Mindfulness & Somatic Therapy: Choosing Presence Over Control
We spend so much of our lives chasing happiness.
We chase it through achievement, productivity, spirituality, relationships, and endless self-improvement. We imagine that if we just think the right thoughts or do the right things, we’ll finally arrive at peace.
But here’s the truth: happiness isn’t something we can force.
At Embodied Therapy Group, our mindfulness and somatic therapy sessions often explore how feelings are like visitors. They arise, linger, and pass on their own timeline. Trying to control them—clinging to joy, rejecting sadness, numbing discomfort—often amplifies suffering.
Why We Chase Happiness and Control
The Illusion of Control
Our minds crave control. Control creates the illusion of safety, predictability, and certainty. We think that if we can stay positive, avoid pain, and optimize everything, we’ll finally feel okay.
But life doesn’t work this way. Emotions don’t obey commands. Circumstances rarely bend perfectly to our will. When we try to force happiness or push away discomfort, we end up fighting reality itself.
The Cost of Chasing Feelings
When we chase happiness, we often:
Judge ourselves for normal human emotions. Anxiety, sadness, and anger become “failures” instead of natural states.
Disconnect from the present moment, focusing on what we “should” feel rather than what we do feel.
Live in constant striving, exhausting our nervous system and leaving us anxious, depressed, or numb.
What Is Presence? A Mindfulness Perspective
Presence isn’t about feeling peaceful all the time. It’s not forced bliss or performative mindfulness. Presence is simply being here, with honesty.
It’s feeling your feet on the ground.
It’s noticing tightness in your chest without needing it to go away.
It’s allowing joy to exist without clutching it in fear of losing it.
Presence is not about control. It’s about relationship.
The Power of Meeting Life As It Is
When we stop fighting reality, we create space for:
Ease. Not because everything feels good, but because we’re no longer adding layers of resistance.
Clarity. Seeing situations more honestly when we’re not tangled in judgment or avoidance.
Freedom. True freedom isn’t feeling happy all the time. It’s knowing you can be with whatever arises without collapsing.
Why Toxic Positivity Doesn’t Work
Toxic Positivity vs. Genuine Acceptance
Toxic positivity tells us to override pain with forced optimism: “Just think happy thoughts.” It ignores the complexity of human experience.
Genuine acceptance says, “This is what’s here right now. Can I meet it with kindness?”
In our somatic therapy sessions in Colorado, we practice presence as an embodied experience—not just a mindset shift. We notice sensations, breath, tension, and movement. We cultivate curiosity instead of forcing positivity.
Practicing Presence: Somatic Therapy Techniques
1. Notice Without Fixing
When an uncomfortable feeling arises, pause. Notice it. Name it.
Instead of: “I need to get rid of this anxiety.”
Try: “I notice there is anxiety here right now.”
This removes judgment and invites curiosity.
2. Return to Your Senses
Presence lives in the body. Try:
Feeling your feet on the floor
Placing a hand on your chest and noticing your breath
Listening to ambient sounds around you
These simple practices anchor you in the present moment.
3. Allow Emotions to Move
Emotions are like waves. When we let them rise and fall naturally, they often pass with more ease. When we suppress or overidentify with them, they get stuck.
In our trauma therapy sessions in Fort Collins, we teach clients to feel emotions without fusing with them. You can say, “This is sadness,” rather than, “I am sadness.”
4. Practice Radical Acceptance
Radical acceptance is not resignation. It’s acknowledging what is here without fighting it.
“This is what’s happening right now.”
“This is how I feel right now.”
From this place, choice becomes clearer.
Presence as a Path to Mental Health and Freedom
Presence doesn’t promise perpetual peace or happiness. It promises reality. It offers the deep freedom of meeting life as it is rather than exhausting yourself trying to make it something it’s not.
When you choose presence over productivity, perfection, or forced positivity, you choose to live—fully, honestly, gently.
Mindfulness and Somatic Therapy in Fort Collins, Colorado
At Embodied Therapy Group, we specialize in mindfulness therapy, somatic therapy, and trauma-informed care that helps clients build presence, self-compassion, and nervous system regulation.
Whether you’re navigating trauma, religious deconstruction, anxiety, or relationship struggles, therapy can help you come home to the present moment.
💡 Learn more about our somatic therapy and mindfulness-based services.
Begin Your Journey Toward Presence Today
If you’re ready to build a life rooted in presence and self-trust, we’re here to walk alongside you.
👉 Schedule a consultation with an Embodied Therapy Group therapist today. You deserve to feel grounded, whole, and alive.
🙋♀️ FAQ: Mindfulness, Presence, and Therapy
What is mindfulness therapy?
Mindfulness therapy builds awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and body sensations without judgment. It reduces anxiety and fosters grounded presence.
How does somatic therapy help with presence?
Somatic therapy uses body-based techniques to process emotions and trauma, helping you reconnect with yourself in a safe, embodied way.
Do you offer somatic therapy in Fort Collins or virtually?
Yes. We offer somatic therapy and mindfulness-based counseling in Fort Collins and virtually across Colorado.
