What is Somatic Experiencing®?
Whether trauma will be a cruel and punishing Gorgon or a vehicle for soaring to the heights of transformation and mastery depends upon how we approach it.
-Peter Levine-
Peter Levine, was inspired by a question: why don’t wild animals experience trauma symptoms while humans do? Exploring this, discovered that mammals’ nervous systems are designed to experience stress, act upon it, and return to a state of relaxation and safety. Humans, being mammals, have the very same cycle. However, they often are not able to complete, becoming something like an open circuit in the nervous system, creating symptoms like chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. To solve this, Levine developed a therapeutic modality called Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) that focuses on completing the stress response cycle to allow people to arrive at a state of calm alertness.
SE™ is different from traditional therapy as it does not focus on the story of the trauma but on the symptoms and sensations themselves. By allying with the natural intelligence of the body, SE™ can provide relief from trauma symptoms that were previously thought impossible to overcome. Because it focuses on the body rather than the mind, this can work even for events that you don’t remember. Beyond recovering from trauma symptoms, SE™ is a process of reconnecting with our inner life force, thus gaining important self-confidence and trust. SE™ has helped countless people around the world live more free, healthy, and authentic lives.
Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.
-Peter Levine-
If you’re ready to begin your healing journey or you have more questions, reach out below to schedule a free discovery call. I’d be honored to support your journey.