Maria Gray, Los Angeles-based therapist
About Maria Gray, LMFT, NMP, CGP:
I’m a Los Angeles based therapist with a somatic approach. I focus on helping my clients re-establish a connection with their bodies, and to the parts of themselves that are organized and grounded. I have in-depth experience supporting clients with somatic practices, and have seen first hand how it can benefit those struggling with addiction, childhood trauma, grief, and anxiety. I am in my second year of Somatic Experiencing training, which is a three-year program.
How Does Somatic Experiencing Release Trauma?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented therapy used to treat trauma and stress-related disorders.
It was created by Dr. Peter A. Levine, who studied wild animals in their natural environments. He noticed that animals were able to recover from stressful events in a more adaptive way than humans.
Based on his observations and studies, he wrote a book (1997) entitled “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences.” What he shared in this book has opened the doors for many individuals to heal from past trauma with the support of trained somatic therapists.
Have you ever seen a dog “shake it off” after they’ve been startled? That movement – like they’re trying to dry themselves off but they're not wet – is a very basic example of how Levine sees an animal process sensations in their body that ripple out into their nervous systems.
Levine believes that it’s actually these unprocessed sensations in the body and nervous system that create the symptoms of trauma, PTSD, anxiety and depression. Humans don’t move their bodies in a way after a traumatic event that helps them to move through the sensations. The ongoing physical, emotional, and mental discomfort that often accompany trauma has its roots in these unprocessed moments that are still in the body.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is based on the premise that trauma isn't just a psychological event, but something that gets "stuck" in the body and nervous system, leading to ongoing physical and emotional symptoms.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapists help their clients understand and track what’s happening in their nervous systems so they can notice when they are stuck in fight, flight or freeze mode, and return to a more regulated state.
Do I have to talk about my trauma in a Somatic Experiencing (SE) session?
No, it is not necessary for clients to describe a traumatic event during an SE session.
The body remembers the event, and processing the sensations with a trained SE therapist helps release “stuck” feelings and restores balance to your nervous system.
How is Somatic Experiencing (SE) different from traditional talk therapy?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapists track sensations in the body using a “here and now” approach. It’s considered a “bottom up” approach which means focusing on the body. Talk therapy uses a “top down” approach focusing on cognitive processes like thoughts and beliefs.
While there are many types of talk therapy, more traditional, psychodynamic models focus on unconscious thoughts and feelings, and sometimes analyzing a client’s past history.
Can Somatic Experiencing (SE) help with anxiety?
Yes, Somatic Experiencing (SE) can be very helpful in treating anxiety. While SE is known for its effectiveness in addressing trauma and PTSD, the principles and techniques it employs work for symptoms like anxiety and depression, which also have a strong physiological component.
What else can Somatic Experiencing help with?
SE is effective at treating shock trauma. Shock trauma can be an isolated incident, like a car accident. It can also be from prolonged experiences such as developmental trauma that can occur when people grow up around parents who are unable to meet their needs. SE has also shown to support those with Complex PTSD (CPTSD).
In each of these instances, SE helps people begin to feel more like themselves and can alleviate feeling hyper and/or hypoaraousal in the nervous system.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy in Santa Monica and Online in California, New York, and Texas
Take the first step to get started with Somatic Experiencing Therapy. I see clients in-person and virtually in California, and virtually in New York and Texas. In-person appointments happen in my Santa Monica, California office.
If you’re a resident of California, New York, or Texas, call 424-442-9704. If I can be of support, we’ll schedule a free 15-minute call, where we’ll talk about what you’d like to explore in therapy and I’ll provide some details about my practice and the way I work.