Healing is possible — and you don’t have to do it alone.

I offer nervous system-informed touch and somatic support for people navigating trauma, disconnection, and chronic stress.

Welcome, I’m Audrey Burke.

I am a licensed massage therapist and somatic practitioner specializing in trauma resolution and nervous system regulation.

I work with adults who are navigating the long-term effects of developmental trauma, chronic stress, high sensitivity, or a lifelong sense of disconnection from their bodies.

I bring together touch, presence, and a deep understanding of the nervous system to support you in feeling safer in your body and more at home in the world.

I am based in Durham, North Carolina and also work with clients virtually worldwide.

What I Offer

 

Somatic Experiencing®
A body-based approach to resolving trauma and restoring regulation. Sessions are gentle, relational, and paced to support integration and capacity.

Transforming Touch®
Touch-based support for developmental trauma, grounded in neuroscience and attachment. Often described as “the kind of touch I didn’t know I needed.”

Holistic Pelvic Care™
Energetic and physical pelvic bodywork practices that help women and people with female anatomy reconnect with their root, release old tension, and restore balance.

Massage & Bodywork
Trauma-sensitive massage that honors your unique nervous system.

Is This Work For You?

You may be a good fit for this work if:

  • You’re highly sensitive or empathic and often overwhelmed by the world

  • Your nervous system feels stuck on “on” (hypervigilance, anxiety) or “off” (shutdown, numbness) most of the time

  • You’re experiencing mysterious health syndromes like IBS, chronic fatigue, chronic Lyme, long-haul COVID, chronic pain, insomnia, or autoimmune conditions

  • You’ve tried talk therapy but still feel dysregulated or disconnected from your body

  • You’re healing from early relational trauma, neglect, birth trauma, sexual boundary violations, chronic stress, a traumatic or overwhelming event, or medical trauma

  • You long to feel safety in your body again — and to access more pleasure, connection, and aliveness

  • You want support that honors your pace and won’t overwhelm you in the process of healing

  • You feel like you’re always holding it together — but inside, your system feels fragile, exhausted, or on edge

  • You’re wanting to feel more agency, clearer boundaries, and a stronger sense of what’s yours and what isn’t

  • You don’t want to talk through your trauma story — but you do want to feel more regulated and at ease in your body

  • You’re curious about somatic healing

What Is Restorative Presence?

Restorative Presence holds many meanings.

It’s the process of reclaiming your own presence — especially when trauma keeps pulling you into the past or pushing you into the future. Together, we support your nervous system in returning to the present, in a way that feels safe and sustainable.

It’s also the quality of presence I bring into our sessions: attuned, regulated, and nonjudgmental.

Together, our conscious attention helps restore coherence — inviting the body back into its inherent rhythm.

Where attention goes, energy flows.

And in many ways, Restorative Presence is a form of somatic restoration. Through trauma healing, we build our capacity to say no, feel a sense of agency, feel our power, hold our boundaries, and reconnect with the life force that was once frozen or shut down.

It’s also what allows us to begin metabolizing the layered grief—the grief of what happened, and the grief of what didn’t happen but we so deeply needed. Personally. Collectively. Across generations.

This presence creates the conditions for healing and helps us to:
Move from holding it all together to softening.
From stuckness to flow.
From disconnection to a felt sense of aliveness.

This is the essence of Restorative Presence.

 

Trauma and the Nervous System: A Polyvagal Perspective

This video was developed to give a basic introduction and overview of how trauma and chronic stress affects our nervous system and how those effects impact our health and well-being. Much of the content is based on the groundbreaking work of Stephen Porges and his Polyvagal Theory and inspired and informed by the work of thought leaders Deb Dana, Vincent Felitti, Robert Anda, Gabor Mate, Dan Siegel and Peter Levine.

Deb Dana - Polyvagal Theory Made Simple

This episode provides a basic introduction into the core ideas of polyvagal theory. You'll learn about co-regulation, trauma, and the power of finding your anchor.