Somatic Therapy can refer to any form of therapy that invites information from your felt-sense and body awareness into the healing process. Somatic Experiencing (SE) in particular, is a method developed by Peter Levine for renegotiating traumatic experiences by tracking our nervous system responses and allowing time for the natural completion of activation (stress/ fight/flight/freeze) cycles.
Are you an SE Student? I am approved to provide beginning level personal sessions. Reach out to Schedule a Session!
What can I expect in a Somatic focused therapy session?
In a somatic session I will invite pauses to notice what is happening both internally and externally. We might practice moving attention between uncomfortable areas and more comfortable areas. Somatic work may include physical movements that naturally arise and provides permission to move organically. It may be challenging at first, especially because many widely accepted forms of therapy focus more on thinking and emotions. While thoughts and emotions are included in somatic therapy, we continue to bring our attention toward our natural nervous system responses that arise in the physical realm of behavior and sensation.
What are the most common problems Somatic therapy can help with?
Somatic therapy is helpful with many types of traumatic experiences including shock trauma, medical trauma, interpersonal emotional trauma wounds; panic and anxiety; chronic pain; birth trauma and trauma related to systemic oppressions. If you have done significant work using CBT or similar therapies, Somatic Psychotherapy can be a great next step.
What have people said about Somatic Experiencing sessions?
I hear comments of surprise about how much information the body has to share, when we tune in. Clients often notice that SE feels like a more gentle and slow approach. Clients have shared increased strength, reductions in chronic pain, lowered anxiety, fewer panic attacks, increased flexibility, increased energy and the ability to experience positive sensations.