Daphne Chua

Daphne Chua is a somatic educator, manual therapist and cross-disciplinary practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, trauma physiology, movement and relational practice. Over the past seventeen years, she has developed Embodied Systems Intelligence, an original framework that positions nervous system literacy not simply as a personal wellbeing practice, but as an essential clinical, relational and leadership competency.

Drawing from Body-Mind Centering®, Yoga Therapy, polyvagal theory, embodied anatomy, manual therapy and Contact Improvisation, Daphne trains practitioners to recognise the body as a source of information rather than merely a recipient of treatment. Her work supports coaches, psychologists, physicians, physiotherapists, movement educators, social workers and community leaders in responding more effectively to the complexity of human relationships, trauma and care. Increasingly, her practice extends beyond individual healing into humanitarian, organisational and community contexts where nervous system literacy has the potential to transform how people work together.

Rather than seeing wellbeing as something to achieve, Daphne understands it as a collective capacity that emerges through genuine safety, honest relationships and our ability to co-regulate with one another. Her work challenges the idea that resilience is an individual pursuit, proposing instead that sustainable wellbeing is built through communities that know how to listen, respond and care—beginning with the practitioners and leaders who hold space for others.