SE (Somatic Experiencing) is different from traditional ‘top-down’ therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Solutions Focused therapy. While talk therapy addresses thoughts and behaviors first, SE is a ‘body first’ therapy that works with the person’s natural survival system (i.e. fight, flight, freeze, appease) to help shift thoughts, behaviors, and feelings.
When a person endures too much distress without (or not enough) repair following the event/experience, survival energy can get stuck in the person’s nervous system. There are multiple factors surrounding the event(s) and relationships that determine the person’s ability to overcome those events without a therapeutic intervention. The negative effects also can also go unnoticed until years later when symptoms become unbearable.
I often hear how people experience the ‘worst part’ of their traumas as the absence of a competent, caring witness/response. Unresolved issues can impact how we walk in the world, our core beliefs, how we see others, and how we relate to ourselves.
The good news is that where there is trauma, there is also capacity for healing and resiliency. When a person starts to experience a felt sense of healing and emotional release, it also helps them to shift into their most natural state of being with vitality, ease, and a readiness to act.
SE is a gentle and effective approach in helping to resolve the person’s physiological distress, helping with (but not limited to) anxiety, depression, traumatic stress disorders, and complicated grief. With SE, you’ll gain tools and skills that you can take beyond our time together. Whether you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, no experience or knowledge about somatic therapy is necessary for you to feel the benefits from day one.