Meet Sonia Ogier a Wellington based somatic practitioner
I know what it is like to live a life driven by constant internal overwhelm, self-doubt, and physical exhaustion—because for a long time, that was my normal.
The Turning Point
My turning point came in my mid-thirties. Outwardly, I was a successful professional evaluating complex social policies for government departments. Meticulous and deeply focused on doing a good job, I was carrying far too much at work and at home.
If you had asked me then, I would have told you I wasn't stressed. But looking back, my system was completely overloaded. On the inside, I was running on absolute empty.
I lived entirely in my head, disconnected from my physical body. Like many, I carried unintegrated life experiences and chronic stress. As a result, my body was trapped in a perpetual cycle of fight, flight, and freeze—without me even realising it.
My days were spent navigating high alert, people-pleasing, and mentally reviewing everything I had said and done. Physically, my body mirrored this tension: my posture felt collapsed, my back felt weak, and I experienced acute anxiety at the thought of speaking up at work. I was trapped in an invisible cage of mental and physical bracing.
Eventually, my body forced me to stop. I became seriously ill with multiple complex conditions, including ovarian cancer. My physical system felt like it was breaking down under the weight of years of accumulated and unprocessed stress.
Like many analytical people, my initial instinct was to turn to self-reflection, books, and spiritual inquiry. I found immense depth and presence through paths like the Diamond Approach, which quickly replaced conventional talk therapy for me.
Yet because Diamond Approach is a highly analytical, mind-led practice, my intellect often took over. It gave me profound conceptual clarity, but it couldn't reach the deep physiological bracing locked in my tissue. My body did not feel safe.
At the same time, my body couldn't tolerate standard physical modalities. A simple yoga class would bring me to unexplained tears, and traditional massage caused my system to dissociate and shut down.
I was caught in a gap: I had deep spiritual access and psychological insight, but my body was too overwhelmed for standard bodywork and inquiry didn’t change my biological baseline state. I needed another way.
What changed: gentle body-led somatic therapy
Realising I needed a different path was the turning point that transformed both my personal health and my life's work.
That moment launched my journey to discover a gentler, more integrated way of working with the human system. I learned that you cannot analyse or talk an overactive nervous system out of survival mode, nor can you force an overloaded body to relax through physical pressure.
When I experienced specialised relational somatic bodywork — modalities that meet the nervous system with tissue pacing, relational safety, and quiet stillness — my physical system finally felt safe enough to participate and heal.
Mind, presence, and precise somatic touch work best as an undivided whole. When your physiology experiences direct, felt evidence of safety, your body no longer needs to defend or dissociate. It can finally yield chronic holding patterns, decompress, and reorganise itself back into natural ease, alignment, and vitality.
My Life Today
Today, my life feels fundamentally different. Having dedicated thousands of hours to advanced training in relational somatic bodywork, nervous system regulation, embodied inquiry, meditation, and transpersonal & depth psychology (as taught through the Diamond Approach) across the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, I live and practice from a place of genuine internal alignment.
My mind is quiet, my nervous system rests in a baseline of calm, and my body feels grounded and resilient. I no longer over-extend or run on empty. Instead, I find deep nourishment in simple, steady rhythms — tending my garden in Brooklyn, walking in nature, and enjoying a quiet level of creativity and vitality I never knew was possible when my system was bracing.
Living through chronic overload and finding my way out through the body hasn't just healed my health; it has shaped how I show up for others. It allows me to offer a space anchored in lived understanding, biological safety, and deep respect for your body's innate wisdom.
A safe, grounded space to open into
My personal journey and extensive training have brought me to a deeply integrated style of practice. In my offering, clear mental inquiry, heart-centred presence, and highly refined relational touch work together as an undivided whole.
Relational somatic work meets your system directly where physical holding patterns live. By creating the quiet biological conditions your body needs to recognise its own innate safety, we allow your physical system to unburden itself at a pace it trusts. As your physiology settles into security, your thoughts, emotions, and personal boundaries update naturally from the inside out.
Modalities & Practice Foundations
It is my privilege to offer you a calm, steady space in Wellington where you can discover the profound benefits of letting your body complete its natural reset. It is entirely possible to reclaim your baseline calm, and I am here to support you through that exact process.
