From Surviving in Your Body to Thriving in Your Life
ABout Caroline shine*
I Know What It's Like
To feel like your body is holding you hostage.
To try everything - therapy, medication, physio, rest, all the "right things" - and still feel stuck.
To live somewhere new and have everyone think you should be grateful, while you're quietly struggling with stress, pain, or feeling completely disconnected from yourself.
To wonder if this is just how life is now.
It doesn't have to be.
I'm Caroline, an Somatic Experiencing (SE)-based somatic coach supporting people in Germany who are dealing with chronic stress, persistent pain, and the weight of cultural adjustment.
I help you work with what your body is holding - not by forcing change, but by creating safety so your nervous system can finally let go.
I do this work because I've been where you are.
I learned about tissue pathology, biomechanics, pain mechanisms - all the technical pieces of how the body works and breaks down.
But I also noticed something the textbooks didn't teach:
The people who felt most helped weren't always the ones whose pain disappeared. They were the ones who finally felt heard and understood.
That observation stayed with me for years. But I didn't fully understand it until my own world fell apart.
How I got here
My story
- The distance from my family back home felt unbearable.
- The cultural adjustment was harder than I expected.
- The daily microaggressions that wore me down.
- The isolation of being far from everything and everyone familiar.
- The bureaucracy was overwhelming.
I developed depression and anxiety that wouldn't lift.
I tried everything I'd been told to try:
- Therapy (it helped, but something was still stuck)
- Medication (it didn't address the root, nor did it help)
- Rest, self-care, all the "right" things (they helped temporarily, but nothing lasted)
I felt like I was doing everything "right," but my body wouldn't cooperate. I was exhausted, disconnected, and starting to lose hope.
My journey through depression and anxiety
Discovering
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
The Turning Point
For the first time, someone helped me understand that my depression and anxiety weren't just psychological—they were somatic (i.e. in the body).
My nervous system was stuck in survival mode from the chronic stress of displacement.
No amount of talking about it or trying to think differently was going to shift that. My body needed to process what it had been holding.
Through SE, I learned:
- How my nervous system was creating the symptoms I was experiencing
- Why traditional approaches hadn't fully worked (they weren't addressing the nervous system piece)
- How to work directly with what my body was holding
- How to help my nervous system ease the patterns that were creating my depression and anxiety
Slowly, things shifted.
The depression lifted. The anxiety settled. I started to feel like myself again—not because my circumstances changed (I'm still in Germany, still far from family), but because my nervous system learned it didn't have to stay in survival mode.
That experience changed everything for me.
Because I know what it's like
I know what it's like to:
- Feel lost and disconnected in a new place
- Have everyone think you should be grateful while you're secretly struggling
- Experience racism and microaggressions - and have people tell you you're "too sensitive" when it's actually impacting your nervous system
- Try all the "right" things and still feel stuck
- Carry stress and pain in your body that no one else can see
- Wonder if you'll ever feel like yourself again
And I know what it's like to find the thing that finally works.
I don't do this work because I read about it in a book or thought it sounded interesting. I do this work because it saved me.
Now I help others who are dealing with what I dealt with: chronic stress, pain, and the weight of displacement.
Who I work with
- Chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation
- Persistent pain or body tension that won't resolve
- The physical and emotional toll of cultural adjustment
- Racism, microaggressions, and the stress of being constantly othered
- Feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck
I want you to know: what you're experiencing is real, it's impacting your nervous system, and there's a way to work with it.
Important: SE-based somatic coaching is not a substitute for therapy or medical care.
If you're experiencing clinical depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions, please work with a licensed professional.
I can work alongside your existing care team.
My approach
This means I understand:
- How pain works - structurally, neurologically, and somatically
- How the nervous system creates and maintains stress responses
- How trauma and overwhelm get stuck in the body
- How to work with your body's innate capacity to heal
My training spans multiple modalities and includes extensive study in pain science (including Explain Pain courses from the Neuro Orthopaedic Institute).
This breadth means I can meet you where traditional medicine has met you—I understand MRIs, diagnoses, what your doctors have told you - AND I can work with what your body is holding that doesn't show up on scans.
What makes SE-based work different:
We don't just talk about your stress or pain.
We work directly with what your body is holding—the sensations, the tension, the stuck patterns—helping your nervous system process and release what it couldn't before.
This isn't about forcing change or pushing through. It's about creating safety so your nervous system can finally let go.
