About Somatic Lightwork
Soul-centred sessions for sensitive folk, that nourish the senses & expand your being.
An intentional space to cultivate your inner sanctuary of peace, magic & spiritual belonging.
“Your reading was profound. I resonated so deeply with it, I’m blown away by what you saw!”
Guy Sohm - Founder, therapist and innovator behind Australia’s Vibroacoustic Waterbeds.
“Please feel my deep bow of appreciation for your beautiful art, and clearly warm, bright heart.
Tara Brach - World renowned, spiritual teacher of Psychology & Buddhism
Somatic Lightwork is a sanctuary for sensitive, intuitive, and neurodivergent souls who are ready to feel more at home in their bodies - and more connected to the quiet truth within them.
This work is for those who sense there is more to life than survival or productivity.
More presence.
More pleasure.
More meaning.
More softness - without losing depth or power.
Through a blend of nervous-system nourishment, embodied mindfulness, and gentle spiritual attunement, my sessions and courses support you to settle out of the mind and into the wisdom of your body. To rest. To receive. To remember who you are beneath the noise of modern life.
All offerings are trauma-informed, respectful, and led with curiosity and care. They draw from decades of lived practice in meditation, embodiment, creative expression, and spiritual inquiry - woven together with evidence-based approaches supporting regulation and wellbeing.
I specialise in working with sensitive and neurodivergent nervous systems. As an AuDHD practitioner myself, I listen deeply and tailor each experience to meet you where you are, honouring your unique rhythms, needs, and gifts.
This is a space where spirituality is grounded, embodiment is gentle, and magic is practical.
Where you don’t need fixing — only remembering.
Kind, curious humans of all cultures, genders, abilities, and identities are welcome here.
Hi, I’m Kia Starling …
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I offer ...
… gentle, embodied practices to support the nervous system, restore connection, and bring people home to themselves.
My work is rooted in decades of lived experience — as an artist, mother, meditator, and sensitive human — alongside formal training in meditation, sacred & therapeutic massage, early childhood education, Steiner philosophy, art/design and small business.
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I grew up between suburban Melbourne & the bush...
… where I learned early that my body and nervous system feel most at ease in rhythm with nature. That instinct has guided my life ever since - through travel, motherhood, creative work, deep healing, and the gradual remembering of who I am.
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I'm proudly neurodivergent.
Being late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD helped me understand that my sensitivity, intuition, and depth were never flaws — they are the very channels through which I work.
I hold space with care, consent, and grounded presence, offering practices that are light-filled, gentle, and deeply respectful of each person’s pace and capacity.
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You might hear me describe...
…this work as angelic meets witchy.
Rooted in light, sensitivity, and devotion — and grounded in the body, the earth, and lived experience.
I believe we all carry healing wisdom within us. My role is simply to help create the conditions where it can safely emerge.
“Working with Kia Starling is pure creative alchemy. She has a unique intuitive ability”
Dr. Marc Cohen
“Thank you, Kia, for releasing this long-held energetic block! I so appreciate your care and powerful psychic medicine.”
~Shannon Scholtz
“Sublime!”
~ Julia Murries
If you need science - I got science …
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I weave, soothing guided mindfulness, also known as “grounding," throughout my sessions, gently and consciously bringing us back into our current full-body experience, which contributes to the lovely relaxed sensations my clients experience as the session progress’s.
Mindfulness & Interoceptive Brain Networks (Farb et al., 2010) showed that bringing awareness to internal sensations activates brain regions that help people process feelings more calmly and accurately. Mindfulness increases emotional clarity and regulation.
Mindfulness & Interoceptive Brain Networks (Farb et al., 2010) The study showed that bringing awareness to internal sensations activates brain regions that help people process feelings more calmly and accurately.
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In my work, I’m guided by a grounded spiritual connection, not just technique. I work as a clear channel rather than the “doer,” creating a gentle, spacious field where my client’s own connection to their divine source can unfold safely.
Perceived outcomes of spiritual healing and explanations ‑ a qualitative study on the perspectives of German healers and their clients (Teut et al., 2014) shows that when therapists work through a connection with a transcendent spiritual source, clients commonly experience measurable shifts in wellbeing and relief.
https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-14-240
A variety of “healers” used hands-on or distant methods and described connecting with a “transcendent spiritual source.” Clients reported warmth, relaxation, improved wellbeing, symptom relief, and shifts in self-concept or values. These changes were explained through connection with the transcendent, empowerment, the healer–client relationship, and the meaning made from the experience.
