Somatic Experiencing: How Body-Oriented Trauma Therapy Can Help
Trauma doesn’t just live in the mind—it resides in the body too. You might notice this in chronic tension, unexplained pain, or feeling "stuck" in overwhelming emotional states. Talk therapy offers immense value in processing trauma, but for many, healing requires a connection to the body. Enter Somatic Experiencing (SE)—a body-oriented approach to trauma therapy that helps individuals release stress and restore balance to their nervous system.
What Is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, is a therapeutic approach that focuses on the body’s innate ability to heal from trauma. Unlike therapies that primarily center on cognitive processing, SE works with the body’s natural responses to stress and danger—fight, flight, or freeze.
When these responses are incomplete or unresolved, the body can hold onto that energy, resulting in physical, emotional, or psychological distress. SE helps release this stuck energy gently and safely, allowing the body to return to a state of equilibrium.
How Does It Work?
Somatic Experiencing isn’t about reliving trauma but about noticing and working with the body’s sensations in the present moment. In an SE session, a therapist might guide you to:
Tune into bodily sensations: You may be asked to notice tension, tingling, or warmth in your body and describe these sensations.
Explore the "felt sense": This involves connecting with internal physical experiences that might be linked to emotions or memories.
Complete survival responses: The therapist may guide you through subtle movements or visualizations to "complete" a fight, flight, or freeze response that was interrupted during the traumatic event.
Develop resources: SE emphasizes creating a sense of safety by identifying internal and external resources that help ground you.
This process unfolds at a pace tailored to your comfort, ensuring it doesn’t feel overwhelming or re-traumatizing.
The Science Behind It
Trauma impacts the autonomic nervous system, often leaving it dysregulated. This dysregulation can manifest as hyperarousal (feeling "on edge") or hypoarousal (feeling shut down or disconnected). SE helps recalibrate the nervous system by releasing pent-up survival energy, reducing symptoms like anxiety, hypervigilance, and emotional numbness.
Research has shown that SE can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), improve emotional resilience, and enhance overall well-being.
Who Can Benefit?
Somatic Experiencing can help with a wide range of challenges, including:
PTSD and complex trauma
Chronic stress or burnout
Anxiety and depression
Physical symptoms related to trauma, such as chronic pain
Emotional numbness or dissociation
It can also be helpful for those who feel "stuck" in their healing journey or have tried talk therapy but feel that something is missing.
Why Consider Somatic Experiencing?
Our bodies carry the imprints of our experiences, even when our minds can’t fully recall them. Somatic Experiencing offers a pathway to healing that acknowledges this deep connection between the body and mind. By gently releasing stored trauma, SE allows individuals to move forward with a greater sense of freedom, resilience, and wholeness.
If you’ve been curious about body-oriented approaches to therapy, Somatic Experiencing might be worth exploring. It’s a compassionate, non-invasive method that honors your body’s wisdom and capacity for healing.
If you’d like to learn more or connect with a therapist trained in Somatic Experiencing, reach out to us today.