Somatic Experiencing

By Madison Bognanno, MA, PLPC, NCC

What Is It?

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body focused, neurobiological approach to healing trauma developed by Dr. Peter Levine. SE focuses on releasing stored and stuck “fight, flight, fawn, or freeze” responses from the autonomic nervous system. By focusing on bodily sensations rather than, or in addition to, re-telling traumatic memories, it facilitates natural, gradual release (titration) to restore balance and relieve symptoms. Main goals of SE include: 1.) nervous system regulation, 2.) healing trauma, and 3.) restoring function and safety to one’s own body.

Main Concepts

• Balancing awareness in and outside of self: Trauma is a chronic state of disconnection. The easiest way to bring people back into connection with themselves is with the here and now. Orienting to our immediate environment through touch, sight, and sound can be grounding and connecting.

• Positive and negative: Identifying what is “negative” in our lives is easier than noting what is “positive.” We have to identify what is working well, our resources, our supportive relationships, our successes in the last week. This helps counter balance the negative when it becomes too much or consuming.

• Activation and deactivation: It's easy to know when we are activated (i.e., rage, panic, anger, worry, anxiety, etc.), but can you identify when you are deactivated (i.e., settled, calm, peaceful, relaxed, happy, content)? SE helps identify and increase experiences of deactivation.

• Titration: I find this to be one of the most important concepts of SE. Titration means we go slow. Counter to what you might believe about therapy, I have no intention of overwhelming someone’s nervous system with 50 minutes of intense “cathartic” crying or pushing yourself to talk about something hard. Sounds tiring and overwhelming! As my wise SE teacher said “we are the guardians of the gates of overwhelm.” It is much harder to bring you back once we have gone too far. So, we go slow and a little bit at a time; we take “breaks” throughout session in various ways.

The Deeper Work

The body has to be involved in healing! Trauma/stress impacts the brainstem and the language of the brainstem is not words, it’s body sensations. So, we need more than traditional talk therapy. Also, we work with what is stuck in our bodies and nervous systems. SE helps identify stuck fight/flight/freeze/fawn responses in the body and nervous system, so we can complete and discharge the energy they hold within us offering relief and opportunity to grow and change.

What to Expect in Session

Lots of questions about the body. If you cannot connect to your body yet, no worries, we will then focus on other channels while we slowly build bodily awareness. Other channels of experience include meaning making (thoughts, beliefs, stories), imagery (visual representations, memories), behaviors, and affect (emotions).

Additionally, we push, we pull, we throw things, we move our bodies, and most importantly we laugh in session amidst the tears and cries of outrage. Sounds fun right? SE is more experiential and hands on.

Lastly, I will interrupt a lot! Going back to titration, we do not want to overwhelm the nervous system. I will slow you down to allow your body to integrate/catch up with your mind.

Who is SE for?

Honestly… I believe it is for everyone. Everyone has a nervous system and body. And everyone has experienced some sort of trauma, significant wounding, or extreme stress that has most likely impacted the nervous system. So, any presenting problem can be looked at through an SE lens.

**All information in this blog post came straight from Peter A. Levine’s work and the Somatic Experiencing training manual.

Resources about SE, Trauma, Chronic Stress, and the Nervous System:

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine

Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine

Freedom from Pain by Peter A. Levine and Maggie Phillips

Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing by Peter A. Levine and Maggie Kline

Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk

Nurturing Resilience: Helping Clients Move Forward from Developmental Trauma- An Integrative Somatic Approach by Kathy L. Kain and Stephen J. Terrell

When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté

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