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Before each session I take the time to move my own system into a regulated state to optimize my soothing presence. The way my sessions are structured, further deepens the co-regulation effect.
Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2011) showsthatour vagus nerve responds instantly to cues of safety like soft voice, gentle breath, relaxed face. These cues shift the body into a calm, connected state, explaining why regulated presence is deeply soothing.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00080/full
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My auric & touch-based sessions use loving presence to bring about serenity and comfort for my clients.
Touch Lowers Cortisol & Anxiety (Field, 2010) Shows why gentle contact or energetic “near touch” soothes. The review found that even light, non-invasive touch reduces cortisol, supports healthy vagal tone, and increases serotonin — all markers of a calmer, more regulated nervous system.
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At the core of my Somatic Lightwork practice, is connection & '‘channeling,” of divine energy. Over many decades I have nurtured my ability to lean in and out of gentle “visionary states” & cultivated my relationship with '‘divine inner-guidance systems.” Along side more mainstream psychological support systems, I have found these more esoteric tools to be incredibly helpful, meaningful & essential to my mental health. Which is why I feel so strongly drawn to share them.
Varieties of Spiritual Experience (Alderson-Day et al., 2021) This Lancet Psychiatry study showed that people can naturally experience intuitive voices, inner guidance or energetic impressions while remaining completely healthy. These experiences were often supportive and meaningful, arising through meditation, prayer or ritual. The findings confirm that intuitive perception is a normal, non-pathological part of human consciousness when integrated.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30428-9/fulltext
Shamanic Journeying EEG (Rock et al., 2008) found that shamanic practitioners enter a clear altered state marked by strong theta waves (linked to intuition and trance) alongside bursts of gamma activity (associated with insight and expanded awareness). This unusual pairing shows that “Visionary,” states are measurable and coherent, not imagined, and can be reliably accessed through rhythm, breath and focused inner journeying.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810007001731
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Gentle breathe work - based on my experience with traditional & modern forms of meditation, is incorporated in all of my sessions, as one of the layers that helps to soothe & re-set the nervous systems.
(Jerath et al., 2015) ‘The Science of Slow Breathing,’ showed that slowing the breath reduces sympathetic arousal and increases parasympathetic activity. The study explains that longer exhales and steady breathing help regulate the vagus nerve and support a calmer physiological state.
journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.00896.2014
(Zaccaro et al., 2018) ‘Breathwork Review,’ shows that different breathing techniques can shift brainwaves, improve vagal tone, and influence emotional regulation. Their review outlines how breathwork produces measurable changes in mood, attention, and nervous-system balance.
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During energy clearings, healings & readings, I access a safe, natural visionary state, which I have developed unintentionally through decades of devoted meditation. What I see almost always has a remarkable or un-canny link to what has happened, is happening or is going to happen on our physical plain.
Monks Generate Psychedelic-Like Gamma Waves (Lutz et al., 2004)
This study showed that advanced Buddhist meditators can naturally produce extremely strong gamma waves, similar to those seen in psychedelic or mystical states. Their brains entered highly synchronised, expanded-awareness patterns without any substances, demonstrating that deep altered states can arise purely through training, presence, and meditation.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0407401101
Meditation Activates Similar Networks to MDMA/Psilocybin (Brefczynski-Lewis et al., 2007)
Researchers found that experienced meditators activate many of the same brain regions affected by MDMA and psilocybin — especially those linked to empathy, openness, and sensory depth. Meditation also quieted the brain’s self-focused network, creating a naturally expansive, heart-open state similar to psychedelic experiences.
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In Somatic Lightwork, the session acts as a simple, intentional ritual that helps the nervous system settle. Research shows that even small rituals can reduce emotional distress by creating structure and a sense of control. The calm space, lighting and intention-setting in my sessions support that same shift into clarity and ease.
In some cases, I create a personalised guided meditation for clients to use daily as a simple ritual, helping reinforce the shifts started in the session.
Norton & Gino (2014), Rituals Alleviate Grieving for Loved Ones, Lovers, and Lotteries, showed that performing a small intentional ritual can ease emotional distress after a loss. Participants who performed daily rituals experienced significantly less symptoms of grief than those who didn't, even if they did not ‘beleive’ that their ritual would work.
Rituals included, lighting a candle, writing and tearing up a note, arranging a few objects, inventing a short personal gesture, or simply closing their eyes with an intention.