5 Key Insights into Somatic Experiencing Therapy: Healing Trauma Effectively
The nervous system, trauma healing, and the word “somatic” are all of the rage these days. Therefore, it is not surprise that when it comes to somatic therapy and the actual psychotherapeutic approach there is a lot of confusion. Using my expertise as a Licensed Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, let’s chat about it.
1. What is Somatic Experiencing?
The Origins of Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing (or SE) uses the body (soma) to track sensations in order to resolve trauma. It was created by Dr. Peter Levine in the 1970’s after suffering from his own traumatic events. By observing animals, he found that they had their own wise way of resolving their trauma experiences; not getting stuck in trauma patterns the way that humans tend to. By closing the loop on the stress cycle, by being able to protect yourself or fully understand in your body that you have protected yourself, creates more safety in the body. When we feel safe, we are able to be present, connected, and focused.
Trauma Stored in the Body, Not Just the Mind
Somatic Experiencing is based on the principal that trauma and emotions are not just stored in the mind but also the body, which is why people find that they have intense physical reactions to things which might not always make sense to them. Therefore, it makes sense that in order to heal, a body-based approach is essential.
Click here to learn more about how trauma is stored in the body and why talk therapy might not be enough.
How is Somatic Therapy Different From Talk Therapy?
Unlike traditional talk therapy that uses a “top-down” approach, somatic therapy uses a “bottom-up” approach to trauma therapy. This means that instead of staying in the head (with cognition), we look at what is happening below the surface, in the body. Instead of only using coping skills in order to reduce stress, Somatic Experiencing starts with the physiology in order to find the unique way that each nervous system wants to close its trauma loop, aiding in trauma healing. We use the body as a guide to help ease the emotional pain.
2. How does Somatic Therapy Work?
This trauma therapy approach tracks what is happening in the autonomic nervous system during the session in order to help clients process traumatic events and heal from trauma. (Please keep in mind that we are using the word trauma in a generous way, meaning that there are classically big “T” and little “t” trauma categories, which somatic therapy doesn’t always need to differentiate.)
Understanding the Autonomic Nervous System in Trauma Healing
Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Roles
The autonomic nervous system is comprised of two parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. It helps to remember it like this: the sympathetic is “sympathetic” to your surroundings and helps send you into fight or flight if need be. It is responsible for taking in information and responding according to threat level. The parasympathetic is the “breaks” of the nervous system. It helps bring us down into regulation, or the ventral vagal state. Our systems naturally love to be in the ventral vagal state. This is the state that most people are in when they describe feeling “regulated.” We are able to connect when we are in this state.
Pendulation Between Healing and Trauma
Somatic Experiencing helps clients to pendulate back and forth between healing and trauma, building capacity for tolerating difficult sensations and emotions in the body and mind. As a Kansas City-based trauma therapist, my role is to guide you (and your nervous system) between both these healing and trauma vortexes, utilizing what is naturally happening in your system during the session. By paying attention to the different sensations happening in the body, we are able to gain insight into emotions and past traumas.
What is the Goal of Somatic Experiencing?
The ultimate goal of Somatic Therapy work is to fully discharge the energy associated with the trauma. It is intended to help close the loop; complete the stress cycle. This is what Dr. Peter Levine observed with animals – instead of getting stuck in a sympathetic response, they are able to do things that end the stress cycle, such as run, fight, hide, and so on. That is what our nervous systems crave; to be able to actively do something about what happened to us.
3. How Somatic Experiencing Supports Trauma Healing
Trauma is the suffering as a result of experiencing something that is so disturbing or life threatening that it gets coded into our systems in a way that alters our emotional states, physiological responses, or belief systems. It often occurs when something is too much too soon, or not enough (think developmental trauma here). Trauma almost always involves a lack of choice. This is where therapy comes in.
How Does Somatic Experiencing Work in a Therapy Setting?
Somatic Experiencing is a trauma therapy approach that treats trauma by following the client’s sympathetic response to remembered events and helping that person’s nervous system complete that response, allowing their parasympathetic nervous system to come online. By doing this, we reduce the symptomology and intensity of distress when remembering events.
Example of Healing: Mira’s Story
That’s a lot of shop talk - but what does it all mean? Here’s an example of how this might play out in actual somatic therapy sessions:
Mira has been in somatic therapy to help her heal from an assault she experienced in a romantic relationship in her 20’s. She now has chronic tension in her body and sleeplessness due to the nature of the assault. She feels like she cannot rest. “I am always prepared for something bad to happen,” Mira says. While talking about the assault, her therapist noticed that she would stop moving altogether and become really rigid. By bringing awareness to the rigidity instead of continuing to talk and feeling even more stuck, Mira was able to understand that her body was stuck in a freeze response. With guidance from her therapist, Mira was able to go slowly and find movement in her body while talking about the assault. She found that her feet and arms really wanted to move (by cueing into impulses that were arising) which helped her to discharge some of the survival energy stuck in her body.
We see that Mira was able to complete self-protective responses in two ways:
She was able to understand that staying frozen during the attack was actually really intelligent and kept her safe. She was able to renegotiate the shame around “not defending herself” (even though she did).
She was able to move, getting out of the frozen, shut down state. This helped her physiology to return to a baseline of safety and regulation.
We might expect that Mira would be able to be more relaxed more often, and that her sleep might improve. Of course, there would most likely be other things to resolve now that some of the big survival energy had been addressed.
Creating Safety and Resources in Somatic Therapy Sessions
Safety is of the utmost importance when practicing Somatic Experiencing. It is the priority which is why we spend so much time in session helping to make sure each client is fully resourced (can feel the good, has access to positive emotional and physiological experiences) before dipping into trauma. Somatic Experiencing helps each client to create an internal “lifeline;” a way to get out of distressing feelings if need be. That is why the practitioner also takes time to get to know the client so that they can help to facilitate this process.
