Davidson Yoga Therapy
SOMATICS AND BREATH THERAPY
I'm Samantha Leonard
A somatic and yoga therapist with 30+ years of experience specializing in complex PTSD, chronic pain, and treatment-resistant anxiety. I work at the intersection of nervous system regulation, trauma healing, and depth psychology—helping people heal what talk therapy alone cannot reach.
This work is for people whose symptoms persist despite insight and effort. People who need to work with their bodies and nervous systems, not just their thoughts.
Specializations
I work with adults and parents navigating complex presentations—particularly when symptoms persist despite insight, effort, and previous treatment.
Complex PTSD & Trauma
When traditional PTSD and trauma treatment hasn't been enough and your body still reacts as if danger is present—hypervigilance, panic, dissociation, emotional overwhelm.
This is particularly effective when you understand what happened to you intellectually, but your body hasn't gotten the message that the danger has passed.
Chronic Pain
Fibromyalgia, persistent back pain, neck pain, headaches—pain that continues despite medical treatment or after the original injury has healed.
Using Pain Reprocessing Therapy and somatic approaches when your nervous system has learned to produce pain signals even when tissues are healthy.
This approach addresses the mind-body components of chronic pain that traditional pain management often misses.
Treatment-Resistant Anxiety
Anxiety that feels physical more than mental. Panic attacks that come "out of nowhere."
Hypervigilance. Chronic tension. Emotional overwhelm that doesn't respond to traditional anxiety treatment or medication alone.
When you know logically that you're safe, but your body hasn't gotten the message—this is nervous system work.
What Clients Say
Conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, IBS, and insomnia often have significant nervous system components. When your autonomic nervous system is chronically dysregulated, it affects everything—pain perception, digestion, sleep, energy, and immune response.
Somatic and yoga therapy help by:
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Regulating your autonomic nervous system
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Reducing the chronic stress response that maintains symptoms
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Working with your body's natural rhythms through breath and gentle movement
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Addressing trauma or unprocessed stress that keeps your system on high alert
"I came to Samantha depressed and hopeless after having three years of chronic neck and shoulder pain. I went through two rounds of physical therapy, had weekly massages, acupuncture, and dry needling with no relief. Within three sessions, my neck and shoulder pain reduced significantly. I completed my yoga therapy program and have had NO PAIN in 5 weeks!!"
Deanna P.
"Samantha is the real deal. Few practicing yoga therapists have this level of qualification, dedication, compassion, and commitment to truly helping others."
Sara Faircloth
Why Guidance Matters
It's not about fixing you. It's about finding you.
When emotions and pain are intense, calming the nervous system is often the first step—but it’s rarely as simple as using a generic breathing technique you find on the internet.
Different bodies respond differently, and what helps one person may overwhelm another.
A skilled guide can help you understand your unique breathing and holding patterns and find regulation strategies that actually work.
Working with anxiety rather than against it can begin to clarify what needs to change for life to feel more meaningful and aligned.
Ready to explore?
I offer complimentary 20-minute consultations to discuss your situation and see if somatic therapy might serve your healing journey.
This isn't a sales call.
It's a genuine conversation where we'll explore what you're experiencing, what you've already tried, and whether this approach might be a good fit for you.
If it feels right, we'll discuss how to move forward. If not, I'm happy to offer other resources or referrals.
What happens next?
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Schedule your free consultation
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We'll have a relaxed, exploratory conversation
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If it feels like a good fit, we'll discuss a new client intake session.
About
With our 30+ years of education and experience, Davidson Yoga Therapy offers many tools, techniques, and therapeutic modalities to help you manage, or even eliminate your condition.
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Get in Touch
Davidson Yoga Therapy @
The Willow Center for Resilient Living
21223 Catawba Avenue
Cornelius, NC 28031
980-322-4518