USING SOMATIC EXPERIENCING TO PROCESS TRAUMA TO ATTAIN MENTAL HEALTH GOALS

Unfortunately for many clients seeking therapy, trauma is a fact of life.

Traditionally trauma has been regarded as a psychological and medical disorder of the mind.

However, through the pioneering work of Somatic (Body Psychotherapy) researchers such as Peter Levine, Pat Odgen and Steven Porges, we now know that trauma involves all aspects of the mind/body system and does not need to be a life sentence.

With proper guidance and support, trauma can be healed and the healing process can be transformative.

What is Somatic Experiencing?

SOMATIC EXPERIENCING® (SE™) is a powerful psychobiological modality for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. It is the life work of Dr. Peter Levine, which resulted from his academic multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics along with 50 years of successful clinical application. The SE approach releases traumatic shock in the nervous system, which is key to transforming PTSD, chronic pain syndromes, the emotional wounds of early developmental attachment trauma and multigenerational trauma.

SE offers a framework to assess where a person is “stuck” in the fight, flight, freeze, or collapse responses and provides clinical tools to resolve these fixated physiological states.

8 Unique Benefits of SE Therapy:

• Focuses on the Mind/Body Connection

• Releases Trauma and Traumatic Energy Stored in the Body

• Reduces Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression by Regulating the Nervous System

• Supports Somatic Awareness in the Present Moment

• Supports Emotional Regulation and Resiliency

• Offers a Different Approach when Talk Therapy is Not Enough

• Supports Long-Term Sustainable Healing

• Improves Physical Symptoms related to Trauma, Abuse and Emotional Distress including:

  • Chronic Pain

  • Digestive Concern

  • Muscle Tension

  • Sleep Problems

  • Respiratory Issues

What to Expect in a Somatic Experiencing Session

In an SE therapy session, you can expect a combination of talking and body-focused exercises and experiences. Clients may work standing up, sitting, or lying down. You’ll start by learning more about your autonomic nervous system and the part it plays in your trauma response. The therapist asks you to notice and track sensations in your body. The primary goal is to gradually uncover bodily sensations and patterns associated to traumatic experiences.

We encourage you to complete the “stuck” survival responses to release or discharge the trauma-bound energy, and repattern the nervous system, and resource you to increased strength and resilience. You will always be fully clothed. Gentle supportive touch may be used when appropriate and agreed upon. There is NEVER MANIPULATION OF TISSUE OR ANY FORM OF SEXUAL TOUCH.

The Essential Hallmarks of Somatic Experiencing

1. Recognizing Bodily Sensations

Being able to acquire physical knowledge helps many people who feel confused about their response during a traumatic event or believe they should have reacted differently. Your therapist will help you begin increasing your awareness of bodily sensations and physical symptoms.

2. Resourcing

Resourcing involves drawing on positive memories of a place, person, or something you love when you feel distressed or encounter something triggering. Resourcing can help you stay calm and present as you encounter felt trauma sensations or memories of the event.

3. Titration

Once you’ve got resourcing down, your therapist will begin slowly revisiting the trauma and related sensations. This is called titration. It’s a gradual process that allows you to come to terms with and integrate each aspect of the event, as you feel ready to do so. It slows down the trauma to allow you to handle it.

As you begin slowly revisiting the trauma, your therapist will track your responses and bodily sensations the trauma brings up. This is done by observing your responses, which may involve breathing changes, clenching of body parts, or a shift in tone of voice.

They’ll also check in with you about anything you feel that they might not see, such as:

• hot or cold sensations

• a sense of weightiness

• dizziness

• numbness

4. Pendulation

In somatic therapy, these sensations, along with things like crying, shaking, or shivering, are considered to be a discharge of the energy trapped in your body.

Your therapist might also help you use specific breathing or relaxation techniques to help you process and release the trauma. When this release happens, your therapist will help you move from this aroused (sympathetic) state to a calmer (parasympathetic) one using resourcing or other techniques.

Eventually, this swinging back to a calmer state will start to feel more natural.

With over 60,000 accredited SE practitioners in over 40 countries worldwide, Somatic Experiencing continues to grow and provide profound results as an approach that taps into the power of psychological and physical cues to service as a client’s unique guide to effective and long-lasting trauma healing.

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Written by Jacqueline Gautier, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).

Jacqueline is now accepting new clients for adult individual counselling sessions at Fairfield Psychology, which offers community-based psychologist and counselling services in Victoria, BC.

To learn more or book online, please click here.