Somatic Experiencing® Trauma Therapy
Somatic Experiencing® is a potent psychobiological method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. It resets the nervous system, restores inner balance, enhances resilience to stress, and increases people’s vitality, equanimity and capacity to actively engage in life.
Developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine, a pioneering researcher and practitioner of trauma healing, author of Waking the Tiger, “trauma is about loss of connection – to ourselves, to our bodies, to our families, to others, and to the world around us.”
How does Somatic Experiencing Work
Somatic Experiencing® assists the body in releasing pent up emotional charges that became trapped in the nervous system as anxiety and hyper-arousal states. While animals in the wild discharge trauma by shaking it off, the human nervous system is not trained in this way. We can become like a car with the accelerator and the brakes applied simultaneously, leading to hyper-vigilance and fear. The work of Somatic Experiencing teaches us that trauma is not in the event, it is in our nervous system. In Somatic Experiencing we use inner resources, body sensations and slowing down the process to find balance and equilibrium in the nervous system. This supports healing and “renegotiates” the trauma instead of reliving it.
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