The modalities I offer are not simply techniques I studied on paper—they are the exact somatic disciplines that supported my own journey back to presence, ease, and biological safety. Having experienced their transformative impact firsthand, I bring deep personal trust in their capacity to help your system self-organise.
Rather than applying a single rigid approach, my practice synthesises these leading somatic and touch-based disciplines, allowing us to tailor every session dynamically to what your nervous system needs in real time:
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A gentle, non-invasive hands-on therapy that listens to the subtle rhythms and fluid dynamics of your body. BCST creates a deep field of quiet stillness, allowing the nervous system to settle, release held tension, and reconnect with its natural capacity for self-regulation.
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Developed by Dr Aline LaPierre, this specialised form of therapeutic touch works directly with the nervous system to support emotional ease and relational connection held in the body. It combines intentional touch with somatic dialogue to build felt safety and resilience.
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Drawing on the Realization Process, the Diamond Approach, and embodied mindfulness, this element weaves dialogue and guided body awareness into our space.
Rather than trying to think through your experience, we track your immediate physical presence, helping you inhabit your core, explore subtle embodied states, and build a compassionate relationship with your body.
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A biodynamic cranial approach to touch that honours wairua—the spiritual dimension of your health, connection, and growth. Meeting your system with this depth of quiet stillness creates space for your whole self to settle, integrate, and unfold naturally.
What to expect in a session
To help your nervous system feel entirely secure, we move at a pace that honours both your body and mind. Every session is grounded in safety, respect, and deep listening.
Fully clothed: All table-based relational somatic touch work is received fully clothed, keeping you warm, comfortable, and fully supported throughout.
No need to relive the past: You do not need to analyse or retell the details of past painful events for your body to release their physical hold. We work with what is present in your nervous system right now. If sharing your story feels supportive, it is warmly welcomed; if you prefer quiet stillness, that is equally honoured.
A Collaborative & Choice-Led Approach: We work together using gentle somatic exploration to tune into your body's responses, ensuring you always feel grounded, supported, and in complete control.
I offer in-person sessions at my private garden studio in Brooklyn, Wellington, New Zealand.
Professional Foundations & Qualifications
My previous Career
Before transitioning full-time into somatic practice, I spent many years working as a professional researcher and evaluator across universities, government departments, and private organisations. My work centred around evaluating social programmes to improve community and social outcomes.
While I remain deeply passionate about structural change on a systemic level, my focus has shifted to helping individuals transform their health, resilience, and daily lives from the inside out.
Teachings that inform my practice
My work is continuously shaped by leading global figures in neuroscience, somatic psychology, spirituality, and advanced bodywork. I am deeply indebted to these pioneers, whose holistic approaches bridge the complex interconnections of our biology, emotional well-being, mind, and spirit:
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Creator of Polyvagal Theory, which revolutionised our understanding of the autonomic nervous system and how safety, regulation, and social connection are physically wired into the body.
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Founder of Body Intelligence, a leading global authority on Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, teaching a gentle, non-invasive touch approach that tunes into the body’s natural, self-regulating forces of health.
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Founder of NeuroAffective Touch®, a bridge between somatic psychology and therapeutic touch that focuses on resolving early developmental and relational stress patterns.
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Renowned expert on stress, health, and human development, who articulates how chronic stress and unexpressed emotions manifest as physical disease.
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Embodied non-dual psychologist and founder of the Realisation Process, an innovative method for psychological, relational, and physical integration through inhabiting the internal space of the body.
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Author and emergency doctor who masterfully integrates Western medicine and anatomy with the energetic pathways of Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture.
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Founder of the Diamond Approach, a modern spiritual path blending depth psychology with ancient traditions to uncover our true nature.
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The profound philosopher whose accessible interpretations of Eastern philosophy served as an initial gateway for me towards presence, health, and true nature.
Qualifications & Education
Certified NeuroAffective Touch® practitioner (USA) | Working with developmental trauma through somatic connection
Stillness Touch practitioner (Mexico) & Touch of Presence practitioner (Australia) | Accessing the profound healing power of stillness
Realisation Process Teacher (USA) | Developing somatic awareness for psychological and relational healing
Diploma in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (Canada) | Engaging the body’s self- healing capacities.
MSc in Social Research Methods, University of Surrey (UK)
BSc degree in Sociology from the LSE (UK)