Gabriel Posner Returns to NHI Emeryville to Teach Somatic Foundations
Gabriel Posner, PhD. | NHI Grad, former NHI Instructor and Owner of Elevated Somatics
Content Summary
NHI Graduate, former Core Program Instructor, and founder of Elevated Somatics, Gabriel Posner, returns to NHI’s Emeryville Campus next month to lead an exclusive Continuing Education course. Gabriel shares his journey from earning a psychology degree to building a thriving mind-body practice, completing a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine, and empowering therapists to master self-regulation and sustainable care.
- Following the Thread | How a psychology background and an intuitive visit to NHI in 2003 launched a multi-decade career in bodywork.
- Discovering Somatics | Addressing practitioner strain through Hanna Somatics to awaken self-healing in clients.
- Academic & Professional Mastery | Earning a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine at Saybrook University and establishing Elevated Somatics in Denver.
- Upcoming CE Class at NHI Emeryville | An exclusive preview of “Somatic Foundations of Therapeutic Touch and Movement” happening September 26 & 27.
When Gabriel Posner first walked through the doors of National Holistic Institute in 2003 with a fresh undergraduate degree in psychology, he knew talk therapy alone wasn’t enough. People needed touch, presence, and genuine human connection to truly heal. Following a strong gut feeling during his initial campus tour, he signed up and paid his deposit on the spot.
What began as following an intuitive thread evolved into a dynamic career spanning private practice, classroom instruction, doctoral research, and clinical education.
Unlocking Self-Healing Through Somatics
After launching his private practice in 2007, the combined physical demands of full-time bodywork and restaurant work began amplifying long-held patterns of bodily tension. Seeking answers beyond traditional soft-tissue manipulation, Gabriel discovered the somatic work of Thomas Hanna.
“That work didn’t just help me heal. It gave me an entirely new toolkit—one that allowed me to help my clients when traditional massage wasn’t enough,” Gabriel explains. “Somatics gave me specific techniques, but more importantly, a framework for understanding my client’s issues more clearly beyond biomedical explanations. Somatics helped me recognize that our clients are always whole, and solutions come not through fixing them, but awakening their own self-healing capacity.”
Teaching, Research, and Elevated Somatics
Driven to share these breakthroughs with others, Gabriel returned to NHI as a Core Program Instructor. Experiencing the joy of watching students light up with understanding inspired him to deepen his own academic work.
Gabriel practicing bodywork on a client
He earned his PhD in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University, expanding his clinical mastery into research methodologies, biofeedback, and health coaching. In 2018, Gabriel relocated to Denver and rebranded his practice as Elevated Somatics, offering private sessions, immersive workshops, and continuing education for bodywork professionals.
“NHI gave me my foundation for everything I do—first as a massage therapist and later as a teacher. I still create my courses and presentations based upon the principles I learned here.”
Upcoming CE Class on Somatic Foundations at NHI Emeryville
Next month, Gabriel returns to where it all began to share his novel blend of mind-body integration, wellness coaching, and somatic movement with the NHI community.
- Course Title: Somatic Foundations of Therapeutic Touch and Movement
- Location: NHI Emeryville Campus
- Date: September 26 & 27, 2026
- Key Focus: Learning self-regulation, avoiding therapist burnout, and applying somatic principles to deepen client outcomes.
“Sustainable practice isn’t about pushing through burnout,” Gabriel notes. “It’s about learning to become masters of self-regulation and self-healing, both for the therapist and their clients.”
Gabriel’s Advice for Aspiring Practitioners
“Listen to your gut; follow that inner sense. And if you can’t hear it, become still, unwind, and get quiet so the messages can get through. This work, life—even when effortful—should be easy and enjoyable, connected to your purpose. If your purpose took you in this direction, you’re probably in the right place.”
To learn more about Gabriel’s private practice, courses, and educational work, visit Elevated Somatics.
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