Somatic Practitioner & Educator

Discovering the wisdom already within

come home

to yourself

If you are moving through grief, overwhelm or disconnection, there is a way back. It is not a concept. It is a living truth your body already knows.

WholenessNothing is broken. We are uncovering what was always there.
The body knowsWhen we listen to our bodies, we discover more of ourselves.
BelongingTo ourselves, to each other, and to the earth.
Nature as teacherLearning from the wisdom of the living world and discovering our connection within

Barbara Collier in a wide-brimmed hat and striped
wrap

Meet Barbara

A steady, warm guide back to the body

For more than 30 years, Barbara has walked with individuals, families, children and communities through trauma toward wholeness. She works through touch and movement, alongside horses, and out on the land.

“Touch is our first language after birth.”

Licensed Professional Counselor · Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner · Former ICU nurse · With horses since 1990

Her story

Ways to work together

Three paths, one invitation

Sunlight coming down through tall pines along a quiet path

Individuals & families

Immersives

A half day, a full day, or a few days set aside just for you or your family. Shaped around what you need.

Learn more

Barbara offering gentle touch
to a participant during a retreat

In community

Workshops & Retreats

Gatherings in Croatia, Costa Rica, Arizona and online, for the public and for practitioners.

See gatherings

Blue, a black horse of the Equinimity herd standing in the corral, mesquite trees and mountains beyond

Tucson, Arizona

Equinimity Tucson

Healing with horses in the Sonoran Desert, through the nonprofit Barbara co-founded in 2017.

Healing with horses

Before you go on

Breathe inand let it go

There is no hurry here. Healing moves at the pace of safety.

“We do not just exist on this planet; we are of this planet.”

Barbara Collier

Begin with a conversation Explore immersives

Two horses touching noses in a quiet field

Now in Tucson · From October 19

Desert immersives at Equinimity

Canyons, desert trails and time with horses, alongside table-based somatic work, movement and conversation. Shaped by the season and by you.

Ask about dates All immersives

“These sessions weren’t just about content. They were transmissions.”

Program participant, Argentina

“We gather to remember what the body knows: that healing is possible, not only alone but together.” Barbara

Join our community

Hear first when new retreats and gatherings open. We will be mindful of how often we write.

About Barbara

A calm, grounded guide back to the body

I’ve always been curious about life. About how we come to know ourselves, experience the world around us, and connect with one another. I’m continually amazed by the ways we reach toward connection, discovery, and belonging. The more I experience, the more I appreciate how much there is to discover, within ourselves and in relationship with the world around us. There is something both tender and powerful in all of this.

For more than 30 years, I’ve worked with people of all ages and walks of life, listening, learning, and discovering together. One of the most meaningful parts of this work has been witnessing people come to know who they truly are, beyond what they’ve been told or come to believe about themselves. What continues to amaze me is what becomes possible when we begin to recognize and trust our own ways of knowing. That’s where the genius is. That’s where wisdom is. That’s where the precise right medicine is—for you and only you.

LPCSomatic Experiencing® PractitionerEmbodied Psychosexual PractitionerOrdained minister

Barbara Collier sitting against a tree in a sunny corral, her dog on her lap

Barbara leaning against a tree in a sunny courtyard, smiling

“One of the things that moves me most is our willingness to keep reaching toward one another.”

“I’ve come to believe that each of us carries a wisdom that is particular to who we are.”

Sometimes that recognition is tentative, sometimes surprising, and sometimes it happens in the midst of great difficulty.

My early years as an ICU nurse brought me into intimate contact with life, death, and everything in between. I witnessed extraordinary tenderness in the midst of suffering, and began to appreciate how much our bodies know, communicate, and respond, often beyond what words can express.

That curiosity has taken me into many different worlds, from hospitals and treatment rooms to classrooms, retreats, and time spent with horses and the natural world. Each has shaped me, challenged what I thought I knew, and opened me to something more.

I continue to learn as much from the people I work with as from the many teachers and experiences that have shaped my path.

My Work

coming home

to ourselves.

My work is an invitation to become curious about ourselves. To listen to our bodies, recognize our own ways of knowing, and explore what becomes possible when we begin to trust ourselves.

Barbara crouching to touch a rain puddle beside a pink adobe wall, her dog beside her

Who I work with

Many ways of being human. Many ways of coming home.

I work with people of all ages and walks of life. Some are navigating trauma, grief, pain, or profound life changes. Others are seeking a deeper relationship with themselves, their bodies, and the world around them. Some simply know that something in their lives is asking for attention. Others are curious about what might be possible.

Living with pain, illness, or physical challenges
Navigating grief, loss, or significant life changes
Experiencing anxiety, overwhelm, or disconnection
Healing from trauma or difficult life experiences
Exploring relationships, intimacy, and belonging
Deepening self-awareness and trust in their own ways of knowing
Seeking greater connection, vitality, and possibility

Barbara with her arms raised to the sky in
a green field

The body’s language

The Language of the Body

Movement, sensation, sound, play, and art have long been part of how I attend to chronic pain, but they’re also part of how I explore life and connect with others.