4. What Are The Top Benefits of Somatic Experiencing for Trauma Healing?
What Are The Benefits of Somatic Therapy for Clients with PTSD?
Clients healing from PTSD are able to get out of chronic states of hyperarousal and reduce triggers associated with their original experiences. Clients healing from PTSD report fewer flashbacks and an overall increase in their sense of safety in the present. Most clients find that they now have more capacity to experience difficult emotions and sensations, and that they understand that these are no longer dangerous to feel.
What Are The Benefits of Somatic Therapy for Clients with Depression and Anxiety?
Those with depression and anxiety not only have an increased sense of regulation but an understanding of how to care for themselves in a more personalized way. Why? Because of this bottom-up approach which pays close attention to their individualized needs, instead of the therapist coming up with coping skills for them. Further, those with chronic stress in the body are able to find relief because we are paying attention to the body, finding the root cause.
What Are The Benefits of Somatic Therapy for Anyone Seeking More Regulation or Presence?
A lot of people’s original treatment goals in therapy is to feel more “regulated” or “present” in their lives. Going back to the science behind Somatic Experiencing, this is because we are able to more easily engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which gives us access to being connected and engaged in the present. Somatic Experiencing helps people increase their overall sense of well-being, can help to regulate sleep and energy levels, and at the very least fosters a deep level of insight into the inner emotional and physiological experience.
5. What Can I Expect During Somatic Therapy Sessions?
Am I Ready for Trauma Healing With Somatic Therapy?
You may be wondering if you are ready to begin your trauma healing journey with Somatic Therapy or wondering, “Is Somatic Therapy right for me?” Individuals who are ready for Somatic Therapy understand what Somatic Therapy is, are ready to reconnect with their body, have trauma or stress that feels stuck, are open to exploring emotions and sensations, and have tried other therapy modalities without relief.
To learn more about whether or not Somatic Therapy is right for you, click here.
Your First Somatic Therapy Session
The first session you meet with your Somatic Experiencing Therapist, there will be a lot of “getting to know you’s.” During this time, a better understanding of the distressing event and the distressing symptoms will be gathered. The therapist will get insight into your particular symptoms and start to get a feel for how your nervous system reacts to some level of activation during the session.
The subsequent sessions will look a bit different, in that there will be deeper somatic therapy work happening. The therapist will help guide the client through different ways to gain access to bodily awareness and sensations, as well as facilitate some of the pendulation between the healing and trauma spaces.
Is Somatic Therapy Invasive?
Somatic Experiencing is meant to be non-invasive and handles each client’s trauma content with the utmost respect and sensitivity. It is not about “forcing” and “pushing through,” but rather respecting how much each person can tolerate in that moment. It should feel gentle and supportive the entire time.
Why “Less is More” in Trauma Healing Work
One common misconception about how Somatic Experiencing looks or feels is that you should come away from each meeting having had a huge mental or physical release each time. We can see this on some of those Instagram or Facebook ads for “somatic exercises” in which people are screaming, shaking, and so on. This is not the goal of this type of intervention at all. Oppositely, it has been found that a gentler approach helps to more easily close the stress loop. If we go too “big,” we run the risk of retraumatization. Therefore, less is more.
What can I do to prepare for a Somatic Experiencing session?
To prepare for a Somatic Experiencing session, wear comfortable clothes, bring a drink of water or ask for one from your provider, and make sure you have time to transition from the session back into your day. The best thing, however, that you can bring with you is a sense of curiosity and willingness to try something new. Being open-minded to new experiences and interventions will unlock this world for you.
Start Your Somatic Experiencing Journey with a Licensed Kansas City Therapist
Resources for Learning More
If reading about Somatic Experiencing work has led you to want more information, I encourage you to go to the SE website traumahealing.org to learn more. You can also read some of Dr. Peter Levine’s original works, including Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma which is an accessible way to understand more about the origins of this intervention.
Work with a Licensed Kansas City Therapist in Kansas City
If you are curious about booking an appointment with me for Somatic Experiencing in Kansas City to get started on your healing journey, contact me. I am happy to answer any question you might have. I understand that starting this process can feel intimidating or overwhelming, and I’m so happy to help!
Frequently Asked Questions About Somatic Therapy
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Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to trauma therapy that helps individuals process distress by tracking the sensations in the autonomic nervous system. It supports completing the body’s natural stress response to restore regulation and safety.
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Not at all. While it is highly effective for those with PTSD, it also benefits anyone dealing with anxiety, depression, chronic stress, or a sense of dysregulation. Trauma, as used in this context, includes a wide range of overwhelming experiences.
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Unlike traditional talk therapy, Somatic Experiencing focuses on bodily sensations and nervous system responses, allowing clients to work through trauma physically as well as emotionally. It’s a bottom-up approach to healing.
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No. Somatic Experiencing is designed to be gentle and non-retraumatizing. The focus is on noticing body sensations rather than deeply retelling traumatic stories. Clients are supported to stay within their window of tolerance.
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Wear comfortable clothing, bring water, and allow space in your schedule to gently re-enter your day post-session. Most importantly, come with an open mind and curiosity about your own healing process.
Stevie Olson-Spiegel is a Licensed Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner located in Kansas City. She uses Somatic Experiencing as her main body-based trauma healing modality, as well as EMDR. As an Intuitive Eating Counselor, she uses these principles to help her clients challenge their relationship with their cultural misconceptions about their body and food.
