Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented healing modality that strives to resolve symptoms of stress and trauma. It’s based on the work of Dr. Peter Levine, who asked why animals in the wild experience trauma but don’t have symptoms of PTSD. 

When animals are in danger, they experience a rush of energy to help them fight or flee. If the survival responses are not completed, animals will naturally release the activation from the body. Humans, however, have become disconnected from these innate processes.

In our modern world where thinking is prioritized over feeling, stress that has not been discharged can continue to run on the back burner of our nervous systems, draining our energy and convincing us that danger is still near. 

By becoming more aware of our feelings and sensations, we can align with the natural processes of the nervous system. When the body feels safe enough, it can integrate these old experiences in a slow way that doesn’t overwhelm the system again.

In our session together, we’ll talk about what’s going on in your life, and explore the feelings and sensations that arise in your body as we do. We’ll typically begin seated on chairs across from one another, and then we’ll continue the dialogue while you are lying on a massage table, and I offer subtle energy techniques. Sessions might also include embodiment exercises to help you build a sense of boundaries, agency, or safety. 

Along the way, suppressed emotions or difficult body sensations may arise. By being with these experiences together, they can be processed and integrated. The more we can practice being present with uncomfortable sensations, the more we gain access to joy, pleasure, and ourselves.

For generations, we’ve lived under oppressive systems that say that some bodies are more valuable than others, where no one is truly safe. With the growing climate crisis and many others, the flaws in individualism are clear — we cannot survive alone.

Somatic bodywork helps us unravel these wounds and co-regulate our nervous systems, so that we can be prepared to navigate what’s ahead. It helps us listen to our inner voice, cultivate a sense of safety within, and build trust with ourselves. From there, we can build healthy relationships and communities of care that support us all.