Somatic Experiencing

What is Somatic Experiencing

Traditional forms of therapy to deal with chronic problems are focused solely on the thought and emotions of the client. Changing habits of thoughts and action are treated with cognitive therapy with great success. Processing deeper misconceptions of thought or emotions are addressed with success in more psycho-analytic based treatments that work with unearthing and healing childhood and relational issues.

However these two forms do not readily address issues that are rooted more deeply in the biology of the body. When traumatic events or developmental stressors like neglectful parenting occur, very often cognitive and psychoanalytic therapies do not succeed. The reason for this is that the dysfunctions in the biology of the body and nervous system are not being addressed.

Somatic Experiencing, as developed by Dr. Peter Levine, works specifically within this arena. In studying wild animals, who typically do not suffer from stress disorders in the same way as humans do, he found that there is a natural mechanism in all mammals that self regulates and heals trauma from within.

Natural pulsations and rhythms within the organism, such as breath, heart rate, sleep/wake cycles, digestion, and many more, are part of a natural resilience and resonance that manifests as health, or conversely as disease in our systems. Trained to recognize these rhythms as they manifest in the body, mind, and heart of clients, Somatic Experiencing Practitioners support clients first by supporting the clients “felt sense: experience. The practitioner is also observing the clients nervous system signals, and occasionally gently “nudging” them so that they can move towards discharging stored stress and trauma, and restoring natural rhythms and resilience to the client.

How does Somatic Experiencing Work?

•Awareness Having a “felt sense” of the moment, or orientation to one’s surroundings is an essential first step to moving towards healing. Often this first step is overlooked, and in so doing, a frustration with a lack of progress occurs.
•Resource Most forms of therapy work by looking for where the “problem” is, or the difficulty, and then focusing on that in order to heal it. Somatic Experiencing typically works by supporting what feels or is good in the moment, inviting the experience of the cup being “half-full” or of feeling good and relatively safe.
•Titration: Working from a place of resource, with its inherent safety, moving towards challenging thoughts, feelings, or sensations arise naturally. Somatic Experiencing invites this natural movement to be gentle, and very small, named here titration after the term made famous by the science of chemistry, where only a tiny amount is added to a solution.
•Pendulation: After this arising of a small amount of challenging material, the practitioner will invite the client to redirect their focus back to resource again, allowing the client to maintain a sense of safety even in relation to the challenging material that is present. This then becomes a swinging back and forth between the two sides.
•Discharge:Often after some gentle attention to pendulation, the nervous system will discharge stored stress in various ways. Involuntary movements, skin flushing, nausea, discomfort are among common symptoms that arise, which then allows the body more resilience and less stress.
Benefits of Somatic Experiencing :
o Less pain, tension, and anxiety
o Reframes and transforms current or past negative, abusive, and overwhelming experiences.
o Become more present and engaged in life.
o Increase resiliency to future stressors.
o Greater sense of ease, optimism and hope.
o Greater confidence.
o Greater sense of self and wholeness.
o Stronger sense of clarity and purpose.
o Deeper spiritual connection
o Improved ability to focus and concentrate.
o Greater sense of peace, ease and calm (in body, mind, heart and life).