Stress relief therapy - When Stress Becomes a Habit Your Body Can’t Shake It

A quiet moment when the body finally softens — the first sign that stress is unwinding

By Natalia Gavrilova, kinesiology therapist

When stress builds up, it doesn’t politely tap on your shoulder. It tightens your neck, shortens your breath, clenches your jaw, and slowly convinces you that “coping” is the same as “being okay.”

Most people come to see me at times when coping stops working.

Maybe you recognise the signs:

• Feeling stuck or strangely flat

• A sense of overwhelm that doesn’t match the situation

• The body tightening up: headaches, stiff shoulders, clenched jaw, gut issues, back pain

• An inner feeling of “I’m managing… but really, I’m not”

They are messages your body whispers until eventually, it shouts.

How does Stress relief therapy work? - my approach

The work I do is not about stress management techniques, and it’s not a pep talk.I don’t teach breathing meditations, positive thinking, or how manage your life differently.

My approach is helping you to connect with your own inner guide. I help you to listen and understand yourself better, so you can find your own way out of chronic stress.  

During a session, we follow the places in your body where stress has settled. Gentle muscle testing helps us find these patterns: what’s overloaded, what’s shutting down, and what’s trying to protect you in a slightly outdated way.

Alongside that, my counselling background helps me hold space for the emotional story behind the tension — the thing you’ve been carrying for too long, or the thing you had no time to process.

There is no rush, no performance, no “tell me everything from childhood to now.”Just following the signals from the body that gradually form a picture.

And when the picture becomes clear, stress softens. The nervous system releases its grip.The mind becomes lighter, more spacious, more creative again.

In case you want to know more about how I work, I describe my approach here.

What Clients Often Notice Afterwards

The changes are subtle but unmistakable:

• the jaw and facial muscles soften

• breath deepens on its own

• thoughts stop racing

• decisions feel easier

• the body feels “back online”

• a sense of inner space returns — sometimes for the first time in months

This work doesn’t force relaxation — it makes space for it. In fact, relaxation isn’t the main goal at all. It’s simply what happens when feelings, memories, and experiences settle into their rightful place. (Read more about stress relief therapy here).

The true aim is something deeper:a clearer inner order… more spaciousness in your life… a renewed sense of hope and possibility… and the quiet ease that comes when trust and gratitude start to flow again.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Most people don’t realise that long-term stress isn’t only emotional — it becomes physical architecture. Your posture, your breathing, your sleep, even the way you hold your ribs and pelvis can shift around stress patterns.

If you never interrupt these patterns, they take over quietly.

Stress relief therapy with me is like pressing pause long enough to see where you are, what you’ve been carrying, and what you no longer need to hold in your body.

This is how clarity returns.This is how energy returns.This is how people step out of long-term “survival mode” without using force or willpower.

If You Feel Stuck, Overwhelmed, or Tense — You Don’t Need to Push Through It

You don’t have to be “broken enough” for this work. You don’t need a diagnosis or a dramatic story.

If your body is whispering that things are too much, that’s already enough.

When you’re ready, I’ll meet you exactly where you are — gently, respectfully, and with the kind of presence that lets your system finally exhale.

After a session, many people describe this feeling — warm, grounded, and steady again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I begin this work?

The simplest way to start is to reach out through my contact page.

Most people don’t feel a deep shift from a single session — not because anything is “wrong” with them, but because stress patterns live in layers. The work is gentler and more transformative when we give it time.

I usually suggest beginning with a short series of sessions, so your system has space to unwind, reorganise, and find a steadier baseline. Think of it as offering yourself the care you’ve postponed for too long — a small commitment that builds real change.

If you’re unsure where to start, send me a message. I’ll happily guide you through the first step.

Is this approach right for me?

If you feel stuck, tense, overwhelmed, or vaguely “not yourself,” this work is usually a good fit. You don’t need a diagnosis or a dramatic story — many of my clients come simply because something inside feels too tight, too fast, or too heavy, and they don’t have a space in their everyday life to deal with it.

