Bridging Psychology and Spirituality Through Soma
Where Science Meets Sacred, the Body Holds the Truth
For too long, we've been told to choose: psychology or spirituality. Mind or body. Science or sacred. The Goddess Coven teaches what somatic wisdom has always known—the body is where they integrate.
Soma is the Greek word for "body"—but it means the living, feeling, experiencing body, not the mechanical object studied in anatomy class. Your soma is where psychological patterns live, where spiritual truths land, where transformation actually happens.
THE FRAGMENTATION THAT KEEPS US PARTIALLY HEALED
Western culture taught us to fragment ourselves:
Psychology treats the mind (but ignores the spirit and body)
Medicine treats the body (but ignores the psyche)
Spirituality addresses the soul (but bypasses the nervous system)
The result? People do years of therapy without somatic integration and wonder why they still carry the trauma. People do deep spiritual work without psychological understanding and bypass their actual wounds. People medically heal the body without addressing the beliefs and stories that created the illness and wonder why their pain persists.
Even mainstream science is catching up—psychoneuroimmunology proves that mind, emotions, and immune system are interconnected. Ancient wisdom knew this, and also knew the missing piece: spirit.
THREE PATHWAYS, ONE Being
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PSYCHOLOGY | Understanding the Patterns
Psychology helps us understand why we feel and behave the way we do. It maps the patterns, names the defense mechanisms, traces the origins of our beliefs. Through frameworks like:
Jungian psychology - shadow work, archetypes, the collective unconscious
Attachment theory - how early relationships shape our nervous systems
Polyvagal theory - the neuroscience of safety and connection
Trauma psychology - how experiences live in the body and nervous system
Psychology gives us the map. But maps don't heal—only lived experience does.
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SPIRITUALITY | Remembering Wholeness
Spirituality reminds us we are more than our wounds, more than our conditioning, more than the stories we've been told. It connects us to:
Archetypal wisdom - the goddesses, the sacred feminine, the collective patterns
Nature's rhythms - lunar cycles, seasonal transitions, Earth's wisdom
Sacred practices - ritual, meditation, prayer, devotion to something more
Divine truth - your soul's knowing, your intuitive guidance, your connection to something larger
Spirituality gives us the vision.
But vision without grounding becomes spiritual bypassing.
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SOMA | Where Integration Happens
The body is not separate from mind or spirit—it is where they meet. Through somatic practices, we:
Feel what we've been thinking about (psychology lands in the body)
Embody what we've been praying for or manifesting (spirituality becomes lived experience)
Release what talking/intellectualizing can't reach (trauma held in tissue)
Rewire the nervous system (new patterns through felt safety)
Somatic practices include: Breath, movement, dance; Body-based meditations and grounding; Nervous system regulation; Embodiment practices that bring awareness into sensation; Rituals that engage the body in sacred action
Soma is where transformation becomes real.
TEACHING AT THE INTERSECTION
About Casey Dunne, MA, LPCC
Casey Dunne holds a Master's degree in Body Psychotherapy and is an LPCC specializing in somatic trauma healing. She teaches somatic psychology and contemplative practices to graduate students and brings this same integration of psychology, spirituality, and embodiment to The Goddess Coven's educational offerings.
Casey's teaching draws from:
Transpersonal psychology (Jung, Grof, Assagioli) - integrating spiritual experiences into psychological healing
Somatic psychology (Levine, van der Kolk, Ogden) - healing trauma through the body
Modern archetypal psychology (Hillman, Bolen) - using myth and goddess wisdom as maps for the psyche
Body psychotherapy - her MA specialty, weaving body awareness into psychological healing
Pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) principles - an evidence-based approach used by doctors, therapists, massage and physical therapists to treat chronic pain based on the fact that pain is neuroplastic
Priestess lineage - initiated through near-death experience into Lilith and Isis lineages, and more
Casey is also adjunct faculty at a university teaching the next generation of somatic counselors.
The Goddess Coven is an educational platform, not a therapy practice. Through teaching, Casey shares the frameworks and practices that integrate psychology and spirituality—but this content is for learning, not treatment. All educational content includes proper disclaimers and for mental health crisis, students of The Goddess Coven are directed to call 988.
Movement, breathwork, and somatic practices to help you stay connected to your body through the most profound transformation of your life.
EXAMPLES OF INTEGRATION
Chronic Pain as Initiation
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a psychological approach to chronic pain based on neuroscience research showing that most chronic pain is neuroplastic—created by the brain's alarm system rather than ongoing tissue damage. PRT uses cognitive reframing and some somatic tracking to help the nervous system learn safety again.
Casey's teaching brings the spiritual dimension PRT doesn't include: reconnecting to the body as sacred rather than broken. The goddess Hygeia teaches that the body is temple, not machine. When chronic pain is approached through psychology (rewiring brain's danger signals), soma (nervous system regulation), AND spirituality (body-as-sacred), deeper healing becomes possible.
