Understanding Somatic Experiencing
Don't Relive, Renegotiate
Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, believes that the traumatic event isn’t what causes long-lasting trauma, it is the overwhelming trapped response to the perceived life-threat that is causing an imbalanced nervous system. Somatic Experiencing aims to help one access the body memory (procedural memory) of the event, not the story (mind memory). The objective is to diffuse the power of the narrative and remap the body memory to regain aliveness and flow.
The Healing Power of SE.
Somatic Experiencing has the power to heal many different kinds of traumatic experiences including:
● accidents, (car, sports,)
● invasive medical procedures,
● sexual or physical assault,
● emotional abuse,
● neglect,
● war,
● racial discrimination,
● oppression,
● natural disasters,
● loss,
● birth trauma,
● the corrosive stressors of ongoing fear, conflict, and chronic shaming.
Somatic Experiencing uses the body’s innate intelligence to relieve and resolve the symptoms of anxiety, depression and fear. Simple yet powerful tools help your body release physical tension, and accumulated stress, so that you can return to your natural resilient state, feeling grounded, confident and at ease. Because we work in the here and now, Somatic Experiencing can be especially helpful if you have experienced long-term challenges in childhood. You might be pleasantly surprised to discover that you are not “broken.” Your body is simply trying to solve a different problem. And with the kind of skilled support that you will enjoy with Somatic Experiencing, you’re able to return to a natural state of balance and health.
Somatic Experiencing Touch Work
Somatic Experiencing (SE) touch work is a gentle and respectful approach to resolving trauma. It involves the use of therapeutic touch and table work to help individuals process and integrate traumatic experiences.
SE touch work aims to:
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Regulate the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and promote resilience
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Address pre-verbal states and disrupted physiology
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Support the body’s natural processing of traumatic memories
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Foster emotional maturity and psycho-spiritual growth
Key Principles
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Gentle and respectful approach: SE touch work is characterized by a slow, gentle, and respectful pace, allowing clients to stay somatically present and regulate their ANS.
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Table work: Clients lie on a table, allowing the therapist to access their body and provide gentle, non-invasive touch.
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Pendulation and titration: The therapist helps clients gradually expose themselves to small amounts of trauma-related distress, building tolerance and avoiding overwhelm.
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Identifying resources: Clients learn to recognize and engage with their internal resources, such as breath, movement, or sensation, to stabilize and regulate their nervous system.
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Focus on physical sensations: SE touch work emphasizes the importance of noticing and working with physical sensations, rather than relying solely on cognitive processing.
Applications
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Early developmental and attachment issues: SE touch work can be effective in addressing early trauma and attachment disruptions.
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Relational issues: The approach can help clients process and integrate relational trauma and stress.
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Trauma resolution: SE touch work supports clients in resolving traumatic experiences and reducing symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
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Psychedelic Integration: SE touch work greatly supports the integration of high dose psychedelic journeys, supporting the release, resolution or distribution of energy and emotions that arose during the journey.