Trauma and Anxiety Resource Center - SOMATIC EXPERIENCING®

Trauma and Anxiety Resource Center - Promoting Self Regulation and Restoring Resilence

About Somatic Experiencing®

Who developed it:

Dr. Peter A. Levine, originator of Somatic Experiencing® holds Doctorate degrees in Medical Biophysics and Psychology. From his 40 year study of the nature of stress and trauma, he developed a break through treatment process of resolving traumatic stress.

Who Uses it:

Somatic Experiencing is practiced by doctors, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, physical therapists and bodywork practitioners of all sorts. The method is sometimes referred to as a psycho-physiological approach, or a body/mind therapy. It draws on the latest cutting edge-scientific research coming from fields of traumatology, biology, neurology, psychology, attachment theory, physiology.

Why it works:

Dr. Levine observed that animals in the wild are routinely threatened many times a day. Yet, they are rarely, if ever traumatized Animals have a built-in ability to return to their natural state of ease after a threatening event. Simply stated they do this by literally "shaking off" the survival action or residual energy through trembling, shaking, panting and completing motor movements. This is all part of the body's own wisdom to return to self-regulation and balance. The beauty is we as humans share this same innate ability to rebound from overwhelming events.

Somatic Experiencing® is the process that helps enable the human body to complete the frozen biological response to the overwhelming experience, release it, and ultimately heal the impact of traumatic events.

Somatic Experiencing® is not "talk therapy". It is a deep physiological process using body focused awareness and a container of safety. This is a process in which you are involved in every step of identifying and safely healing the wounds of trauma.