What SMART Addresses
Even with insight, motivation, and effective tools, many people find that change doesn’t last—especially during moments of emotional intensity or stress. This isn’t a failure of effort or intelligence; when the nervous system is overwhelmed, it becomes difficult to think clearly, reflect, or access what we know. When the nervous system has been under chronic stress or shaped by past experiences, regulation can be disrupted, making it harder to identify and make sense of thoughts and feelings in ourselves and others. SMART Therapy is designed to address this gap by supporting nervous system regulation first, so understanding, flexibility, and connection can return.
The SMART Approach
SMART Therapy® (Somatic Mentalizing & Affect Regulation Therapy) is a structured, teachable approach that integrates nervous system regulation with reflective understanding. It works from the root up—supporting the body first so the mind can follow. By using simple, practical, body-based techniques alongside psychological reflection, SMART helps restore the ability to understand ourselves and others when stress or emotion would otherwise shut that capacity down.
How SMART Works
SMART works in a deliberate sequence.
01
ROOT
First, the nervous system is supported using specific sequences of breath and movement, allowing the system to return to a steadier state.
02
AWAKEN
As intensity settles, awareness of internal sensations, emotions, and early signs of stress begins to return.
03
REFLECT
The ability to identify and make sense of thoughts and feelings returns, supporting a clearer understanding of ourselves, others, and different perspectives within relationships.i​​
04
CONNECT
Trust in self and others can begin to re-emerge, allowing for deeper connection and more flexible, secure relationships.
Who SMART is For
SMART Therapy is for people whose nervous systems are under chronic strain. By nervous system, we mean the body’s automatic fight, flight, or freeze system—the system designed to protect us from physical and emotional danger and to coordinate how we feel, think, and take in the world around us. When this system has been under ongoing stress, it can remain stuck in survival mode, making it difficult to regulate emotions, think clearly, or stay connected in relationships.
SMART may be helpful for people experiencing anxiety, chronic stress, depression, emotional dysregulation, eating disorders, trauma, or nervous-system-related health conditions such as autoimmune illness or fibromyalgia. You do not need a specific diagnosis or trauma history to benefit from SMART. This approach is for anyone who feels overwhelmed, reactive, shut down, or stuck despite insight and effort—and who wants support that works with both the body and the mind.
What SMART is NOT
SMART Therapy is not:
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a yoga class
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a relaxation technique
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a strictly cognitive approach
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Anyone can benefit from SMART. It does not require prior experience with yoga, mindfulness, or body-based practices, and it is not only for people with trauma histories.
Rather than forcing calm or relying on insight alone, SMART offers a structured, teachable way to support nervous system regulation so reflective understanding and relational capacity can return.