I’m Ariane Porras, a social worker and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner certified through Somatic Experiencing International (SEI). I bring more than 20 years of experience in social work, where I provided early childhood mental health consultation, facilitated support groups for kinship caregivers, and led a range of systems-change efforts. I’ve trained adults in strengths-based frameworks and trauma-informed practices, and collaborated on prevention initiatives to reduce child maltreatment in San Diego County. I’m also a frequent conference speaker in the early childhood field.

My own healing journey shifted when I discovered Somatic Experiencing and began relating to my body differently. For years, I had felt at war with my body, resenting the chronic pain I lived with. Learning to listen to it instead changed everything, and the experience was so profound that I felt called to learn this work and share it with others.

I’ve come to see Somatic Experiencing as a deep practice of liberation, one that reconnects you with your own sense of agency and safety. I can’t imagine a better way to spend my time than helping others find their way back to that, and I’m deeply committed to this work.