Somatic Experiencing
“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an emphatic witness.”
– Peter Levine
Have you ever noticed you keep telling the same story over and over again to friends, family, and even therapists, but nothing actually changes?
Instead, each time you share the story, it feels like the first time you share it as emotions, thoughts, and images keep returning. You may get some relief sharing your story but it still keeps coming back.
That is because our stories are more than words, but how our body has survived and coped with the many experiences of being alive. So, to find change, is to start becoming curious and give space for the body’s story to emerge.
Trauma is a pretty popular word these days, and let’s face it – we are all touched by elements of trauma. So, what exactly is trauma?
Trauma is anything that overwhelms us and we cannot protect ourselves or receive the right support during or after an event occurs. This results in our nervous system getting locked into a fight/flight/freeze response. Even though the event may be over, our body still sounds the alarm that danger is present. And, we then create a life trying to manage this alarm. Our mind works hard at trying to convince ourselves that we are safe, yet our body keeps that alarm going.
Somatic Experiencing is a specialized trauma therapy that uses the understanding of the nervous system and your body as nature to help you restore aliveness.
Somatic experiencing offers a chance for the body to stop the alarm, so we can naturally experience safety and resume living in the present.
How does this happen?
The cool thing is our body has an innate capacity to return to a more balanced, regulating system. When we step aside from the cognitive story, into the body’s experience, we can slowly track body sensations and allow our body to have a chance to do what it needed to do at the time of the event. This allows the fight/flight/freeze energy to slowly and safely start to shift and the alarm bell can become softer. Imagine what could be different if you weren’t daily fighting that internal alarm bell? So much more energy could be focused on living the life you really want.
What does a Somatic Experiencing Session look like?
Finding the right balance between talking and getting curious about body’s experience
Invitations to slow down and bring attention to the environment
Education about trauma and the nervous system
Invitations to slow down and bring attention to emotions, sensations and movements as you tell your story
Emphasis on finding helpful and soothing sensations to support grounding and settling
A safe and gentle pace to avoid overwhelm
Individual sessions and Somatic Experiencing Practitioners in Training
Angela integrates Somatic Experiencing into her individual therapy sessions. Angela offers support for students of Somatic Experiencing and travels internationally to provide assistance at the trainings. Angela currently can provide sessions for Intermediate students in preparation for their SEP certificate.