Hillel Braude, MD, PhD

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? - Rabbi Hillel

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Hillel Braude, MD, PhD's style

Why Hillel Braude, MD, PhD chose to be in the helping profession

I first studied medicine as a way of understanding the human condition -- both for my own personal growth and as a means of being of service to others. At the University of Cape Town Medical School in South Africa, I learned a great deal about disease, diagnosis, and human suffering, but far less about healing, resilience, and what truly enables people to flourish. That gap stayed with me. It set me on a lifelong journey of inquiry that has shaped everything about how I practice and who I have become as a clinician and as a person.

Through years of clinical practice, study, and personal somatic exploration, I gradually became not only a physician, but also a therapist. Along the way, I came to understand that the capacity to accompany others in healing begins with one's own ongoing process of self-discovery and transformation -- a process I continue to engage with deeply. Healing, I have learned, is not something we do to another person. It is a process of creating the conditions in which each individual can reconnect with their own innate capacity for growth, integration, and well-being.

My mission is to bridge the intuitive wisdom of ancient somatic practices with contemporary science, cultivating resilience, embodied awareness, and the conditions for deep healing. I believe that something profound becomes possible when we learn to listen -- to the wisdom of the body, to our relationships, and to the unfolding of our lived experience. This kind of listening is not passive. It is an active, courageous, and deeply human practice, and it sits at the heart of everything I do.

My work is dedicated to supporting this process of embodied transformation. Whether working with individuals navigating complex health challenges or supporting people who simply want to live with greater aliveness and presence, I bring the same orientation: curiosity, care, and a genuine respect for each person's own path toward wholeness. I do not believe in one-size-fits-all approaches. I believe in meeting people where they are, and walking with them from there.

Hillel Braude, MD, PhD's approach

I am the Founder and Director of SomaticWell, an integrative wellness practice dedicated to bringing together somatic approaches and contemporary neurobiological understandings in the service of human flourishing and the wellbeing of body, mind, and spirit. My work integrates somatic education, psychotherapy-informed approaches, nervous system regulation, and neurobiological support to help individuals cultivate greater resilience, self-awareness, adaptability, and a deeper sense of wellbeing. It is work that draws on many disciplines, but it is guided by a single, consistent intention: to help people reconnect with their own innate capacity for growth, integration, and positive change. That intention has shaped everything I have built, and everything I continue to develop.

Over the years, I have developed several integrative approaches that weave together Feldenkrais-based somatic education with contemporary understandings of mind, brain, and relationships. One example is Somatic Awareness Practice (SOMAP), an approach used in both individual sessions and group programs that combines Feldenkrais-inspired movement and awareness practices with insights from Interpersonal Neurobiology. These approaches did not emerge from theory alone -- they grew out of years of clinical practice, personal exploration, and a deepening curiosity about what actually supports lasting change in the nervous system and in lived experience. Each method reflects a genuine attempt to meet people where they are and offer something that is both scientifically grounded and deeply human.

Whether through somatic education, contemplative practices, or neurobiological technologies, my work is guided by a common intention: to support the regulation of the autonomic nervous system, foster a greater sense of safety and calm, and enhance the brain's lifelong capacity for learning, adaptation, and positive change. I view healing not as the correction of what is wrong, but as the cultivation of the conditions that allow our innate capacities for integration, resilience, and growth to emerge. This distinction matters to me. It shifts the entire orientation of the work -- away from fixing and toward fostering, away from deficit and toward possibility.

Through gentle attention, embodied awareness, and supportive relationships, individuals often discover new possibilities for living with greater ease, vitality, and meaning. What moves me most in this work is witnessing that moment when someone begins to feel at home in their own body again -- when the nervous system settles, and something that had been contracted begins to open. That is not something I can manufacture or prescribe. But I can help create the conditions in which it becomes possible, and that remains the heart of everything I do at SomaticWell.

What you can expect from sessions with Hillel Braude, MD, PhD

Every therapeutic journey begins with an in-depth integrative wellness assessment. This initial consultation explores your personal history, health concerns, lifestyle, and nutrition, and when we meet in person, it also includes a neuro-somatic assessment to better understand your patterns of movement, nervous system regulation, and embodied experience. This first step matters deeply to me, because no two people arrive at this work the same way, and I want to make sure that what we build together genuinely reflects who you are and what you need. Following the assessment, we work collaboratively to create a personalized integrative wellness plan that honors your unique circumstances, goals, and vision for your own wellbeing.

