Somatic Experiencing® Method
Jump to What to Expect
Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a healing modality developed by Dr. Peter Levine that teaches people how to settle and release physiological activation (stress). Click here to see an introduction of SE and Peter in action.
In this day and age, most of us are probably activated most of the day without any experience of settling or regulating the nervous system. In light of recent events, it is even more important to be able to do this, as it allows our body to rest and repair.
SE teaches strategies to calm the nervous system and can often help people regain a sense of themselves. I believe through SE, people can thrive in life, rather than just survive.
I will support a person to be with uncomfortable sensations in their body and help to gently unwind them through tracking and using the person's resources to help regulate them. It is particularly useful in managing stress and reducing tension in the body.
"SE teaches simple, powerful strategies that mobilise the body's innate self-healing systems - the same physiological processes that mend broken bones and fight disease."
Benefits of a session:
- Regulated Nervous System so you can come out of Stress/Fight/Flight, into Rest/Repair
- Relaxed and settling for body and mind
- Reduced tension
- More capacity for the day ahead
- More grounded and sense of self
- Present, being in the now
- Less foggy-minded
What to expect
My approach to the sessions are to create a safe, non-judgemental space. I will help you explore ways to resource yourself to down-regulate your nervous system, i.e. de-stress, experience peace and relaxation.
From here, you may have something you want to bring to the session and explore, or we ask the body what wants to unfold. Setting the intention, I then ask you to become aware of what comes up in the body.
I will guide you to track the sensations and notice what happens for you.
The key to this work is to go slowly and initially it may be that we take pauses from the work.
As we touch into difficult sensations, we may remember difficult times. Here we tread gently and support the us, in that time with what was missing and needed then.
These sessions are a collaboration. This is your time, your session and whatever is present, is allowed and welcomed. I offer you my complete attention. To be attuned to you and the field so that we allow a natural unfolding to occur and trust in the intelligence of the body.
Be open
Be curious