This approach is especially helpful if you’re carrying things you can’t easily talk about at home, at work, or even with friends — the quiet, private burdens that shape how your body feels and how your mind copes.

And if you’re wondering, “Will I be suitable for this? Will I ‘do it right’?” — the answer is yes. You don’t need to be particularly self-aware, intuitive, or “good at therapy.” The work meets you exactly where you are. Your body leads, I guide, and together we make sense of what’s going on.

If you’re looking for a grounded, gentle way to understand what your system is reacting to — and why — this approach will likely feel like a relief.

If you want to understand the kinesiology approach better this page may help. To read more about me please click here.)

What can this help with?

Anything that feels like, “I’m coping… but not really okay.”

People often come with:

• anxiety

• emotional recovery after a difficult or traumatic experience

• grief

• feeling stuck or directionless

• chronic overthinking

• tight shoulders, jaw, chest

• fatigue or heaviness

• decision paralysis

Stress rarely lives in just one place, so I don’t treat it like a single symptom. Instead, we follow the whole pattern — the physical tension, the emotional load, the mental loops — and gradually untangle it so your system can settle and reorganise.

How often do people come for sessions?

Most clients choose a short series rather than a single appointment — usually 4 to 10 sessions. Not because they’re “broken,” but because chronic stress takes time to unwind.

When you’ve been in survival mode for a long time, your nervous system needs repetition, rhythm, and a sense of safety to transform, not just cope.

A typical plan looks like this:

• At the beginning: weekly or fortnightly sessions (3–5 appointments)to settle the system, reduce the overload, and build stability.

• As things improve: sessions become less frequentand focus on integration, clarity, and establishing new patterns.

• Long-term maintenance: many clients choose a session every 4–6 weeksto prevent stress from building back up and to stay connected to themselves.

A treatment plan is not about dependence. It’s about giving your body the time it needs to shift into a healthier rhythm.

Interesting in prices and availability? - you can find it on my contact page

Will I understand what’s happening in the session?

Yes — absolutely. Nothing is mysterious or hidden.

People sometimes ask this because they worry kinesiology might feel like hypnosis, or like they have to “surrender” control, or because they’ve heard muscle testing described in vague spiritual language.

In my space, everything is clear and grounded.I explain what your body is showing, why certain patterns tighten, and what we’re working with. You stay conscious, aware, and involved the whole time.

Most clients say the clarity itself is deeply therapeutic — it turns confusion into insight, and insight into relief.

Ready to take the next step?

If what you’ve read here speaks to you — even faintly — you’re welcome to begin. You don’t need to be “bad enough,” brave enough, or perfectly prepared. You only need to be willing to give yourself some space.

Most people start with a short series of sessions, and we decide the rhythm together.If you’d like to explore whether this work is right for you, you can reach me here:

Book or enquire: Contact page

Location: Beaconsfield, Fremantle (WA)

This is gentle work, but it creates real change. If you’re ready to feel more grounded, more spacious, and more yourself — I’d be glad to support you.

Natalia Gavrilova – your local kinesiologist in Fremantle (Perth, WA)

This article was written by Natalia Gavrilova, a kinesiologist based in Fremantle and working with clients from across Perth, Western Australia. I specialise in the emotional and energetic aspects of kinesiology and write to help people understand how this gentle, holistic therapy can support real change.

💬 You’re welcome to get in touch here.

🌱 If you’re new to kinesiology and curious about how it works, visit my introductory page.

👩‍⚕️ Want to know more about me and my background? Here’s my story.

Кинезиология - это мягкий, целостный метод, который помогает восстановить внутренний баланс, освободиться от стресса и глубже понять свои потребности.

Меня зовут Наталья Гаврилова, я кинезиолог из Фримантла (Перт, Западная Австралия). На этой странице я рассказываю, как проходят мои сеансы, с чем я могу помочь и почему кинезиология становится всё более популярной в работе с эмоциональными, физическими и энергетическими трудностями.