MEET RIIKKA – RiiVIVE BODY

Riikka has a tremendous capacity for the complexities of the human body.

MEET RIIKKA

I’m Riikka—a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and holistic coach with over 20 years of experience in movement education and trauma healing. My work is rooted in the belief that true healing happens through the body. I’ve helped individuals restore function, ease, and strength, supporting them in reconnecting with their bodies after trauma, injury, or stress.
My own postpartum recovery journey deepened my focus on trauma healing, pelvic health, and nervous system regulation. This personal experience shifted my approach from performance-based wellness to deeper embodiment practices. Today, I specialize in guiding people to heal from trauma, reclaim vitality, and rediscover their inner power.
I offer a trauma-informed, client-centered approach and am committed to ongoing learning. In 2026, I’ll expand my offerings as a Somatic Sexual Healing Practitioner, supporting even deeper transformation for my clients.

THE METHOD

At the heart of my work is nervous system regulation. Our nervous system shapes how we respond to stress, sleep, and connect with others. I help you become attuned to your body’s signals, so you can heal deeply and move through life with greater ease and confidence.
Somatic coaching addresses sensations, emotions, behaviors, and imagery through the lens of nervous system health. This approach doesn’t remove life’s challenges—it empowers you to engage with them more fully, with presence and clarity. By transforming old patterns, you shift from reactive to empowered living.
Together, we’ll explore and release tension and blockages in your body, supporting your natural capacity to heal—whether you’re facing emotional stress, physical pain, or trauma.

WORK WITH ME

Working with me means a personalized, client-centered journey. My sessions—offered in-person in Helsinki or online—are tailored to your unique needs and goals, creating a safe space for curiosity and exploration.

RiiVIVE Somatic Coaching can support you with:

Nervous System Regulation: Identify and manage stress responses for greater resilience.
Trauma Healing: Address the roots of physical and emotional trauma to restore balance and peace.
Embodiment Practices: Reconnect with your body’s wisdom and build confidence.
Pelvic Floor & Core Restoration: Specialized support for healing after injury, childbirth, or trauma.
Corporate Wellness: Drawing on my roots in workplace wellness, I help organizations create programs that foster employee wellbeing and empowerment.

Sessions are designed to help you process and release what’s holding you back, using movement, breathwork, and somatic practices. My mission, shaped by my own experiences as a mother of three navigating chronic pain and trauma, is to empower you to live authentically, joyfully, and deeply connected.

WHAT IS SOMATIC EXPERIENCING?

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented therapeutic model for resolving trauma and chronic stress, developed by Dr. Peter Levine. SE draws on research in physiology, neuroscience, psychology, and biophysics, and is grounded in the understanding that trauma is stored in the body as incomplete survival energy.

SE works by helping clients develop increased awareness of interoceptive (internal body) and proprioceptive (body position) sensations, rather than focusing solely on cognitive or emotional processing.

Through a process called “pendulation,” clients are gently guided to move between states of activation (stress or traumatic arousal) and states of safety or resourcefulness, allowing the nervous system to gradually discharge stored survival energy without becoming overwhelmed. This titrated approach prevents retraumatization and supports the restoration of natural self-regulation.

A unique aspect of SE is its use of resonance—both physiological and relational. Resonance refers to the way nervous systems can attune to one another, creating a sense of safety and coherence in the therapeutic relationship. This attunement, or “somatic empathic resonance,” allows the practitioner to support the client in accessing and integrating difficult sensations, even remotely.

Research and clinical experience show that SE’s focus on resonance and attunement makes it effective in both in-person and online sessions, as the practitioner’s presence and guidance can be conveyed through voice, pacing, and subtle cues, fostering a sense of connection and safety regardless of physical distance.

In summary, Somatic Experiencing facilitates trauma resolution by:

Supporting the completion of thwarted defensive responses
Discharging stored survival energy
Enhancing interoceptive and proprioceptive awareness
Utilizing resonance and attunement for therapeutic safety and integration, both in-person and online

This method offers a gentle, body-first approach to healing, empowering people to restore resilience and well-being.

Stay in Touch