Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing is a most insightful mind-body psychotherapy system regarding the inherent ability of the body to heal itself from trauma. It is a short-term naturalistic approach to the resolution and healing of trauma developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine over thirty years ago. It offers a gentle and effective way for healing even severe traumatic experiences that have defied treatment over time. The approach is based on recognizing and encouraging the inherent self-healing tendencies in the connections between the lower brains and bodies in human beings to resolve even age-old traumatic symptoms. Somatic Experiencing enables people to return to equilibrium in the aftermath of fear, rage, helplessness, loss, and other extreme experiences.

Somatic Experiencing affords us all an understanding about the dynamics of overwhelming events, physical or emotional, which become eventually overwhelming physiological brain-body crises if there is no relief. When we are severely traumatized from a single incident or from an ongoing situation, our brains and our bodies disorganize, to protect us from traumas’ impact. When we meet any distressing situation, our bodies respond by heightening arousal and going into “survival mode” responses of orienting, fight, flight, freeze and dissociation. These natural responses are designed to minimize the threat to our lives and the potential damage to our brain and body.

Dr. Peter Levine coined the term the “Trauma Vortex” to help describe the whirlpool of chaos generated in trauma’s aftermath. It has a life of its own and spirals off from the normally contained flow of emotional life. The “Healing Vortex”, on the other hand, refers to our innate capacity to cope with tragedy and to heal on our own and to bring our organism back to balance. When this healing vortex is not strong enough naturally, it needs awareness and resources to re-engage it. This is where Somatic Experience’s tools can be used.