About Core Energetics

What if your body has something to tell you that your mind can’t quite put into words?

What is Core Energetics?

Core Energetics is a somatic modality developed by psychiatrist John Pierrakos, M.D. It draws from psychology and psychotherapy while incorporating physical experience, movement, and expression into the work. Core Energetics considers body, mind, emotions, spirit, and will as interconnected parts of our experience.

The Principles of Core Energetics

1. Mind and Body Are Connected

Our psychological and physical experiences influence one another. Core Energetics brings attention to both, using discussion and body-based practices to explore that connection.

2. We Adapt to Protect Ourselves

We develop ways of responding to experiences, relationships, and environments that help us navigate life. Over time, these adaptations can become patterns that limit our choices. The work invites curiosity about what these patterns have made possible and what they may make difficult now.

3. Authentic Expression Matters

Core Energetics explores what becomes possible when we have more freedom to recognize and express what is genuinely ours (our feelings, needs, boundaries, values, and desires) rather than automatically adapting to what we think others expect.

4. Energy Is Part of the Experience

In Core Energetics, “energy” refers to the vitality, activation, movement, and aliveness we experience physically and emotionally. The work may bring consciousness to tension, breath, movement, impulses, and expression without assuming that any physical experience has one predetermined meaning.

5. Awareness Creates Choice

Patterns can feel automatic when we are not aware of them. Bringing greater consciousness to how we respond can create more opportunity to choose how we want to move forward.

Personal and Collective Transformation

Our personal histories and experiences matter, but so do the cultures, communities, and systems we live within. Many forms of harm and disconnection are shaped by marginalization, oppression, and inequity.

Core Energetics explores individual growth within the larger context of our relationships, communities, and the world we live in. As we develop greater awareness of ourselves, we can also become more conscious of how we relate to others and participate in the world around us. In this way, personal and collective transformation shape one another.

How These Principles Shape the Work

These principles provide a framework rather than a formula. Each person brings a different history, body, and way of responding to the world, so the work begins with meeting you where you are and staying curious about what is true for you.

Core Energetics invites active participation, bringing together discussion and physical experience. The goal is to develop greater awareness of your patterns and expand your capacity to respond with more choice, flexibility, and agency.

Curious About Core Energetics?

We can begin with a free 20-minute consultation to talk about what you’d like support with, answer your questions, and discover if this approach feels like a good fit.

Request a Consultation

Additional Resources:

  • "Caroline has helped me change my life through Core Energetics. In the three years I’ve been seeing her, she has helped me work through blockages, gain powerful insights, and find acceptance of my many facets. She is kind, thoughtful, understanding, and pleasant. I always feel heard and safe. I’m so grateful for this work and for the most wonderful person to guide me through it. Thank you, Caroline."
    —S.J.

  • “Not your typical therapy session in the best way imaginable. I was that person that resisted therapy because I could "figure it out" on my own. But an initial experience with Core Energetics reminded me that "figuring it out" and "feeling it out" are 2 very different things. I find each session to be highly structured with different exercises to cast a difficult experience in a new light, but there is a reassuring consistency in Caroline’s approach that allows me to more easily integrate our sessions into the real world. She has equipped me in a short period of time with tools to navigate my both repeated difficulties and unwelcome surprises, what an amazing gift.”
    —H.B.

  • "As someone who was unsure about therapy all together, Core Energetics has truly opened my eyes to the ways in which our body & mind are connected. To be able to understand and move energy is a powerful thing! Caroline is so patient, kind, and comfortable. I did not think I would be able to share more than ‘I’m fine’ when asked. She is so intentional in her listening and though she pushes in ways that have helped me grow, it’s always been in a way that I have control of the pace! Cannot say enough great things about Caroline & Core Energetics."
    —K.H.

  • “I have been so grateful to work with Caroline over the past several years. She is able to meet me right where I am on any given day, and I am so grateful for her consistent warmth, focus, insight, and ability to recognize patterns and bring them to my attention for further exploration. I always walk away from our time together with a valuable insight and I genuinely enjoy being in her presence. She is skilled, compassionate, keen, and empathetic. I love working with her!”
    —L.R.

  • “Caroline is a wonderful person to work with. She asks great questions, has a gentle approach to the tough stuff, and knows when & how to challenge you to get a little bit deeper - all via Zoom!

    I also appreciate the scheduling & her flexibility. I know my calendar is a busy mess and she always finds an hour for my session :)”
    —J.R.

  • “I’ve been seeing Caroline for over 8 months now. She has helped me get through some very tough times in my life. My previous experiences with counseling have been catastrophic. Caroline is nonjudgemental and very patient with my healing. The core energetic and somatic method is almost magical. I have had pain that increases with challenges and frustration for over 10 years. Caroline helped me search inside and find what is bothering me. I work through it physically. I always leave my sessions in less pain.”
    —M.J.

  • “I am so grateful to Caroline for the endless ways she provided skillful support for an entire year for Next Generation Core Somatic Training. The students felt held by her compassionate listening, wisdom, and guidance, and the faculty knew she had their backs. She led high spirited warmups, facilitated people through challenging transitions, helped students get a handle on the theory, stepped in to provide examples, and created a safe, confidential space that allowed people to do the deep transformational work they came to do. Interning for Core Energetics trainings is not for the faint of heart, and Caroline stepped up to the challenge.”
    — Barra Kahn, Director, Next Generation Core Somatic Training

  • I have been attending sessions of Core Energetics with Caroline for over a year now and cannot recommend it enough. I have been able to discover many new pathways to grounding, connection with others, and freedom of expression. This is a great practice for anyone who wants to learn about themselves and how they would like to show up in their lives.
    -J.D.