Somatic Experiencing Basics
I wrote a post about how my Somatic Experiencing (SE) training changed my practice, but what the heck is it? SE is a body-based trauma-treatment therapy. This means that SE focuses on more than just the narrative of the experience of trauma and includes the body in the treatment. Our minds move a lot faster and process faster than our bodies.
SE conceptualizes our trauma responses/symptoms as thwarted survival responses. There a many reasons why we may need to override our physiological responses that come up to protect us, eg. someone/something stops us, we’re smaller than the threat, our responses may not be socially acceptable, etc. To expand on that last example, this is because our bodies experience all threats as the same - from a tiger approaching to missing a deadline. This means that if your bills are stacking up and you don’t know how you’ll pay them, you start to feel threatened, because your literal wellbeing is at risk, but running away won’t get us away from this danger and physically fighting the bill collectors will be both in effective in solving the problem and add to the problems. When you are in a survival situation and you are unable to respond as your body wants to, SE conceptualizes this as the root of the trauma symptoms - your body’s attempt to “complete” the response. You can read more about how SE works and the science behind it at the Somatic Experiencing International website.
How does SE show up in my practice? It completely depends on individual I am with, their needs, and their goals for treatment. For a lot of folks with trauma histories, chronic pain/illness, and/or various marginalized identities, being in the body hasn’t always felt safe, so our work may look like spending time becoming comfortable in the body and recognizing all the information our body has to give us, when it is safe to do so. Additionally, we may be building up internal resources for safety, so that we can feel our big emotions in a way that is not overwhelming. We may build up to processing trauma/body experiences with an increased capacity and trust in our nervous systems, utilzing movement and other sensory experiences beyond talking. This is not the sole therapy I utilize, so our work together could include as much or as little SE as you feel comfortable with. If you are interested in learning more or trying SE with me, I want to invite you to reach out to me today to schedule a consultation!
As always, take what is helpful and leave the rest. I hope you have the week you need.