Our bodies are constantly communicating, often in ways that words cannot express. They hold extraordinary wisdom, yet for many of us, the language of the body has become a lost language.

I’m interested in what becomes possible when we begin to listen, make room for expression, follow our curiosity, and recognize the deep wisdom inherent within us. What might change if we approached our bodies with curiosity, appreciation, and trust?

“We do not just exist on this planet; we are of this planet.”

Somatic touch

Touch Is Our First Language

My own relationship with touch has been a journey. Not all touch in my early life was kind or welcome. Finding my way back to touch as something nourishing, respectful, and deeply connecting has been part of my own life and learning.

Touch is one of our earliest ways of knowing and connecting with the world. It can communicate care, comfort, presence, and belonging without a single word.

In my work, touch is an invitation to listen together, to notice what the body is communicating, and to explore what becomes possible through attentive, respectful contact. Consent, curiosity, and relationship are at the heart of this work.

Barbara tending to a participant lying on a
table while others sit with them

Grief

Grief as Belonging, Not Exile

Grief and loss have been part of my own life, as they are for so many of us. I’ve come to appreciate that grief has many faces. We grieve those we’ve loved and lost, what we never received, the dreams that didn’t come to be, and even the sorrows we carry for the world around us.

I think of grief as part of the connective tissue of being human. It can connect us. It is meant to connect us. We are not meant to grieve alone. I see this so clearly in the animal world, where grief is often shared and expressed in the presence of one another.

Grief speaks to what matters to us, to love and longing, and to our deep need for one another. It isn’t a problem to solve. It asks to be witnessed, tended, and given room to move.

In my work, I make room for grief as part of supporting life itself. Not something we need to seek out or hurry toward, but something we can welcome and attend to together, when the time is right.

There’s such tenderness in being human. In loving, losing, and finding our way toward one another.

Barbara resting her hand on a black horse
in a Tucson corral

My First Teachers

We moved a lot when I was a child, never staying long enough to make lasting friendships. I turned toward nature early. Trees, sky, water, moss, flowers, stones, and of course, critters. One of my earliest memories is of a cat who used to spend time with me in my crib.

I don’t know exactly why I’ve always felt so at home with animals. Maybe it’s because we don’t need words. Even as a child, I had the feeling that animals and nature somehow got me. And they still do. Sometimes it’s a bird appearing at just the right moment, squirrels playing when the world feels bleak, or deer lingering nearby. These encounters can shift something in me, bring unexpected inspiration, or make the world feel a little less lonely. And then there was my beloved dog Lou, my best friend, who taught me so much about compassion.

My relationship with horses has brought another dimension to this lifelong connection with animals. Over the decades, they’ve challenged me, surprised me, and deepened my understanding of relationships, boundaries, belonging, loss, and change. They’ve taught me as much about myself as they have about the extraordinary ways we can come to know one another.

Moss and lichen on the base of a tree among pine needles and fallen leaves

Red maple leaves backlit against a dark forest

A Path of Practice

I’ve lived enough life to know that things are rarely as simple as they appear. I’ve known times of great uncertainty and scarcity, made choices that worked out beautifully, and others that didn’t. I’ve learned a great deal from both.

There’s always been a lot of fire in me. In my younger years, much of it came through as anger. Today, I recognize that same fire as something quite extraordinary. Life force, creativity, and a deep appreciation for being alive.

My life and my work have shaped one another. Challenges, hardships, exquisitely precious moments, motherhood, nursing, working with children and families, horses, and the many people I’ve encountered along the way have all contributed to how I understand myself and meet others.

And perhaps one of the things I’ve come to appreciate most is that we are not broken, even when life has been difficult. There is an inherent wisdom within us that doesn’t disappear because of what we’ve experienced. We are so much more than our histories, our circumstances, or what we’ve come to believe about ourselves.

Each of us matters. Each of us belongs. And our wholeness has been here all along.

A pine tree on
the rocks above the sea at sunset in Croatia, with someone resting on a
bench

Take the next step

Wondering if this work is right for you?

Tell Barbara a little about what brings you here. She or her team will write back personally, gently and at your pace.

Get in touch Explore immersives

Immersives

Time set aside, just for you

Every immersive is different because every person is different. We begin with you, your interests, your curiosity, and what feels important in your life right now. Our time together might include time in nature, table-based somatic work, movement, sound, conversation, creative expression, or time with animals.

There’s room for curiosity, uncertainty, laughter, tenderness, and whatever else might arise. Nothing needs to be forced or figured out. We move at a pace that allows us to listen, notice, and make room for what matters most to you.

Made just for you.

Barbara brings three decades of somatic trauma work to each immersive, along with training in touch with Kathy Kain, play therapy and expressive arts, and certification in grief care.

A still lake under a wide sky, hills and autumn trees on the far shore

For individuals

Half-day immersive

One 3-hour session, or two 90-minute sessions in a single day. A shorter, focused time together.

Up to 3 hours

Full-day immersive

A full day shaped around your interests, intentions and needs.

Up to 6 hours

Two- to three-day stay

An extended, personal immersion, with lodging and meals if you would like them.

