What if therapists could understand more of what is happening in a session by paying attention to the nervous system—not just the client’s words, thoughts, and behaviors?

In this episode of Therapy Wisdom Podcast, Brian Spielmann talks with Jan Winhall about somatic therapy, nervous-system mapping, felt sense, interoception, neuroception, co-regulation, trauma, and addiction.

Jan Winhall explains why therapists need to learn to notice what is happening in the body—including their own body—and how that awareness can change the way they understand and respond to clients.

They explore:

• Why conventional treatment can sometimes compound trauma
• What Eugene Gendlin’s focusing work contributed to somatic therapy
• How the “felt sense” can reveal information that thinking alone may miss
• Jan’s Seven Fs nervous-system mapping model
• The difference between neuroception and interoception
• How therapists can notice physical cues of safety, shame, shutdown, and activation
• Why therapists need their own somatic practice
• How therapist presence and co-regulation affect the therapeutic relationship
• Why the therapist is part of the nervous-system equation
• How somatic approaches can change addiction treatment
• Understanding addiction as a nervous-system state regulation strategy
• Why this perspective can reduce shame for people struggling with addiction
• Jan’s idea that therapists are like “midwives” who create the conditions for healing

Jan also shares her personal and professional journey, including her early work with women experiencing profound trauma, her experience of vicarious trauma, her connection with feminist therapy communities, and the development of her Felt Sense Polyvagal Model.

For therapists, psychotherapists, counselors, psychologists, coaches, supervisors, and other mental health professionals interested in somatic approaches, trauma therapy, nervous-system regulation, and embodied psychotherapy, this conversation offers a different way to think about what happens in the therapy room.

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What if becoming a better therapist has less to do with learning more techniques—and more to do with learning how to read what is happening in the room?

In this episode of the Therapy Wisdom Podcast, Brian Spielmann sits down with somatic psychotherapist and Hakomi trainer Manuela Mischke-Reeds for a deep conversation about somatic therapy, trauma, therapist presence, nervous system regulation, and the intelligence of the body.

Manuela shares the journey that led her from movement and dance therapy into decades of somatic psychotherapy, trauma work, Hakomi, and training therapists around the world.

They explore:

• How therapists can learn to read the body in a therapy session
• Why somatic therapy can become too focused on techniques
• How the therapist's own nervous system and state can influence the client
• Why curiosity is more useful than immediately interpreting a bodily response
• How therapists can integrate different therapeutic modalities without becoming attached to one method
• The importance of practicing therapy in front of other clinicians and receiving feedback
• What Manuela learned from working with severely traumatized survivors early in her career
• How vicarious traumatization shaped her understanding of therapist self-care
• How Hakomi's principles of mindfulness, nonviolence, holism, and trust shape her work
• How somatic therapy can support psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
• Why understanding nonverbal states is especially important for psychedelic therapists
• How culture changes the way therapists recognize and respond to somatic experiences

Manuela also reflects on her own journey—from growing up in post-war Germany and discovering movement as a source of healing, to finding Hakomi, developing Innate Somatic Intelligence Trauma Therapy, and eventually writing about embodied psychedelic therapy.

One of the central ideas throughout the conversation is simple: the body is constantly communicating, but therapists need to stay curious about what they're seeing rather than assuming they already know what it means.

If you're a therapist, psychotherapist, psychologist, counselor, coach, supervisor, or other mental health professional interested in somatic therapy and trauma-informed practice, this conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on developing deeper clinical awareness.

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Will AI replace therapists—or will it become one of the most powerful tools therapists have ever had?

In this episode of the Therapy Wisdom Podcast, Brian Spielmann sits down with Maria Szandrach, CEO and co-founder of Mentallic, to explore the rapidly changing intersection of AI, psychotherapy, clinical documentation, and the future of mental health care.

Maria brings a unique perspective to the conversation. She experienced therapy herself as a teenager, seeing multiple therapists while being treated for an eating disorder. Years later, after working in finance, strategy, consulting, and entrepreneurship, she returned to the mental health space and co-founded Mentallic after interviewing hundreds of clinicians.

What she discovered surprised her: one of therapists' biggest problems wasn't the complexity of clinical decision-making—it was documentation and note-taking.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• Why therapists struggle to take notes while staying fully present with clients
• How AI can reduce the administrative burden of therapy
• Why AI may replace certain tasks without replacing therapists
• What AI can realistically do in clinical work today
• How therapists can use AI to improve their work with clients
• Why the therapeutic relationship is difficult for AI to replicate
• The danger of AI simply telling clients what they want to hear
• Why therapists may be overestimating AI's ability to replace them
• How therapists may be underestimating AI's potential as a clinical tool
• What the future of AI and psychotherapy could look like
• The ethical boundaries that should guide AI in mental health
• Why protecting client data and keeping clinicians involved is essential

Maria also shares what she learned from speaking with hundreds of therapists, why documentation can contribute to professional burnout, and how technology could give clinicians more time and attention for the part of therapy that matters most: the human relationship.

For therapists, psychologists, counselors, coaches, and other mental health professionals, this conversation offers a nuanced perspective on one of the biggest questions facing the profession:

How do we use AI to improve therapy without losing what makes therapy human?

What do you think—will AI ultimately make therapists better, or will it fundamentally change the profession?

Share your perspective in the comments.

Subscribe to the Therapy Wisdom Podcast for more conversations with leading therapists, clinicians, educators, and innovators shaping the future of mental health.

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