that lower activation so clients can mentalise again. She shares her own rheumatoid arthritis story, how returning to daily somatic practice changed pain and mobility, and why cognitive insight without bodily safety leaves trauma unresolved.You’ll hear what a session actually looks like: a body check-in, a 0–10 state rating, a short regulation practice matched to anxiety or low mood, then focused exploration of thoughts, feelings, and relationships. We unpack “Root Up, Inside Out,” the idea that sustainable change starts at the physiological root and rises into clear thinking and better connection. Natalie explains somatic mentalising and interoception training—relearning hunger and fullness cues in eating disorders, catching early signs of shutdown in dissociation, and building micro-practices clinicians and patients can use between sessions.We also map the current landscape: rising toxic stress, autoimmune symptoms in high-performing professionals, post-pandemic burnout among clinicians, and the promise and pitfalls of ketamine and psilocybin when not paired with psychotherapy. Natalie outlines how SMART offers a practical, evidence-aligned path that complements medication while addressing the body’s baseline state. She shares her mission to train more clinicians and build short, accessible courses tailored to anxiety, depression, trauma, and autoimmune challenges.If you’ve ever left therapy feeling clear only to spiral when stress hits, this conversation offers a different route: regulate first, reflect next, relate better. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs grounded tools, and leave a review to help others find the show.Guest Biography Natalie Brooks, MA, LMFT, RYT-200 is a Los Angeles–based licensed psychotherapist and educator specialising in integrative, somatic mental health. With over 20 years of clinical experience, Natalie is the founder of SMART—Somatic Mentalizing & Affect Regulation Therapy—a therapeutic model grounded in neuroscience, yoga science, and mentalisation theory. Her work focuses on helping clients regulate the nervous system before engaging in cognitive work, particularly those navigating trauma, depression, eating disorders, or relational wounds. A long-time yoga practitioner and trainer, Natalie brings lived experience and clinical rigour to her work. Contact About Dr Andrew GreenlandDr Andrew Greenland is a UK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. With dual training in conventional and root-cause approaches, he helps individuals optimise health, performance, and longevity — with a focus on cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.Voices in Health and Wellness features meaningful conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential — with clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of care.💌 Join the mailing list for new episodes and exclusive reflections: https://subscribe.voicesinhealthandwellness.com