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What is Somatic Experiencing?  

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based approach to healing the impact of trauma by working directly with the nervous system rather than relying solely on cognitive insight.  

Developed by Peter A. Levine through decades of observing how animals and humans respond to threat, this approach recognizes that trauma is not just and event in the past, but an incomplete physiological response health in the body.  

While traditional talk therapy engages meaning-making and narrative, SE works with the deeper layers of experience - sensations, impulse, movement, feeling and autonomic nervous system regulation.  It gently supports the completion of survival responses such as fight, flight or freeze, allowing the body to renegotiate what once felt overwhelming or stuck.  

In practice, SE is a slow, collaborative process that prioritizes safety, pacing, and consent.   Clients are supported in tracking internal sensations and learning the language of their nervous system, building capacity for regulation, resilience, and choice.  

In SE, symptoms are understood as adaptive responses shaped by experience rather than pathology.  Healing becomes less about "fixing what is broken" and more about restoring connection-to the body, to self, and to others-so that a fuller range of emotional and physical expression can emerge in a way that feels integrated and grounded.  

Your body carries and inherent wisdom-an inner healing intelligence-that leads the healing process.  And experienced, trained therapist helps hold the containing for this work to unfold, offering a steady, safe presence while you learn to listen and attune to what is emerging.  Healing happens through awareness, pacing, and the gradual restoration of your capacity for balance a regulation over time.   

Sessions are typically calm and conversational, but may also include:

• Awareness of body sensations (such as tightness, warmth, or movement)
• Guided exercises to build a sense of safety and stability
• Small, manageable steps to process stress or trauma
• Pauses to ensure you stay comfortable and grounded

You remain in control the entire time, and nothing is forced.

 Somatic Experiencing supports those experiencing the following challenges.  

• Trauma or PTSD
• Anxiety and chronic stress
• Depression
• Chronic pain or tension
• Feeling “stuck,” numb, or overwhelmed

It can also help improve overall resilience and emotional regulation.

The body holds experiences that the mind may not fully process. By working with physical sensations, Somatic therapy  helps access and release stress at its root—where it lives in the nervous system.

This can lead to:

• Greater calm and relaxation
• Increased energy and vitality
• Improved emotional balance
• A deeper sense of connection to yourself

Somatic therapy is designed to feel safe, respectful, and empowering. It doesn’t require you to talk about everything in detail or revisit difficult memories unless you’re ready.

Healing happens through awareness, patience, and your body’s natural ability to restore balance.