Somatic Experiencing

SE Tiger.jpg — "Trauma is a fact of life. It does NOT, however, have to be a life sentence."
Dr Peter Levine

What is Somatic Experiencing (SE)?

Developed by Dr Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing is a powerful psychobiological (body-mind) method for resolving physical and emotional symptoms of trauma, PTSD and other stress-related conditions. SE -

resets the nervous system to healthy functioning
restores inner balance and stability
builds resilience to stress and overwhelm
increases vitality and the capacity to engage in life.

What happens in an SE session?

Somatic Experiencing is NOT a form of massage or physical manipulation so clothing is not removed. We work together for 50 minutes, usually seated. We talk, exploring either an issue you bring or starting with what arises in your body, using its wisdom to guide our attention. We track your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) supporting your physiology to process all that comes up, ending the session in a settled and resourced place.

Having got to know your nervous system and built trust over a number of sessions, I may suggest some SE touch which is intended to deepen support and the work. This won’t be appropriate for every client. As with all SE work, tracking the response of the ANS and honouring what it communicates is very present with touch. In Zoom sessions I will guide you in self touch and/or offer remote touch.

What is trauma?

Trauma is not the experience of extreme difficulty / stress or the distressing story told of that experience. Rather trauma is the wound which occurs when an individual’s Autonomic Nervous System can no longer manage the situation it’s in, becomes overwhelmed and shuts down. It can be comforting to realise that this is a physiological/ biological function designed for our protection and survival: it’s totally outside our control, it’s not a personality fault or a sign of weakness. Releasing the trapped survival energy of trauma is part of SE work.

What is resilience?

Resilience is not the ability to bear and push through difficult experiences or to resist what’s coming at us. Healthy resilience is the capacity during difficult and challenging experiences to stay open to our body sensations and emotions and respond to their wise communications about the here-and-now situation. Resilience protects the nervous system from becoming overwhelmed, enabling what would have been unmanageable to be manageable. Negative feelings like pain and anger can be allowed rather than closed off immediately which means there’s also space for positive feelings to be expressed like aliveness, joy, connection and flourishing. Expanding the window of tolerance is part of SE work.

Dr Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Model

Observations of prey animals in the wild show them routinely threatened but rarely traumatised, instead returning to normal when a threat has passed. The animals use innate mechanisms to regulate and discharge the high levels of energy required to survive life-threatening attacks from predators.

These innate mechanisms are part of the Autonomic Nervous System in all mammals including humans - Sympathetic NS arousal and Parasympathetic NS shutdown. More familiarly known as fight, flight and freeze these responses prepare and resource the animal for its best chance of survival and then to recover relaxed equilibrium. The images below show L-R aroused alertness; running to escape; return to relaxed grazing.

High activation is a state full of adrenaline designed for short-term action -

hyerarousal (alertness and restlessness)
fight (defensive aggression)
flight (the impulse to escape danger)

And if fight / flight survival is unsuccessful, the ANS then shifts to a temporary freeze state for survival -

immobility (eg playing possum)
numbing or dissociation (to lessen pain of attack)

Humans respond to difficult experiences by similar mobilisation of fight, flight and freeze even though most threats nowadays are perceived rather than actual life-or-death ones and we may not even be conscious of an initial startle starting the automatic physiological process. Humans often inhibit the natural discharge of high arousal and the stress chemicals that have been generated (adrenaline, cortisol etc) so the freeze state comes in on top of the hyperarousal. We’re likely to be familiar with the resulting experiences -

inability to settle
anger (eg criticism and rage)
urge to escape or feeling uncomfortable in an environment
anxiety

And our human versions of freeze -

overwhelm
immobility (glued to the spot)
shutdown (eg depression)
collapse (eg chronic health problems)
numbing (eg addictions)
dissociating (eg drifting off)
over-pleasing (eg fawning, appeasing, co-dependency)

Continually interrupted completion of the stress response cycle results in high arousal and/or freeze as the lived experience of many people. The nervous system has got stuck long-term in patterns of survival which were designed for short-term use only. This results in -

behaviour patterns which compromises daily living
inability to connect with ourselves and others
health problems caused by the behaviour patterns and stress chemicals.

Core Concepts of Somatic Experiencing (SE)

Please ask for explanation of any of these concepts that particularly spark your curiosity

SE is a deeply relational model, founded on safety, respect and working at a pace that suits the client and their nervous system.

SE focuses on: empowerment, mastery, expansion of choice, self-direction, and self-determination.

SE understands that difficult experiences are a natural and normal part of life, not mistakes, diseases, or aberrations.

SE holds the attitude that the body-mind is designed to heal intense and extreme experiences.

SE works within the client’s resilience to facilitate the most gentle, healing experience. We don’t push through ‘resistance’ or painful physical discomfort nor do we aim for emotional catharsis.

SE considers trauma rests not in the event but as a wound in the individual’s nervous system: content of a story is used to track activation rather than to search for memories.

In addition to emotions and thoughts, SE works with the ‘felt sense’, accessing physical sensations, imagery, hard-wired sensory-motor patterns and body wisdom / intuition.

SE helps the client to recognise and expand internal, external and missing resources which aid in putting difficult experiences behind them. It provides a deep internal sense of mastery and self confidence.

SE stabilises the client in a safe, contained, resourced state before working with any difficult material that may be ‘stuck’ in the body. You might like to ask about pots and carrots!

SE increases body awareness which restores a person’s ability to listen to and effectively respond to the signs and signals of legitimate danger.

SE and Polyvagal Theory

The SE model developed over 40 years ago is now evidenced in neuroscience, particularly Polyvagal Theory. This neurobiological perspective was developed by Dr Stephen Porges (1995 onwards) bringing understanding of the adaptive functions of an individual’s reactions, shifting their narrative from victimised to heroic, on ‘a pragmatic quest for safety with an implicit bodily drive to survive’. (Porges SW in Dana D 2018, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy).

Genetic causes + influences on health

isn’t health already determined by our genes?

It used to be considered that genes provide a fixed blueprint which, in terms of health, meant a predetermined future with few options. However, the science of Epigenetics has now demonstrated that while genes provide a predisposition to certain diseases and conditions, in most cases it is our environment and lifestyle choices which determine the switching on or off of those genes. Trauma and stress have very significant impacts on gene expression.