Somatic Therapy in Santa Monica
You know your story. What would it take to feel different?
Margaret Sigel, LMFT, SEP
Currently accepting new clients.
Private-pay practice.
AS FEATURED IN
You might have been in therapy before. Maybe it helped you understand things. Or maybe you've never talked to anyone about what you're carrying. Either way, there's a difference between understanding something and being free of it.
This work is different. It doesn't ask you to explain yourself. It asks you to notice what shows up in your body, what shifts when you stop narrating and start paying attention. That's where the change lives.
People find their way here when they're curious what else might be possible.
Who This Work Is For
You've built something that looks, from the outside, like it should feel good.
And now you're wondering why it doesn't.
Maybe you were the responsible one early. The kid who read the room and managed everyone else's emotions before your own. That worked for a long time, and it got you here.
But the strategies that helped you survive aren't the same ones that help you live.
Some people who find their way to this work have already tried therapy. They understand their patterns. They can narrate their childhood with impressive clarity. The insight is there, but the freedom isn't. Others arrive without that history; they're just ready for something to change.
They often say things like "I didn't have it that bad." And then describe growing up with a depressed parent, or a home where feelings weren't discussed. They learned early to handle things on their own.
The body remembers what the mind has learned to explain away. Some of what shapes you was encoded before you had words for it. The brain centers that mediate language aren't fully online until age two or three. Experiences from those years, and later experiences that were overwhelming, get stored differently. They live in the body as sensation, posture, reflex. You can't talk your way out of something that was never stored in words. This is why somatic therapy works differently.
If you're tired of managing and pushing through, and curious whether something else is possible, this might be the right next step.
How I Can Help
Anxiety Therapy
Depression Therapy
Couples Therapy
Trauma Therapy
Somatic Therapy
Stress & Burnout Therapy
Online Therapy
Why Work With Me
I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. That means I work with what's happening in your nervous system, not just your thoughts about it. We track the signals most people miss: the moment your breath shifts, the instant tension builds before you've named it, the movement toward overwhelm or shutdown that happens beneath the conversation. This requires a practitioner who can sense what's happening in your body before you're consciously aware of it. That skill takes years to develop. It's also what makes the difference between therapy that helps you understand your patterns and therapy that actually changes them.
Sometimes we'll try things that might feel unfamiliar at first. Pausing mid-conversation to notice a sensation. Using movement to shift what's happening in your body. I'll always explain what we're doing and why. You're always in control of the pace.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent nearly two decades in entertainment. Development, production, the works. It was creative and fast-paced, and I saw firsthand how constant pressure erodes people from the inside out. Talented, driven people who looked like they had it together were quietly falling apart.
That experience shaped who I work with now. I understand the cost of high performance because I lived in that world. And I know that insight alone doesn't fix what the body is carrying.
I completed the full three-year Somatic Experiencing certificate program and continue to study with Dr. Peter Levine, its founder. Read more about my background. That depth of training shows up in precision: knowing exactly how much activation your system can work with, and when to pause so what we're building actually holds. We're not chasing breakthroughs or stacking coping strategies. We're creating real shifts in how your nervous system operates.
The urgency you feel to fix, push through, and optimize is often part of what brought you here. We work at a pace that lets change actually integrate, and most clients notice real shifts well before the deeper patterns resolve. This is thorough work, not indefinite work.
What Colleagues Say
"Margaret's work in somatic therapy helps clients understand and regulate their nervous systems in ways that go beyond traditional talk therapy. She is deeply knowledgeable and especially skilled at working with developmental trauma."
Mary Youssef, MD, PhD
"If you are looking for a therapist who is seasoned, professional, effective, and still gentle, look no further. For those struggling with toxic stress, burnout, or trauma recovery, her extensive background in stress and the nervous system, including Somatic Experiencing, make her an absolutely standout fit."
Kim Slipski, LMFT
"Margaret is a highly qualified and skilled therapist. She is particularly gifted in the treatment of developmental trauma and complex PTSD."
Steve Friedlander, LMFT, SEP
What People Often Notice
The shifts from this work tend to show up quietly at first. Not as breakthroughs, but as moments you might almost miss:
You don't match your coworker's panic about the deck due at 5:00pm. You tell your partner the conversation matters, but after the day you've had, you need twenty minutes before you can show up for it the way you want to. You clean out one shelf of the pantry instead of pulling everything onto the floor and spiraling. You see the email from your boss come in while standing in line at the grocery store after work and decide it can wait.
You set a boundary and don't spend the next two hours questioning it. You take care of yourself without the guilt narrative running underneath.
These are the kind of things that could happen on a random Tuesday. Small shifts, over time, become a different, more enjoyable life.
Location & Access
In person in Santa Monica, and online for California residents. Private-pay practice, by appointment only.
Contact
Phone: (310) 377-8798
Questions You Might Have
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I’m an out-of-network provider and don’t bill insurance directly. If your plan includes out-of-network benefits, I can provide a monthly superbill you can submit for possible reimbursement. Please check your benefits in advance to see what’s covered, as reimbursement isn’t guaranteed. You can also often use HSA/FSA funds, but please confirm eligibility with your plan administrator. Learn more about fees and policies.
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Therapy isn’t about making you less ambitious. It’s about channeling your energy in more sustainable, intentional ways. As your nervous system steadies, decisions often get easier and work can feel more effective.
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Most clients notice shifts in the first weeks and months: better sleep, more steadiness under pressure, less reactivity in relationships. The nervous system responds to precise work faster than most people expect. The deeper patterns took years to form and they do take time to fully rework. As things settle, some people taper to less frequent sessions. The pacing is deliberate because that's what lets new capacity hold.
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Yes. I see clients in person in Santa Monica and online throughout California.
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I’m currently accepting new clients. If we’re a good match, we’ll compare schedules and get you started soon. If your ideal time isn’t open, I can add you to a short waitlist or suggest close alternatives. If I’m not the best fit, I’ll provide trusted referrals.
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Ready to Begin?
If something here resonates, I'd be glad to hear from you.