A body-based approach to healing that focuses on regulation first

Most therapy talks about what happened. We work with how it lives in you — so your nervous system finally feels safe enough to let go.

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Why It Works

I work with the body, not against it. Because healing doesn't happen through logic alone. It happens when your nervous system finally feels safe enough to let go.

Talk therapy is powerful but it only goes so far. When trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress lives in the body, no amount of insight will release it. That's why every session at Petalla begins below the neck with breath, sensation, and safety before we ever move to meaning.

200+ clients supported

6+ years of somatic practice

Restore balance

Live fully

You don't have to carry this alone.

Finding support

This is what courage looks like.

Doing the work

This is what the other side feels like.

Living fully

This is what rest finally feels like.

Letting go

Meet Your Guide

Whether you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in patterns you can't think your way out of this work gently guides you back to yourself.

Hi, I'm Serena Vale, somatic therapist and trauma-informed coach. I trained in Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction — and I've spent the last six years helping sensitive, high-achieving people stop surviving and start feeling at home in their lives.

Learn more

200+ clients supported

Independent practitioner

200+ clients supported

Independent practitioner

What We Offer

Our mindfulness & trauma-informed Services

Nervous System Reset

Burnt out or overwhelmed? One session using breathwork to interrupt the cycle and bring you back to calm.

Somatic Therapy Sessions

One-on-one sessions using breath and body awareness to release what your nervous system has been.

Trauma Recovery Sessions

Some experiences live too deep for words to reach. We work directly with what the body is still carrying

Mindfulness Immersives

Half or full-day experiences for those ready to give their healing the space it actually needs.

Couples Therapy Sessions

Helping partners build real safety with each other — felt in the body, not just understood in the mind.

Group Healing Circles

Monthly sessions where shared presence and being genuinely witnessed does the healing.

"Healing happens when you feel seen, supported, and safe enough to slow down."

Our Approach

Simple and intentional Approach for you

We Begin with a Free Discovery Call

A 20-minute call to see if we're the right fit.

Attend Your First Session

We slow down and build the foundation everything grows from.

Grow & Heal at Your Own Pace

The rhythm is yours. The work deepens naturally over time.

Client Stories

Hear it from the people we've worked with

"There's a quality of attention in these sessions that I've never experienced anywhere else. I always leave feeling more like myself — clearer, lighter, and somehow more real."

Daniel K.

High School Teacher

"Petalla gave me back my relationship with my own body. I stopped treating it like a problem to manage and started seeing it as the wisest part of me."

Rachel O.

Yoga Instructor

"I booked my first session during the worst anxiety spiral of my life. I didn't know what somatic therapy was"

Anna Kluger

Financial Analyst

"Three years of talk therapy gave me a lot of self-awareness. Petalla gave me the ability to actually change. There's a difference — and I wish I'd understood that difference sooner."

Jonathan Lemon

Product Manager

"I came to Mara after years of talk therapy that left me understanding my trauma but still completely controlled by it. The somatic work was the missing piece"

Leila N.

Architect

"Incredibly fast and convenient!"With FaceID verification, I no longer have to wait hours to confirm my identity. The process takes seconds, and I can move on with my tasks seamlessly!"

Jonathan Lemon

Mobile banking app user

"After my divorce I felt completely disconnected from myself — like I was watching my life from outside my body."

Dave S.

Secondary School Teacher

"I was deeply skeptical. I'm a scientist and I needed this to make sense before I trusted it. Mara explained the neuroscience behind every technique. "

Anna Kluger

Research Biologist

"I was skeptical. I'm a logical person and 'body-based healing' sounded vague to me. But after the first session I couldn't argue with how I felt.""

Priya S.

Software Engineer

"I used to dissociate during stressful conversations without even realizing it. After three months of somatic work, I can actually stay present in difficult moments."

Anna Kluger

Graphic Designer

"Petalla was the first place I ever felt safe enough to let any of it go."

Jonathan Lemon

Civil Engineer

"What surprised me most was how gentle it was. I expected it to be intense or emotionally overwhelming. Instead it felt like... relief. "

Camille R.

Stay-at-home Parent

"There's a quality of attention in these sessions that I've never experienced anywhere else. I always leave feeling more like myself — clearer, lighter, and somehow more real."

Daniel K.

High School Teacher

"Petalla gave me back my relationship with my own body. I stopped treating it like a problem to manage and started seeing it as the wisest part of me."

Rachel O.

Yoga Instructor

"I booked my first session during the worst anxiety spiral of my life. I didn't know what somatic therapy was"

Anna Kluger

Financial Analyst

"Three years of talk therapy gave me a lot of self-awareness. Petalla gave me the ability to actually change. There's a difference — and I wish I'd understood that difference sooner."

Jonathan Lemon

Product Manager

"I came to Mara after years of talk therapy that left me understanding my trauma but still completely controlled by it. The somatic work was the missing piece"

Leila N.

