Ely brings a rare combination of intelligence, embodiment, and warmth to his practice, creating a space that feels safe, attuned, and non-judgmental. He lives his values, approaching healing with a deep commitment to justice and meaningful action. ~ Jen Monette-Bethune, Counselor, MA, LMHCA
Ely is a talented practitioner with a special awareness for somatic elements of the therapeutic process. His non-judgmental and deeply compassionate presence allows the work of therapy to unfold with great depth at the natural pace of the client's system. ~ Lisa Vaughan, Pre-Licensed Professional, LMHCA, MACP
Ely Shipley | Somatic & Psychedelic Integration Coach
About Ely Shipley
Ely Shipley is a trauma-trained somatic coach specializing in Somatic Experiencing (SE), Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy, somatic hypnotherapy, parts work and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed approaches, and psychedelic preparation and integration support. Ely offers body-based approaches for trauma healing, nervous system regulation, chronic illness, creativity, and deep transformational work that unfolds through an ongoing relational process.
This work may resonate especially with people who have found that insight alone is not enough—that understanding themselves deeply has not yet fully translated into lasting change in their bodies, relationships, or everyday lives. Deep feelers, creatives, helping professionals, spiritually curious individuals, and those navigating trauma, chronic illness, grief, identity, or major life transitions often discover that healing involves not only insight, but integration: bringing new awareness into lived experience through relationship, embodiment, and practice. Rather than pursuing quick fixes, we cultivate a deeper relationship with the body, psyche, and the unfolding intelligence of your own experience, trusting that meaningful change unfolds through an ongoing process rather than a single breakthrough.
My Approach
I support individuals whose stories aren’t fully met by talk therapy alone—people who’ve felt like outsiders, deep feelers, creatives, or those carrying visible and invisible wounds. My role is to help you reconnect with a sense of aliveness, rooted in the body’s innate wisdom and creative strength. This work is informed by a lifelong practice of listening beyond language.
My approach weaves together ancient healing practices and modern therapeutic modalities. Drawing from mindful, body-based, imaginative, and parts-informed approaches—including somatic work, somatic hypnotherapy, and psychedelic preparation and integration support—we’ll co-create space for healing to unfold in a way that feels grounded, meaningful, and honors your rhythm.
I have a strong foundation in trauma-trained care and understand how physical and emotional pain are often interwoven. My practice is especially supportive for those navigating chronic illness and pain, neurodivergent experience, grief, major life transitions, or who identify as queer or trans.
I also bring years of experience working with altered states and offer preparation and integration support for those engaging in psychedelic healing.
Background & Training
Alongside my somatic work, I spent over twenty-five years as a university professor of literature and creative writing. I’m also an award-winning poet and published author. This creative foundation informs how I help you connect with your own voice, resilience, and capacity for transformation.
I’m trained in Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy and am currently completing the Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training Program. I’m also a transformational coach and certified somatic hypnotherapist. My work is additionally informed by parts work approaches and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed perspectives.
My work is grounded in body-based therapeutic modalities that support healing through awareness, nervous system regulation, and embodied experience.
Working Together
It would be a privilege to accompany you as you reconnect with your wholeness.
This work tends to unfold over time rather than in a single session. Most clients I work with meet weekly or biweekly, engaging in an ongoing process of building capacity, integrating experience, and creating meaningful change in their daily lives.
Who I Work With
I work with individuals seeking body-based and trauma-informed approaches to healing and transformation. Many clients come to this work after years of therapy, recognizing that insight alone has not fully translated into lasting change. My practice may be especially supportive for those navigating trauma, chronic illness, grief, psychedelic integration, identity exploration, creativity, spirituality, or major life transitions.
You may resonate with this work if...
You've done years of therapy but still feel disconnected from yourself.
You understand your patterns intellectually but still find yourself repeating them.
You know why something is happening, but meaningful change still feels out of reach.
You've had profound, spiritual, or psychedelic experiences and want support integrating them into everyday life.
You're seeking healing that includes the body, not only the mind.
You're navigating trauma, chronic illness, grief, identity exploration, or major life transitions.
You're a deep feeler, creative, helping professional, or spiritually curious person seeking meaningful change.
You're looking for ongoing transformational work rather than a quick fix.
My services
Somatic Coaching
Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy is a relational form of experiential psychotherapy that uses mindfulness and body-based techniques to help people heal attachment wounds and developmental trauma. It is based on principles such as non-violence and mind-body holism. Learn more about Hakomi here.
Somatic Experiencing is also a body-based method that works to resolve trauma by emphasizing the body’s natural healing mechanisms. Some of its benefits include addressing stored physical tension and promoting deep relaxation through nervous system regulation. Learn more about Somatic Experiencing here.
Somatic Hypnotherapy blends hypnosis with body-based awareness to access and release subconscious patterns stored in the nervous system. Hypnotherapy works by guiding individuals into a deeply relaxed state where the subconscious mind becomes more receptive to positive change. Somatic hypnotherapy takes this further by integrating physical sensations and embodied experiences, allowing unresolved emotions and traumas to surface and be processed. This method heals through rewiring the mind-body connection and promotes lasting change by addressing root causes rather than just symptoms.
Psychedelic Integration
Integrating expanded states of consciousness—whether from psychedelics and entheogenic plant medicines or other modalities like breath work, ecstatic dance, or chant—can help make sense of such transformational experiences. Developing ongoing integration practices can deepen and amplify the healing benefits of psychedelic experiences. Learn more here.
Areas of Expertise
-
Psychedelic Integration
Spirituality
-
Anxiety
Depression
-
Chronic Illness
Chronic Pain
-
Trauma
Grief
-
LGBTQ+
Transgender
To schedule a free consultation, submit this form
🌈 Having trouble connecting? If you haven’t heard back from me, your email may have bounced. Please reach out again and be sure your email address is correct—I’d love to hear from you.
The wound is the place where the Light enters you.
~ Rumi
Frequently asked questions
-
I work remotely with clients across the U.S. and internationally. All sessions take place via Zoom.
-
We meet via Zoom. This offers flexibility, accessibility, and depth—whether you're nearby or halfway around the world.
-
Yes—and often in unexpectedly profound ways. This work isn’t about touch—it’s about tuning in. Somatic coaching invites you to slow down and listen to your body’s language: sensation, breath, emotion, gesture, image. Even through a screen, we can track what’s arising in real time. I’ll guide you into grounding practices, gentle movements, and inner exploration—supporting you to meet yourself more fully. For many, doing this work in the quiet of their own space deepens the sense of safety and intimacy. The body’s wisdom is always present. What matters is our attention—and that travels well.
-
I offer a free 20-minute consultation to see if we are a good match.
Hour-long sessions are $200.
I reserve a limited number of sliding scale spots for clients with financial need. If cost is a barrier, please reach out—I’m committed to making this work accessible.
The body will always tell the story of our wounds in a language so direct and simple that it can be too much to bear witness to. As protection, the mind pulls away and keeps itself isolated from the body. The most radical project we could ever engage in during our lives is the project of embodiment. This is the most radical act because there is no liberation without the union of mind and body.
~ Lama Rod Owens
