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RACHEL NAGELBERG
Somatic Trauma Practitioner

Rachel Nagelberg wearing pink and red disappearing into the redwoods.

Rachel is a Somatic Trauma Practitioner, PNE Teacher and writer. She holds certifications in Somatic Release Technique (SRT), the Points Holding Process, and PsychoNeuroEnergetics (PNE) through the Somatic Institute in Los Angeles, and earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco. Her debut novel, The Fifth Wall (Black Sparrow Books, 2017), was praised by Chris Kraus in i-D Magazine as part of “a new and exciting tradition of female philosophical fiction.”

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Rachel's work bridges body, mind, and consciousness, shaped by a lifelong inquiry into the gut-heart-brain disconnection caused by trauma. After recovering from a rare neurological disorder involving full-body paralysis that required relearning gross motor functioning, and navigating years of a chronic digestive disease alongside persistant symptoms of D-PTSD,  Rachel explored a wide range of alternative healing modalities—including Alexander Technique, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Craniosacral Therapy, and intensive plant medicine ceremonies with fifth-lineage Shipibo Shamans in Pucallpa, Peru. This path ultimately led her to Los Angeles where she discovered PNE, a body-based approach that facilitates deep and lasting nervous system transformation and reconnection with the Self.

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Rachel’s approach integrates the principles of PNE with practices and philosophy from Vedic meditation and non-dualism, craniosacral unwinding, shamanic plant medicine, Somatic Experiencing and polyvagal theory. 

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In addition to her private practice, Rachel has facilitated somatic, grief, and creative writing recovery groups at inpatient rehabilitation centers in Los Angeles. She has trained in Transactional Analysis at the Southeast Institute for Group and Family Therapy, completed a six-month apprenticeship at the Psychedelic Somatic Institute with a focus on supporting clients with complex developmental PTSD through psychobiological resolution, and is currently studying Craniosacral Therapy. She is also immersed in a two-year long Vedic knowledge and application course, and continues to assist her somatic teachers and colleagues in ongoing somatic healing workshops in Los Angeles. Most recently she facilitated a multi-part Somatic Acting Workshop at a local acting studio for students to learn how to reconnect with their bodies and feel emotions safely. She is also developing a four-handed approach to somatic healing with a craniosacral and massage therapist colleague. 

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Rachel proudly works with people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds.

It is my honor and responsibility to hold space for your realignment and reconnection with your be-ing.

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Together, slowing down, we listen to the wisdom of your body, to a knowing that exists beyond the mind.

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Within this attunement to your biological blueprint, a doorway opens to a world beneath conditional patterning, allowing natural awakening and emergence from within.

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In our accelerating world that feeds on our disconnection from it, and from each other, slowing down is an act of resistance. Listening is rebellion. Embodiment is revolutionary. Connecting together in a space of safety and reverence builds a bridge to collective healing. As we restore our capacity to be in spaces intimately together, we plant seeds for collective liberation and peace.

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Please don't hesitate to reach out to discuss more about the nature of this work and my practice to see if it feels right for the next chapter of your unfolding process.

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-Rachel 

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Education, Certifications & Trainings

Current

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Craniosacral Level 2 | Meridians Massage, Los Angeles | 2026

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Mastering the Siddhis | Vi Rucks Meditation, Los Angeles | 2026

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Completed

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Craniosacral Level 1 | Meridians Massage, Los Angeles | 2026

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Exploring the Veda  | Vi Rucks Meditation, Los Angeles | 2025

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PSI Apprentice Training | Psychedelic Somatic Institute, LA/Colorado | 2024

 

Cranial Anatomy & Listening Skills | Life Energy Institute, Topanga, CA | 2023

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Transactional Analysis Practitioner Training | Southeast Institute, Chapel Hill, NC | 2023

 

PsychoNeuroEnergetics Teacher Training | Somatic Institute, Los Angeles, CA | 2022

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Somatic Release Technique, Points Holding Process & PsychoNeuroEnergetics Certifications | Somatic Institute, Los Angeles, CA | 2021

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100-Hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Certification | Dharma Moon & Tibet House | 2022

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Polyvagal Theory: Neural Exercises for Safety & Connection w/ Stephen Porges | 2021

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This Jungian Life Dream School | 2022

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Mindfulness & Stress Reduction Course & Mindfulness & Trauma Course | Mindfulness Care Center, San Francisco, CA | 2013

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing | University of San Francisco | 2012

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Bachelor of Arts in English Writing | University of Pittsburgh | 2009

© 2026 Rachel Nagelberg. All rights reserved.
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