Somatic Experiencing is a naturalistic approach to the treatment of trauma. This work was created through many years of observation, research, and hands-on clinical development.
What is Somatic Experiencing Therapy?
Somatic Experiencing, originated from the work of Peter Levine, and restores the body’s capacity for self-regulation. But exactly what is somatic experiencing and how does it work? As we track internal and external states, moving awareness from internal sensations to external orientation we discover new resources. Such as; experiences of joy, calmness, strength, and vibrancy.
First of all, the ability to move awareness from perhaps chaotic internal states to the orientation of safety, within the immediate environment, builds trust. Furthermore, this trust helps us in the process of entering into past traumatic history without becoming overwhelmed.
Discovering Exactly What is Somatic Experiencing Therapy Takes A Minute
Learning how we address stress in the body is truly understood by experiencing it. Therefore, Somatic Experiencing is different from Psychotherapy, as it works only with small pieces of personal story we feel in the body. This almost always gives the body time to integrate activating material. This careful and respectful tracking of traumatic material creates a sense of mastery, competence, and enthusiasm for the process.
Discharging stress patterns trapped in a dissociative state of overwhelm results. Therefore, doing this a little bit at a time, gives the body a deep sense of rest and wellness, resiliency, and vitality.
In my work as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I may bring your attention to include sensations. Noteworthy, as human animals we carry the same biological inheritance as animals in the wild, which respond to trauma through instinctual strategies such as flight, fight, or freeze. Exploring the subtle aspects of this somatic inheritance we build resilience and somatic presence. As a result, this presence helps us stay attuned to the present moment. Getting the felt-sense of this orienting helps us refine our understanding of what is somatic experiencing.
With the rapid spread of awareness around the efficacy of Somatic Experiencing therapy, resolving symptoms of chronic stress, PTSD and trauma, Gina Ross is spearheading an effort to significantly establish SE in the world. Please view her Somatic Experiencing Research Appeal here.
Still wondering what is Somatic Experiencing Therapy?
In “Trauma is Treated in the Body, Not the Mind” Dr. Peter Levine writes, ‘Somatic Experiencing came about through watching animals in the wilderness miraculously rebound unscathed from multiple traumas in their daily scramble to survive…Wild animals execute biological, subconscious actions that prepare them to meet the threat in defensive ways. Somatic Experiencing views trauma as this incomplete biological execution.
Finally, completing these biological executions, in finding safety from threat, the body then releases this survival bound energy through shaking and trembling. Thereby, returning to homeostasis and the body’s normal somatic functioning…view article.
Copyright © 2011 Somaticsupport.com
