Somatic Experiencing - Trauma Recovery
“Trauma resolved is a great gift, returning us to the natural world of ebb and flow, empowerment, harmony, and compassion.”
Trauma is the result of an extraordinarily stressful event that shatters your sense of security, making you feel helpless and vulnerable.
Scary or overwhelming events trigger the nervous system to create enormous amounts of survival energy, preparing us for self-defense - this is our "fight, flight, or freeze" response. When we process such events fully, our nervous system can reset to a healthy state; however, if we do not have the opportunity to fully recover from such events, the survival energy can get stuck in our system, impeding our ability to self-regulate. As a result, symptoms such as increased irritability and anger, confusion or difficulty concentrating, withdrawing from others, and feelings of sadness or hopelessness may appear. Physical symptoms such as fatigue, aches, pains, digestion issues, insomnia, and muscle tension might also be present.
I often explain to my clients that our nervous systems do not speak English (or any other language); therefore, we do not always have a verbal way of fully processing the symptoms that are showing up. Just talking about the trauma is not always enough. Trauma is stored in the body, and one of the most effective ways of processing and healing from trauma is to work with the body. I use a method called Somatic Experiencing and trauma-sensitive movement therapy to work with trauma at its root, without re-traumatizing the individual.
Somatic Experiencing is an effective psychobiological method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. It is the life's work of Dr. Peter A. Levine, resulting from his multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics.
As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I have completed hundreds of hours of training, on-going consultation, and participate in my own personal sessions to more fully understand the healing power of this work. I have assisted new students in their learning of Somatic Experiencing at professional trainings in the United States, Australia, and Canada. I am an approved SE consultation provider and personal session provider for beginning, intermediate, and advanced year students who are working towards completion of the 3-year training. You can read more about Somatic Experiencing by visiting the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute's website.
When bad things happen, it can take time to get over the pain and feel safe again. Whether the event happened years ago, or yesterday, you can heal and move on with the right treatment and support.