Mindful movement and somatic education practices form the foundation of my clinical work. Depending on your individual needs, your program may draw on one or more of the following approaches: Feldenkrais-based somatic education and mindful movement practices, functional nutrition for mental wellness, LotusWei flower remedies, biofeedback and meditation practices, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) therapeutic listening program, the Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP), photobiomodulation, and neurofeedback. These modalities may be offered individually or thoughtfully integrated into a more comprehensive program, always in service of supporting nervous system regulation, resilience, and overall wellbeing. The combination we choose will always be guided by what is most appropriate and meaningful for you at this stage of your journey.

Sessions are available both in person and online via Zoom, and the frequency and duration of our work together will depend on your goals and the nature of your therapeutic program. Most clients meet with me once or twice weekly, though the level of support is always tailored to each individual's needs and adjusted as those needs evolve over time. There is no fixed template here. The pace, the focus, and the depth of our work are shaped by you, and by what is emerging for you as we go.

Above all, our work together is collaborative. My role is to provide a safe, supportive, and evidence-informed environment in which you can deepen self-awareness, develop new capacities for regulation and resilience, and reconnect with your own innate potential for healing and growth. I do not see myself as someone who fixes or prescribes, but rather as someone who accompanies -- offering knowledge, attunement, and a steady presence as you move toward greater ease, integration, and vitality. That quality of relationship is not incidental to the work. In many ways, it is the work.

Hillel Braude, MD, PhD's experience working with the Jewish community

I work with people across a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds, and spiritual orientations. Living and practicing in Israel, my clients are predominantly Jewish, though my practice is not affiliated with any particular religious community and is genuinely open to individuals from diverse worldviews and life paths. What matters to me is not where someone comes from or what they believe, but rather their willingness to engage with their own process of growth and healing. That openness is something I try to bring into every session, and it shapes the culture of my practice as a whole.

In the context of ongoing collective stress and uncertainty in Israel and in Jewish communities globally, many people are experiencing heightened levels of anxiety, dysregulation, and emotional strain. This is the landscape in which so much of my work currently takes place, and it gives the work a particular kind of urgency and meaning. Within this context, my focus is on supporting the development of calm, resilience, and embodied resources that help individuals navigate both personal and collective challenges. I believe that when we tend to our own nervous systems and inner lives, we also contribute something to the larger field around us.

My online Feldenkrais-based movement lessons draw participants from a variety of communities, including women from Orthodox and Hasidic backgrounds, and I find these gatherings to be among the most rewarding aspects of my work. I have a particular interest in exploring the Hasidic roots of the Feldenkrais Method and in understanding somatic practice as a form of spiritual exercise -- a living tradition of embodied inquiry that resonates across cultural and religious lines. This intersection of movement, awareness, and spiritual life is something I return to again and again, both in my teaching and in my own personal practice. It continues to be a rich and generative area of exploration for me.

At its core, my work is guided by a deep respect for the uniqueness of each individual and by the conviction that somatic practice can serve as a bridge across cultural, psychological, and spiritual differences. I have seen this again and again: the body, and our shared capacity for awareness and sensation, offers a common ground that transcends the boundaries that so often divide us. It is on that ground that I try to meet each person I work with, regardless of background or belief. That is the spirit in which this work is offered.

Hillel Braude, MD, PhD's Book Recommendation Zone

• Intuition in Medicine: A Philosophical Defence of Clinical Reasoning
  A book manuscript based on my doctoral dissertation. This book is "the first serious attempt to understand medical intuition as an intrinsic part of both the scientific process and the world of therapy" - Professor Sander Gilman.
• Man's Search for Meaning
  The analysis by psycho-analyst Victor Frankl of extreme conditions of suffering and possibility for post-traumatic spiritual growth in the Nazi concentration camps.
• Intimacy in Emptiness: An Evolution of Embodied Consciousness
  Personal writings by Janet Adler about the possibility for inner witnessing of our moment-to-moment experience.

Approaches

• Feldenkrais Method
• Functional Medicine
• Mindfulness and Meditation
• Neurofeedback
• Somatic Therapy
• Sound Healing

Concerns

• Anxiety
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Body image
• Emotion regulation
• Life purpose and meaning
• Panic attacks/panic disorder
• Stress management

30 years in practice

Licenses

• MD by Israeli Ministry of Health
• Feldenkrais Method Practitioner by Feldenkrais Guild of North America 2013

Degrees

• MBBCH by University of Cape Town 1994
• Phd by The University of Chicago 2006

Awards

• Visiting Researcher, European Neuroscience Network Visiting Exchange Grant (ENSN), Center for Subjectivity Research by University of Copenhagen 2010

Trainings

• Senior Fellowship MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics by University of Chicago 2002
• PostDoctoral Fellowship, Neuroethics by McGill University 2008-2011

Affiliations

• Member by Israeli PsychoSomatic Medicine Society 2026
• Member by ISMETA 2026

Average costs per session

$150 - $500

Payment Methods

• Sliding Scale
• Free consultation
• Cash
• PayPal