The work is:
- Body-based (not just talk)
- Evidence-informed (grounded in neuroscience)
- Paced by you (following your system's timing)
- Realistic (not quick or magical, but deeply effective)
My Philosphy
- Your body isn't broken - it's stuck in protective patterns that once served you but don't anymore
- Healing isn't linear - some days you'll feel shifts, other days you'll feel stuck, and both are part of the process
- You don't need to relive your trauma to heal from it - your body can process what it's holding without you needing to tell the whole story
- Nervous system work is not "woo" - it's grounded in neuroscience and how your body actually responds to stress
- Your pain deserves to be taken seriously—whether it's physical pain, emotional pain, or the pain of being far from home
- This work takes time - I'm not going to promise you quick fixes or miraculous transformations, but I will walk alongside you as your body finds its way back to regulation
Qualifications
Bachelor of Applied Science in Physiotherapy
Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health (in progress)
Somatic & Body-Based Training:
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Training (Intermediate completed, Advanced 2026)
Bowen Technique
Acupuncture certification
Pain Science & Neuroscience:
Explain Pain courses (Neuro Orthopaedic Institute)
Extensive study in pain neuroscience and nervous system regulation
Clinical Experience:
10+ years as a physiotherapist
Specialised in neuromusculoskeletal conditions, including chronic pain management
Clinical work in neurological rehabilitation (stroke, neurological conditions)
Geriatric rehabilitation
Ongoing Professional Development:
Supervision in trauma-informed somatic practice by senior SE practitioners and psychotherapists
Training & Background
fun facts
- Takes black and white photos of people in their element - there's something honest about unposed moments that I love capturing
- Gets dangerously lost in thrift stores and second-hand bookshops—the mustier, the better. My husband has learned to just... wait
- Is always planning the next escape to Japan or a sunny city. Kyoto? Lisbon? Barcelona? Yes, yes, and yes. I'll take narrow streets, good light, and food that makes you pause mid-bite
- Believes that good food isn't just fuel, it's medicine—and anyone who says otherwise hasn't had the right meal yet
- Collects memories over things... though I do have a thing for beautiful objects (who doesn't?). Just fewer of them. And they have to earn their place
scroll to see my work
Here's what I know: You can take healing seriously without walking around like you're in a perpetual meditation retreat.
You can hold grief and still laugh at something ridiculous. Sometimes the best nervous system reset isn't another breathing exercise...
It's a perfect matcha in a city square you've never seen before, or finding that book you didn't know you needed for €3.
Life doesn't pause while you find your balance. And... living well is a vital part of the process.
If you're here, you're probably exhausted from trying to "fix" yourself. Skeptical but still hoping there's something that might actually work. Wondering if you'll ever feel like you again.
I was there. I get it.
And I'm here to tell you: your body hasn't forgotten how to feel good. It just needs help remembering it's allowed to.
#halfheartsforgaza
Beyond the Credentials
fun facts
- Takes black and white photos of people in their element - there's something honest about unposed moments that I love capturing
- Gets dangerously lost in thrift stores and second-hand bookshops—the mustier, the better. My husband has learned to just... wait
- Is always planning the next escape to Japan or a sunny city. Kyoto? Lisbon? Barcelona? Yes, yes, and yes. I'll take narrow streets, good light, and food that makes you pause mid-bite
- Believes that good food isn't just fuel, it's medicine—and anyone who says otherwise hasn't had the right meal yet
- Collects memories over things... though I do have a thing for beautiful objects (who doesn't?). Just fewer of them. And they have to earn their place
scroll to see my work
Here's what I know: You can take healing seriously without walking around like you're in a perpetual meditation retreat.
You can hold grief and still laugh at something ridiculous. Sometimes the best nervous system reset isn't another breathing exercise...
It's a perfect matcha in a city square you've never seen before, or finding that book you didn't know you needed for €3.
Life doesn't pause while you find your balance. And... living well is a vital part of the process.
If you're here, you're probably exhausted from trying to "fix" yourself. Skeptical but still hoping there's something that might actually work. Wondering if you'll ever feel like you again.
I was there. I get it.
And I'm here to tell you: your body hasn't forgotten how to feel good. It just needs help remembering it's allowed to.
#halfheartsforgaza
Beyond the Credentials
fun facts
- Takes black and white photos of people in their element - there's something honest about unposed moments that I love capturing
- Gets dangerously lost in thrift stores and second-hand bookshops—the mustier, the better. My husband has learned to just... wait
- Is always planning the next escape to Japan or a sunny city. Kyoto? Lisbon? Barcelona? Yes, yes, and yes. I'll take narrow streets, good light, and food that makes you pause mid-bite
- Believes that good food isn't just fuel, it's medicine—and anyone who says otherwise hasn't had the right meal yet
- Collects memories over things... though I do have a thing for beautiful objects (who doesn't?). Just fewer of them. And they have to earn their place
scroll to see my work
Here's what I know: You can take healing seriously without walking around like you're in a perpetual meditation retreat.
