Somatic Experiencing (SE), developed by Dr. Peter Levine, is a body-oriented approach for healing trauma, shock and other stress disorders. It offers a powerful framework for assessing where we are “stuck” in the fight, flight or freeze responses. It also provides clinical tools to resolve these fixated physiological states by helping us to focus on body sensations and release held energy while building upon and strengthening resiliency.
As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I have witnessed the tools of this practice help people to heal from physical tension and pain, shock-traumas including auto accidents, medical procedures and dog attacks, and chronic stress caused by daily life or early childhood experiences. Placing attention on the sensations and felt senses of our experiences, we create a granular sense of emotions which neuroscience tells us is a key to our emotional wellbeing.
SE provides the basic natural healing and core nervous system skills for all of the work I do. Its helps us attune to what's happening in our bodies, to slow down and/or pause swift-moving energies and to create more balance in our emotional responses. Doing this allow us to move through freeze states, moments of dissociation, or feelings of stuckess. Learning to consciously titrate means gaining the skill to take on small bits of distress at a time and avoid overwhelming ourselves. The process of SE thus gives people a boost in self-awareness and confidence in their capacity to change and heal.
Does it work online?
Somatic Experiencing translates well in a telehealth setting. It is a practice of paying attention to the body’s experiences. Wherever you are, your body is with you and when we give our attention to the body’s experiences, we can access all that we need in order to heal. The clinician can easily guide the process without being in the room with you. And for some, the online setting adds elements of comfort and safety in this vulnerable process.