Last year, Denise Elysa joined Dr. Sarah Young on the NeuroAlchemy podcast, a show exploring the intersection of science and soul. Partway through the conversation, Denise described her healing not as one dramatic turning point, but as a thousand tiny moments of choosing herself again and again. That phrase became the thread running through the entire episode.
The conversation covered what somatic healing actually involves, how Denise’s own path with chronic illness unfolded across decades rather than weeks, and a short grounding practice she guided live for listeners. This post pulls out some of the key themes from that episode, and offers a starting point for anyone who wants to understand somatic healing more deeply before listening to the full conversation.
What Is Somatic Healing? Working With the Body, Not Around It
When Dr. Sarah asked Denise to describe her work, she admitted it is hard to put into simplified language for anyone who hasn’t experienced it directly. Somatic healing works with the body as the entry point, rather than starting from thought or analysis and hoping the body eventually catches up. It blends somatic inquiry, energy healing, meditation, and soul-level exploration, and no two sessions look the same because no two people are starting from the same place.
Denise noted something she has observed often as a somatic practitioner: people who have already experienced this kind of embodied healing tend to just get it right away, while people coming from a more conventional or talk-therapy background sometimes need the language translated first. Neither starting point is wrong. It simply reflects how differently healing can be understood depending on what someone has already lived through.
A Nonlinear Path: From Teenage Burnout to a Decade of Micro Shifts
Denise’s own health journey did not move in a straight line, and she was direct about that on the podcast. It began in her teens with a first experience of severe, hospitalization-level burnout. In her early twenties, after working through significant mental health healing on her own, her physical body began to decline. She lost neurological function, came close to bedridden, and eventually reached what she describes as suspected remission around age 28.
Then came pregnancy, and with it, another decline that eventually left her bedridden again, unable to eat or speak on her own, reliant on a wheelchair. She has since found moments of returning to hiking, paddleboarding, and continuing education, alongside periods of significant setback, including a stretch of complete immobility from sciatica that resolved only after ten days of consistent somatic and energy work. She was clear that this was not a single miracle moment; it was the visible result of many smaller ones.
Denise shares her own health history in the context of somatic and energy healing education. She is not a medical professional, and nothing in this post or the referenced episode should be taken as medical advice or a substitute for care from a qualified provider. Chronic illness experiences, including flares, fatigue, and unpredictability, vary significantly from person to person.
How Intuitive Energy Healing and Somatic Work Come Together
Denise described her practice as weaving together several modalities depending on what a client needs in any given session. This can include intuitive energy healing, somatic inquiry, somatic parts work, meditation, deep soul inquiry, and for some clients, past life regression or oracle card guidance. The intention is always to meet a person exactly where they are that day, not to move them through a fixed sequence of steps.
She also spoke about how disconnected many people have become from their own bodies, often without realizing it. Ignoring hunger, thirst, or the need to rest becomes so normalized that it stops registering as a choice at all. Intuitive healing work often begins by helping someone notice these cues again, long before any deeper exploration takes place.
Nervous System Regulation as Capacity, Not Constant Calm
A recurring theme in the episode was nervous system regulation, and what it actually asks of a person. Denise talked about how much of her early coping came from overworking and exercise, and how those mechanisms were stripped away entirely once she became bedridden. What she found afterward was a more individualized, body-based approach, one she says she wishes she had discovered sooner than the two decades she spent in talk therapy alone.
Regulation, in this context, is not about reaching a permanently calm state. It is about building the capacity to be present with whatever is arising, including discomfort, without that discomfort taking over completely.
A Grounding Practice From the Episode
Toward the end of the conversation, Denise guided a short, accessible grounding practice live for listeners. It invited attention toward the body’s connection to the surface beneath it, the rhythm of the breath, and any sensation quietly asking for notice. Rather than walk through the full practice here, this post points listeners toward the episode itself, since it was designed to be experienced in real time, guided by Denise’s voice and pacing.
What Healing Means After a Decade of Walking This Path
When asked how she defines healing now, Denise described it as a coming home to the parts of self that have been abandoned or shunned along the way. It is not a fixing process. It is a slow reconnection to the body, to one’s own energy, and to an inner sense of self steady enough to remain anchored even when things around it feel uncertain.
Listen to the Full Conversation
This post only scratches the surface of what Denise and Dr. Sarah discussed. The full episode includes more of Denise’s story, the complete grounding practice, and a closing reflection for anyone feeling exhausted or without hope right now. Listeners can hear the full NeuroAlchemy conversation, along with other podcasts where Denise has appeared as a guest, at deniseelysa.com/denise-as-a-guest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is somatic healing?
Somatic healing is an approach that works directly with the body as a pathway to processing, releasing, and understanding what a person is experiencing, rather than relying only on thought or conversation. It can include practices like somatic inquiry, somatic parts work, and body-based awareness alongside other modalities like energy healing or meditation.
Is healing from chronic illness supposed to be linear?
No. Chronic illness recovery is widely nonlinear, often involving periods of progress, plateau, and setback that don’t follow a predictable order. Denise’s own path, including remission followed by later decline, reflects this reality rather than an exception to it.
What is intuitive energy healing?
Intuitive energy healing is a practice that works with a person’s energy field, often alongside intuitive guidance, to support the body’s own capacity for healing. Denise’s approach is rooted in Therapeutic Touch® as a foundational training, though her work extends beyond those specific boundaries through additional training and her own intuitive gifts.
Can nervous system regulation help with chronic fatigue or chronic symptoms?
Many people navigating chronic fatigue and complex chronic illness find nervous system-informed practices supportive, though individual results and needs vary considerably. This is not medical advice, and anyone with health concerns should consult a qualified medical professional about their specific situation.
Where can I hear the full NeuroAlchemy episode with Denise Elysa?
The full episode, along with other podcasts where Denise has been a guest, is available at deniseelysa.com/denise-as-a-guest.
Continue Exploring
Denise as a Guest Hear the full NeuroAlchemy conversation along with other podcasts featuring Denise Elysa as a guest. Listen to Denise’s guest appearances
The Podcast A new episode of Coming Home to Ourselves with Denise Elysa releases the first Sunday of every month. Listen now
EmbodiedSoul with Denise Elysa Community A growing library of on-demand somatic and energy healing practices, plus live monthly events for members. Explore the EmbodiedSoul Community
Free Resource: Somatic Healing for Chronic Symptoms A free lesson walking through how to apply somatic inquiry in real time when symptoms feel scary. Best to browse the app first at embodiedsoul.passion.io before creating a free account, since creating any account removes the ability to preview other content. Access the free lesson
The Newsletter Free newsletter with energy updates, resources, tools, and event invitations. Join the newsletter
