What is Somatic Experiencing?
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING (SE™) Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a transformative, body-centered approach that powerfully addresses trauma symptoms and stress-related disorders. It is crucial to understand that trauma isn’t just a byproduct of a distressing event; it arises when the body, psyche, and nervous system struggle to process overwhelming experiences. SE leverages the body as a vital instrument for creating new physiological patterns that help cultivate a deep sense of safety and stability within ourselves.
This approach empowers individuals to complete essential self-protective responses and release trapped survival energy. By tackling the root causes of stress and trauma responses, SE paves the way for new possibilities and choices beyond the confines of traditional stress reactions.
A standout feature of SE is its ability to empower individuals without requiring them to relive or recount their traumatic experiences. Instead, it offers a safe environment for them to engage with, complete, and resolve their instinctive survival responses—such as fight, flight, freeze, and collapse—in a gentle, supportive manner. This process can lead to profound transformations for those grappling with anxiety, stress, depression, isolation, hopelessness, and numbness.
By promoting corrective bodily experiences that counteract feelings of fear and helplessness, SE plays a pivotal role in resetting the nervous system, ultimately restoring inner balance. This not only enhances resilience but also significantly boosts vitality and fosters a greater capacity for equanimity. With Somatic Experiencing, individuals are not just navigating life; they are actively reclaiming their power and engaging wholeheartedly with the world around them. Embrace this opportunity to unlock your potential for lasting change and well-being!
Advanced practitioners in Somatic Experiencing who are trained in the use of touch work will also employ this additional approach in the healing of developmental, relational, and attachment trauma.
What should I know about my Somatic Experiencing Practitioner's (SEP) training?
Practitioners with the designation of Somatic Experiencing Practitioner must complete a 3-year (216 hours) certification as well as a significant number of professional consultations and personal sessions.
Touch Skills training focuses on the use of kinesthetic learning, somatic awareness, and other touch-related skills in the context of working with the resolution of traumatic stress symptoms in the physical body (96 hours).
Somatic Resilience and Regulation focuses on understanding the effects of developmental trauma in children and developing adults. This approach opens the door to working with nonverbal trauma. By understanding the neurochemistry of early trauma and rebuilding developmental platforms through regulation, clients begin to move from a high-cost-of-doing-business system to a smoother and less stress-oriented system (96 hours).
Variable Platforms of Care
Individual Sessions (Virtual or In-person)
Individual Sessions (Virtual or In-person)
Individual Sessions (Virtual or In-person)
Somatic Couple Sessions
Individual Sessions (Virtual or In-person)
Individual Sessions (Virtual or In-person)