Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a pioneering approach to liberate one from physical and psychological symptoms of stress, pain, shock and trauma, by acting on its causes.
Mindfulness
One is guided to pay attention to physical sensations from moment-to-moment, such as warmth, tingling, and contraction, hearing the ‘voice’ of the body.
Dr Levine on Trauma Resolution
Trapped stress energy can be safely discharged, helping to restore equilibrium to the nervous system, one’s natural well-being, and increase resilience.
Trauma
A traumatic event is defined as an event or circumstances in which the traumatic stressor involves a perceived threat to life (either one’s own or that of another person) or physical integrity.
Trauma usually comes as fear, helplessness or horror.
Dr Garfield (University of London) Defines Trauma
Freeing Trauma
The patient will be guided to gently release physical tensions, emotions and energy related to their trauma as they arise in the session, at a pace and in a way that best supports their return to a state of wholeness.
Somatic Experiencing encourages the help of 'resources', bringing about a sense of safety to the body and mind.
In this way, the therpaist can act as an impartial, compassionate support to help you feel safe, and facilitate the release of your trauma through your body.
Dr Levine on Trauma and Somatic Experiencing
Concluding remark
Somatic Experiencing is a therapy, but it can also be a profound learning process. You can expect to learn about your mind and body, and how you can support them to create new, healthy patterns.
What is Somatic Experiencing and How Does it Work?
“Trauma is a highly activated incomplete biological response to threat,
frozen in time.
Trauma is in the body,
not in the event...
and can be healed.”
Dr. Levine,
Somatic Experiencing Founder
Using mindfulness, Somatic Experiencing supports the body’s natural self-regulating mechanisms to complete self-protective motor responses for healing.
Boaz Feldman, Somatic Experiencing Trainer
Graduallly, one can experience the body’s wisdom by alowing spontaneous solutions to arise in the present.
Some Key Facts
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• These threats may be one-time or ongoing
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• Anyone can experience trauma
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• Sufferers are normal people, experiencing normal reactions to situations that feel threatening to them.
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• Presence of disturbing symptoms is sufficient to want to heal with Somatic Experiencing
“Somatic Experiencing is a cross-pollination between the therapeutic field, the biological sciences
and wisdom traditions.”
S. Hoskinson, Somatic Experiencing Senior Trainer
