Somatic Experiencing® was developed by Peter Levine for the purpose of re-negotiating and healing the residual effects of traumatic events. It is a gentle and profound way of working through and releasing old, conditioned patterns that may have been with you since childhood. The process involves bringing your awareness, with the help and guidance of the practitioner to the sensations in your body that are the structure and fabric of these old patterns.  

SE® is a very different process from talk therapy. It is not necessary to relive trauma or to describe in detail a litany of painful experiences. Instead, with compassionate support, you are invited to notice what is happening in your body as you share just a small part of your story. As we together track the sensations, emotions, images and movement impulses that arise in the present moment, your nervous system is able to gradually complete responses of fight, flight and freeze that have been stuck. Your whole story may emerge gradually but this is primarily a body centered approach. 

The effects of overwhelming life events can impact the quality of life, long after the occurrence of the event. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress reveal themselves not only in our minds but also in our bodies. For example, insomnia, chronic fatigue, unexplainable chronic pain, panic attacks, and digestive disorders can all be possible post traumatic symptoms caused by a nervous system that has forgotten how to manage arousal. 

A combination of mindfulness, education and awareness of sensation, and sometimes appropriate touch are used to facilitate this non-cathartic process. You may begin to become aware of the wisdom held in your body, and relate to your body as an ally in your healing. You will learn new ways to regulate arousal and build resiliency through a balanced nervous system.