2–3 days

For families

“Families rarely need more advice. Often, they need enough time.”

Family immersive day

A day personalised to your family's intentions and needs.

Up to 6 hours

Family retreat

Two or three days of facilitated time together, for connection and understanding as a family. Lodging and meals optional.

2–3 days

For online sessions

For those connecting online

Extended time together, wherever you are. Sessions are shaped around your interests, intentions, and needs. Available for individuals and families.

Duration: Beginning with two one-hour sessions, scheduled on the same day or within the same week, with the option to extend into multiple days of up to four hours per day, divided into two sessions.

Individuals · Families · Online

Places we gather

Desert, sea and old towns

Tucson, Arizona

Equinimity

The Sonoran Desert, with canyons, trails and horses. Open from October 19.

Wherever I am live

Online

For organisations

Invite Barbara to your program

Barbara speaks and teaches on summits, trainings and online series, on the nervous system, touch, grief and trauma.

Send an invitation Ask about an immersive

Autumn leaves and pine needles floating on clear blue water

Workshops & Retreats

Gathering together

There’s something special about coming together with others to explore, learn, and share in the experience of being human. A chance to come home to yourself in good company.

My workshops and retreats offer opportunities to step outside our usual routines, become curious, and explore what becomes possible when we make room for ourselves and one another.

Some gatherings are open to everyone, while others are designed specifically for practitioners. Each has its own focus, but all are invitations to learn through experience, deepen our understanding, and appreciate the extraordinary ways we connect.

I’ve had the pleasure of co-facilitating with Dr. Peter Levine and leading gatherings in Arizona, Croatia, Maine, the UK, Costa Rica, and California. I’m also happy to bring this work to you.

Next dates · Coming soon

New retreats are being planned

Join the community list and you will hear first when dates open. A few places tend to go quickly, and we would love to hold one for you.

Join the list Ask a question

Past gatherings

Autumn trees reflected in a still lake, with rocks resting in the water

Equinimity · Tucson, Arizona

Healing with horses

Horses show us, without words, how to feel safe again. Barbara has worked with horses since 1990, and in 2017 she co-founded Equinimity with Jeanie Shepherd: a nonprofit offering trauma-informed, body-based work with horses.

Visit Equinimity Tucson

Barbara standing beside a dark horse in the Equinimity corral, one hand resting on its back

EASE

Equine Assisted Somatic Experiential

EASE brings together Natural Horsemanship and Somatic Experiencing® with relational skills like presence and healthy boundaries.

It builds a felt, body-based understanding that supports healing from developmental and complex trauma. Alongside the horses, the work includes touch, expressive arts, and grief and ancestral healing.

We lean on secure bases of every kind: people, nature, art and rhythm. That is how belonging is found again.

At the ranch

What a session can hold

Participants kneeling around a water trough, hands resting in the water — Gathering around the water

An open hand resting on a horse's chestnut coat — Touch, when welcomed

A dark horse lowering its head to meet a person up close — Meeting a horse up close

Meet the herd

Our teachers

Each horse brings its own presence, history and way of listening.

Takoda, a chestnut horse with a white blaze — Takoda

Blue, a dark horse under mesquite trees — Blue

Little Big Man, a small black pony — Little Big Man

Sunset over Sabino Canyon, Tucson, with saguaros on the slopes

Desert immersives open from October 19

Ask about Equinimity

Partner With Me

An invitation to collaborate

Some of the most meaningful experiences begin with a conversation, a shared curiosity, or an idea for bringing people together.

I welcome invitations to collaborate with individuals, groups, organizations, and communities who are inspired to create opportunities for learning, exploration, and connection.

This might take the shape of a private gathering, an experiential workshop, a retreat, or a program developed around the particular interests and intentions of your community.

I especially love experiences that nurture a sense of community, where people have opportunities to learn from one another, share their discoveries, and develop relationships that continue beyond our time together.

Each collaboration begins with a conversation. I’d love to hear about your community, what matters to you, and what you’re imagining. Together, we can explore what might be possible.

Begin with a conversation

Contact

We would love to hear from you

Tell us a little about what brings you here, whether that is grief, overwhelm, chronic pain, or a sense that your family needs more time together. Barbara or her team will write back personally.

Your space

Welcome back

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Discovering the wisdom already within

to yourself

A steady, warm guide back to the body

Three paths, one invitation

Immersives

Workshops & Retreats

Equinimity Tucson

Desert immersives at Equinimity

Join our community

A calm, grounded guide back to the body

Many ways of being human. Many ways of coming home.

The Language of the Body

Touch Is Our First Language

Grief as Belonging, Not Exile

My First Teachers

A Path of Practice

Wondering if this work is right for you?

Time set aside, just for you

Half-day immersive

Full-day immersive

Two- to three-day stay

Family immersive day

Family retreat

For those connecting online

Desert, sea and old towns

Equinimity

Invite Barbara to your program

Gathering together

New retreats are being planned

Healing with horses

Equine Assisted Somatic Experiential

What a session can hold

Our teachers

Desert immersives open from October 19

An invitation to collaborate

We would love to hear from you

Your message is on its way

Welcome back