Mobile banking app user

"Incredibly fast and convenient!"With FaceID verification, I no longer have to wait hours to confirm my identity. The process takes seconds, and I can move on with my tasks seamlessly!"

Jonathan Lemon

Mobile banking app user

"After my divorce I felt completely disconnected from myself — like I was watching my life from outside my body."

Dave S.

Secondary School Teacher

"I was deeply skeptical. I'm a scientist and I needed this to make sense before I trusted it. Mara explained the neuroscience behind every technique. "

Anna Kluger

Research Biologist

"I was skeptical. I'm a logical person and 'body-based healing' sounded vague to me. But after the first session I couldn't argue with how I felt.""

Priya S.

Software Engineer

"I used to dissociate during stressful conversations without even realizing it. After three months of somatic work, I can actually stay present in difficult moments."

Anna Kluger

Graphic Designer

"Petalla was the first place I ever felt safe enough to let any of it go."

Jonathan Lemon

Civil Engineer

"What surprised me most was how gentle it was. I expected it to be intense or emotionally overwhelming. Instead it felt like... relief. "

Camille R.

Stay-at-home Parent

Articles

Insights to support your healing between sessions

View all blogs

Healing

May 7, 2026

Healing isn't linear — and pretending it is makes it harder

Somatic Healing

Sep 28, 2025

Why your body remembers what your mind tries to forget

Nervous System

Sep 28, 2025

You're not anxious. You're dysregulated. Here's the difference.

Healing

May 7, 2026

Healing isn't linear — and pretending it is makes it harder

Somatic Healing

Sep 28, 2025

Why your body remembers what your mind tries to forget

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Here are the ones we hear most and if yours isn't listed, you're always welcome to reach out directly.

What exactly happens in a somatic therapy session?

We begin by checking in — how you arrived, what's present in your body right now. From there, sessions move organically: breath awareness, gentle body tracking, imagery, and slow inquiry. Nothing is forced. The session follows you, not a script.

Do I need prior experience with somatic or mindfulness work?

Not at all. Most clients come in having never done any body-based work. We start exactly where you are and build from there. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.

How is this different from regular therapy?

Traditional talk therapy primarily works with the mind — thoughts, beliefs, and narrative. Somatic therapy works with the body's stored responses to experience. The two complement each other beautifully, but somatic work can reach places that conversation alone often can't.

Can I work with you if I'm already seeing another therapist or psychiatrist?

Yes, and we encourage it. Somatic work integrates well with psychiatric care and traditional therapy. With your permission, we're happy to collaborate with your existing care team.

Is online as effective as in-person?

Yes, and we encourage it. Somatic work integrates well with psychiatric care and traditional therapy. With your permission, we're happy to collaborate with your existing care team.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Here are the ones we hear most and if yours isn't listed, you're always welcome to reach out directly.

What exactly happens in a somatic therapy session?

Do I need prior experience with somatic or mindfulness work?

Not at all. Most clients come in having never done any body-based work. We start exactly where you are and build from there. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.

How is this different from regular therapy?

Can I work with you if I'm already seeing another therapist or psychiatrist?

Yes, and we encourage it. Somatic work integrates well with psychiatric care and traditional therapy. With your permission, we're happy to collaborate with your existing care team.

Is online as effective as in-person?

Yes, and we encourage it. Somatic work integrates well with psychiatric care and traditional therapy. With your permission, we're happy to collaborate with your existing care team.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Here are the ones we hear most and if yours isn't listed, you're always welcome to reach out directly.

What exactly happens in a somatic therapy session?

Do I need prior experience with somatic or mindfulness work?

Not at all. Most clients come in having never done any body-based work. We start exactly where you are and build from there. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.

How is this different from regular therapy?

Can I work with you if I'm already seeing another therapist or psychiatrist?

Yes, and we encourage it. Somatic work integrates well with psychiatric care and traditional therapy. With your permission, we're happy to collaborate with your existing care team.

Is online as effective as in-person?

Yes, and we encourage it. Somatic work integrates well with psychiatric care and traditional therapy. With your permission, we're happy to collaborate with your existing care team.

I work with the body, not against it. Because healing doesn't happen through logic alone. It happens when your nervous system finally feels safe enough to let go.

I work with the body, not against it. Because healing doesn't happen through logic alone. It happens when your nervous system finally feels safe enough to let go.

I work with the body, not against it. Because healing doesn't happen through logic alone. It happens when your nervous system finally feels safe enough to let go.

Whether you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in patterns you can't think your way out of this work gently guides you back to yourself.

Our mindfulness & trauma-informed Services

Nervous System Reset

Somatic Therapy Sessions

Trauma Recovery Sessions

Mindfulness Immersives

Couples Therapy Sessions

Group Healing Circles

Simple and intentional Approach for you

We Begin with a Free Discovery Call

Attend Your First Session

Grow & Heal at Your Own Pace

Hear it from the people we've worked with

Insights to support your healing between sessions

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Ready to Begin Your Healing Journey?