This exemplifies integration: psychology and somatic work address the mechanism, but without the spiritual reconnection to body-as-temple, people can heal the pain and still live disconnected from their bodies.
Shadow Work Through Soma
Jungian shadow work often stays intellectual—journaling about your shadow without actually feeling it in your body. But the shadow lives in:
Clenched jaws (unspoken anger)
Collapsed chests (unexpressed grief)
Tight hips (stored fear or sexuality)
Held breath (suppressed aliveness)
Somatic shadow work means:
Name the pattern (psychology)
Find it in your body (soma)
Work with the goddess archetype (spirituality)
Example: Lilith (rage, boundaries, sovereignty) paired with jaw release practices and psychological exploration of where you learned to silence yourself.
Maiden to Mother Through All Three Lenses
The maiden to mother transition requires:
Psychological understanding of identity death, attachment shifts, developmental stages
Spiritual framework of initiation, death/rebirth, archetypal transformation (Persephone's descent)
Somatic experience of labor, postpartum nervous system changes, body transformation
When all three are honored, the transition becomes sacred initiation rather than traumatic loss.
WHAT WE TEACH
On the Podcast
Priestess Initiations: The Goddess Coven Podcast explores:
Goddess archetypes as psychological and spiritual maps
Somatic practices for embodiment and healing
Psychology concepts (polyvagal theory, attachment, shadow work) in accessible language
Seasonal and lunar wisdom for living in rhythm with nature
Spiritual teachings grounded in body wisdom
Through Patreon
Monthly teachings, rituals, and practices that integrate:
New Moon and Full Moon ceremonies with psychological depth
Seasonal initiations with somatic practices
Goddess embodiment work combining archetype + psychology + movement
Extended teachings on topics like chronic pain, shadow work, sacred sexuality
In Workshops & Events
Live gatherings to practice integration:
Goddess workshops pairing mythology, psychology, and embodiment
Seasonal celebrations with ritual and somatic practice (for inner circle members)
Community circles for shared learning and earth healing (Heal the Earth mission events are free!)
THE LINEAGE
This integration isn't new—it's ancient wisdom returning.
We stand in the lineage of:
Carl Jung - who insisted psychology must include spirituality
Peter Levine - who proved trauma lives in the body
Bessel van der Kolk - who showed the body keeps the score
Jean Shinoda Bolen - who brought goddess archetypes into Jungian analysis
Pat Ogden - who developed sensorimotor psychotherapy
Stanislav Grof - who mapped transpersonal psychology
The ancient priestesses - who never separated healing from sacred practice
At The Goddess Coven, we teach this integration openly, naming all our sources—psychological, spiritual, and somatic.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR HEALING THE EARTH
When you heal the fragmentation within yourself, you stop contributing to the fragmentation of the world.
Integrated humans:
Don't exploit the Earth's body because they honor their own
Don't create false hierarchies (mind over body, spirit over matter) that justify domination
Live in rhythm with nature because they live in rhythm with themselves
Heal trauma rather than pass it down generationally
Model wholeness for the collective
The Earth needs healers who are whole.
Your body is not separate from Earth's body. Your healing is Her healing.
Join The Goddess Coven community and find your circle of support through this sacred transformation.
want to spiral deeper? join our patreon community!
Join the coven at the level that feels right for you:
Coven Member ($5/month) - Monthly new moon teaching, community updates, and you're helping keep the podcast, embodiment library, and ritual grimoire free
New Moon Initiate ($11/month) - Full monthly ritual guide, behind-the-scenes content, bonus podcast content including exclusive reflection prompts and teachings, and list your offerings in the Coven Shop
Full Moon Initiate ($22/month) - Everything above plus monthly full moon rituals, extended interviews, exclusive unpublished poetry, and discounts on workshops and retreats
Inner Circle ($88/month) - Limited to 20 members - Everything above plus quarterly live seasonal teaching sessions (2 hours, 4x/year), and quarterly office hours (60 min, 4x/year), original watercolor artwork downloadable prints included, sliding scale pricing on wedding officiation, and first access to limited offerings
Help us continue offering free resources while deepening your own practice.
EDUCATIONAL DISCLAIMER
The Goddess Coven is an educational platform dedicated to teaching the integration of psychology, spirituality, and somatic wisdom.
This content is for learning purposes and does not constitute therapy, counseling, or mental health treatment. Casey Dunne maintains a separate therapy practice that does not overlap with The Goddess Coven LLC. All educational content includes proper disclaimers and for mental health crisis, students of The Goddess Coven are directed to call 988.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357
All teachings honor the ethical boundaries of education while drawing from Casey's clinical expertise and priestess lineage.
The body is where science meets sacred. Your soma knows the way home.