You can hold grief and still laugh at something ridiculous. Sometimes the best nervous system reset isn't another breathing exercise...
It's a perfect matcha in a city square you've never seen before, or finding that book you didn't know you needed for €3.
Life doesn't pause while you find your balance. And... living well is a vital part of the process.
If you're here, you're probably exhausted from trying to "fix" yourself. Skeptical but still hoping there's something that might actually work. Wondering if you'll ever feel like you again.
I was there. I get it.
And I'm here to tell you: your body hasn't forgotten how to feel good. It just needs help remembering it's allowed to.
#halfheartsforgaza
Beyond the Credentials
fun facts
- Takes black and white photos of people in their element - there's something honest about unposed moments that I love capturing
- Gets dangerously lost in thrift stores and second-hand bookshops—the mustier, the better. My husband has learned to just... wait
- Is always planning the next escape to Japan or a sunny city. Kyoto? Lisbon? Barcelona? Yes, yes, and yes. I'll take narrow streets, good light, and food that makes you pause mid-bite
- Believes that good food isn't just fuel, it's medicine—and anyone who says otherwise hasn't had the right meal yet
- Collects memories over things... though I do have a thing for beautiful objects (who doesn't?). Just fewer of them. And they have to earn their place
scroll to see my work
Here's what I know: You can take healing seriously without walking around like you're in a perpetual meditation retreat.
You can hold grief and still laugh at something ridiculous. Sometimes the best nervous system reset isn't another breathing exercise...
It's a perfect matcha in a city square you've never seen before, or finding that book you didn't know you needed for €3.
Life doesn't pause while you find your balance. And... living well is a vital part of the process.
If you're here, you're probably exhausted from trying to "fix" yourself. Skeptical but still hoping there's something that might actually work. Wondering if you'll ever feel like you again.
I was there. I get it.
And I'm here to tell you: your body hasn't forgotten how to feel good. It just needs help remembering it's allowed to.
#halfheartsforgaza
Beyond the Credentials
Your Next Step
Book a FREE 15-min call
I offer 1:1 sessions and workshops, holding a space for you online wherever you are in the world.
This is a simple, no-pressure conversation to see if you feel comfortable and if my approach resonates with what you need.
Standard One
I do not coach without consent.
My Pledge to You
The 10 Ethical Standards
I do not sell without consent.
My Pledge to You
The 10 Ethical Standards
Standard two
Standard three
In marketing and selling, I will treat people the way I would treat my clients:
With respect, transparency, thoughtfulness and genuine care for their well-being.
The 10 Ethical Standards
My Pledge to You
Standard Four
The best that anyone can be in our presence is our thoughts about them.
I base all my work with clients in unconditional positive regard.
If I cannot feel unconditional positive regard for someone (and that’s okay because we’re human), I refer them out to someone who can.
The 10 Ethical Standards
My Pledge to You
Standard five
I understand that neither human development nor coaching happen in a social and political vacuum.
I will be outspoken about my values and make business decisions that reflect them.
I will never put profit above values.
The 10 Ethical Standards
My Pledge to You
Standard six
I believe in every human’s capacity for healing, change and growth, and the reality of miraculous quantum change.
AND I do not bypass slow, steady, repeated work and cultivation of the grounded presence it takes to stay with things that take time.
The 10 Ethical Standards
My Pledge to You
My Pledge to You
Standard seven
The 10 Ethical Standards
I stay fiercely awake and present to pain and suffering inherent in life and the world.
However, I do not let it overwhelm me and stop me from believing in the magic and fun of coaching work.
My Pledge to You
The 10 Ethical Standards
Standard eight
I am open to all possibilities but am dogmatic about nothing.
My Pledge to You
The 10 Ethical Standards
Standard nine
I don’t do gurus. I don’t do cult-y thinking.
You are the best authority on you, the client is the best authority on themselves, and I do not endorse outsourcing decision-making or responsibility for how we experience the world and create our reality to anyone else.
My Pledge to You
Standard ten
The 10 Ethical Standards
I do not aim to be the perfect practitioner or perfect human.
I aim to learn, do a little better than yesterday, and have fun.
