What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body centered approach to healing trauma conceptualized by Dr. Peter Levine in the 1970’s.
Dr. Levine was inspired to study stress on the animal nervous system when he realized that animals are constantly under threat of death, yet show no symptoms of trauma.
He observed that after a threat had passed, the animals experienced a physical release of their survival energy (fight/flight/freeze) by shaking, trembling, or sometimes running. Following this completion of the physical release, he noticed the animals quickly returned to their pre-threatened state.
Nature has instilled in all animals, including humans, a nervous system capable of restoring balance.
However, in humans the rational mind often overrides the body’s instinctual response following trauma. We try to keep it together and are afraid of losing control.
When this self-regulating function is blocked or disturbed, we stop the natural cycle of the release. Consequently, trauma symptoms develop as ways of binding the undischarged arousal or activation.
Using a restorative body-first approach, Somatic Experiencing offers a way to address the completion of self-protective responses within the nervous system and the body. This gentle yet powerful process releases thwarted survival energy bound in the body- the root cause of trauma symptoms.
Unlike other therapy modalities, SE does not require one to re-tell their experience; a conscious memory does not even need to be available for there to be profound and significant healing.
The SE approach gently guides clients to develop increasing tolerance for difficult bodily sensations and suppressed emotions. This is accomplished by first focusing on building a foundation of support and “resource” to ensure your system feels safe and regulated, before beginning to process any traumatic material.
The SE approach is done in slow, small, titrated steps. In SE, we “dip our toes'' into the material, rather than jumping straight into the deep end. This ensures your system has enough capacity to be with the deeper layers of your trauma while still remaining connected to the safety of the present.
Key concepts of SE are offering time, space, and support elements that were not present during the initial trauma.
This approach is ideal for women who have tried talk-therapy, still feel stuck, and are looking for something different. It may not be the best fit for those looking for a more mind-based, directive approach.
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