What is it?
Somatic Experiencing® is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. Trauma occurs when the body is unable to complete a self-protective response to an event and gets stuck in a fight, flight or freeze pattern. This pattern continues to loop in the body, using metabolic energy that would normally be directed at body maintenance functions like digestion, immune function, and healing, causing chronic health challenges. This work helps complete those incomplete responses and releases the energy that was previously held. Your body’s systems will begin to work better and you’ll have greater capacity to navigate the flow of life. You’ll feel calmer and safer, breathe easier, have less pain and tension, be more stable emotionally, and have an easier time connecting socially.
What will I experience?
Somatic Experiencing Practitioners are trained to sense the workings of the autonomic nervous system, especially in detecting incomplete fight, flight or freeze responses. In the context of a therapeutic conversation you’ll be invited to pay attention to your own nervous system (your sensations) along with your thoughts, emotions, memories and stories. When fight, flight or freeze responses begin to arise, you may notice temperature changes, buzzing, tingling or numbness, variations in heart rate and breathing, and shifts and movements in the body. With the support of the SE Practitioner, your nervous system will have a chance to finish the responses that it was unable to do during the traumatic event(s). When this happens, you’ll experience release of emotions, easier breathing, a deeper state of relaxation, and greater sense of ease and well-being.
Who will benefit from Somatic Experiencing?
This work benefits those with any trauma history, chronic illness or pain, anxiety or depression, and reduced or overactive immune function. Issues stemming from falls, car and bike accidents, injuries, dental or medical events can also be resolved with SE. Since you don’t need to remember an event explicitly to experience the benefit of SE, it’s a very effective approach for early and developmental trauma. Business professionals who feel nervous about speaking or performers with stage fright can use SE to transform their fight, flight or freeze experience into compelling presence.
I’m interested! How do I start?
Contact me and we’ll find a time to meet online via Zoom or at my space in North Vancouver. A 1-hour session is $125CAD.
Further resources about SE are available at traumahealing.org.
Interested in the intersection of voicework and Somatic Experiencing? Check out the Vaporize Your Butterflies webinar.