Meet somatic therapist: Zoë K Somatics

'I’ve never been afraid to rock the boat.' Meet somatic therapist and all-round goth baddie, Zoë K Somatics.

By Isobel Clark & Zoë K Somatics 4 min read 10 March 25 Updated 17 October 26 4 min read Updated 17 October 26

Zoë L. K. is a certified practitioner of sophrology, a somatic mind-body therapy, and a sensual therapist and coach, specializing in Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity.

Specific themes she works with include: queer identities, sex work, ethical non-monogamy and kink & fetish. She also works part time as a stripper and fetish performer.

Can you describe yourself in 3 words?

Eccentric, friendly, reflective.

Tell us more about yourself and what you do…🦹‍♀️

I’m a certified somatic practitioner.

I trained for two years in a practice called Sophrology, that’s hugely popular in France (where I spent my teenage years) but hasn’t yet had its comeuppance in the wider world – which is why you might not have heard of it yet.

With a background in sex work and erotic performance, and being a fetishist myself, I’ve always been fascinated by the psychology of eroticism.

I recently trained for three months with Elop East, Completing their foundation course In LGBTQ+ affirmative counseling.

My work now revolves around supporting women and queer people, mostly around issues of gender, sex, and relationship diversity. That includes sex work, kink & fetish, gender & sexual identity, ENM, and other sex & relationship concerns.

What services do you provide on Sensuali?

I offer sensual somatic coaching through online sessions, using the sophrology method. This means I use a combination of hypnosis, breathwork, somatic stress release and visualization techniques, amongst others, to help my clients reach a state of mind-body connection and find a sense of home, stillness and renewed desire within their bodies.

Why do you do what you do?

In one word: sovereignty.

So many of us have been taught to believe our bodies are somehow ‘wrong’, as if that was something a body could ever be.

In a world where women & queer people are bombarded with reasons to feel unsafe and shut down in our bodies, reclaiming our sensuality is an act of resistance.

What turns you on?

As cliché as it sounds; open and honest communication. I believe real compatibility can only be discovered by sharing vulnerably with each other and getting to know the darker and more complex aspects of oneself that everyone hides.

What is an unexpected pleasure you discovered in your work?

The most unexpected gift I receive regularly from my work is an agnostic sense of the sacred.

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with spirituality for a long time, growing up dipping in and out of faith in my catholic upbringing, getting immersed in different belief systems and finally rejecting it all within the last four years.

What my work brings me back to is a direct contact with something sacred within the body, something I’d lost touch with in distancing myself from spirituality. A softening.

And the permission to suspend my mind temporarily, without giving in to any specific narrative.

What was your journey into this world?

I knew I wanted to be a stripper one day as soon as 11 year old me saw Britney Spears’ ‘Gimme More’ video.

I was always going to make sexuality my career, one way or another.

What should more people know about your work?

People often assume my work is a bit ’woo woo.’ The truth is, sophrology was developed by psychiatrist and neurologist Alfonso Caycedo, who extensively studied the relaxation techniques of spiritual practices around the world, through a modern scientific lens.

He worked closely with the Dalai Lama and extracted movements and techniques from various branches of yoga, before creating a repertoire of somatic exercises catered to his psychiatry patients back in Europe.

The method is now prescribed by GPs across France as a popular remedy for anxiety, chronic stress, sleep problems, chronic pain management and much more.

What do the first 60 minutes of your day look like?

I am not – and never will be – a morning person; I’ve designed my life accordingly. I see most of my clients between 11 and 2, so the first thing I’ll do after having coffee is to fix the feng shui in my session space.

I’ll burn a candle, get my journal out, and sit and write or meditate in the room for half an hour before the session starts, to make it feel lived in and peaceful.

My favorite part of this little ritual is applying a perfume I collected on my travels to Venice, that I’m only allowed to wear when I’m about to practice somatics, like a reward to my body. That’s really special to me.

What’s your superpower?

I’ve never been afraid to rock the boat.

We love vices. What’s yours?

An obvious one, but it’s got to be my love of shoes and fetishwear. I’m a magpie – I never stop collecting shiny things!

Who are your sensual inspirations?

Cher (always, but especially in the film Burlesque) Bettie Page (patron saint of switchy kinksters) and Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams (effortless elegance). The holy trinity!

Explore Sensuali providers specialising in somatic sexology.

Sources & further reading.

— References & recommended reading

van Rangelrooij K et al., Actas Esp Psiquiatr, 2020. Effectiveness of a 4-week sophrology program for primary care patients with moderate to high anxiety levels: a randomised controlled trial. Trial evidence for sophrology in anxiety, the method Zoë uses.
Pink Therapy (UK). What is GSRD Therapy?. Defines Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity (GSRD), her specialism.
elop (London LGBT+ charity). elop: LGBT Mental Health & Wellbeing. Organisation behind the LGBTQ+ affirmative counselling foundation course she cites.

breathwork embodiment erotic performance LGBTQIA+ non-monogamy purity culture sex coaching sex therapy sexual healing somatic sexology

The Author

Isobel Clark

Isobel is a writer and creative based in Paris. She has been working with Sensuali since 2022 and is deeply passionate about eroticism, kink, the feminine experience of pleasure and its place in art and culture. Originally from a Northern UK seaside town, she is naturally…

Zoë K Somatics

Zoë L. K. is a certified practitioner of sophrology, a somatic mind-body therapy, and a sensual coach specializing in Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity. She also works part time as a stripper and fetish performer.