Somatic Experiencing Therapy in Los Angeles
CAN SOMATIC EXPERIENCING HELP ME?
Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to healing stress related disorders like anxiety and depression, and trauma.
Somatic Experiencing (or SE) helps people who are experiencing unpleasant physical sensations that accompany anxiety, depression, PTSD and chronic stress. When someone is stuck in a pattern of fight, flight, or freeze, SE facilitates the releasing of trapped energy in the body so clients can recover and feel like themselves again.
For example, SE is effective at treating shock trauma, like a car accident or developmental trauma that can occur when people grow up around parents who are unable to meet their needs. SE has shown to be effective in treating Complex PTSD (CPTSD). It helps people begin to feel more like themselves, less activated in their bodies and more settled and relaxed.
HOW WAS SOMATIC EXPERIENCING DEVELOPED?
Somatic Experiencing was developed by Dr. Peter Levine, who has a doctorate in Medical and Biological Physics.
He developed this approach while observing animals in the wild, who were constantly under the threat of death and yet did not display symptoms of trauma. Dr. Levine noticed that these animals allowed the energy of highly threatening events to move through their bodies.
From the SE website- “It is based on a multidisciplinary intersection of physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics and has been clinically applied for more than four decades.” Somatic Experiencing (SE) can benefit clients who are experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms and a wide range of other psychobiological issues.
How DOES SOMATIC EXPERIENCING WORK?
Somatic Expereincing practioners work closely with clients to support them in completing “Self-protective motor responses” so they can release “thwarted” energy that is stuck in the body. It’s almost like you have a “fire alarm” going off in your body from your past experiences, which causes overreactions (like hypervigilance) or underreactions (like dissociation) in your nervous system and SE helps bring your nervous system back into a more regulated state.
In an SE therapy session, clients are gently supported in increasing their tolerance for both pleasant and unpleasant body sensations and emotions. When you process these sensations with SE, you release the stored energy and eventually the “fire alarm” in your body only alerts you when their is a true emergency. As client’s tolerance learn how to track body sensations in the moment, their nervous systems feel more regulated. This leads to a reduction in PTSD symptoms, anxiety and depression, etc. and people begin to feel more like themselves. Click on this New York times article - to learn more about somatic therapy.
How CAN I LEARN MORE?
Here is a link to a Ted Talk by Monica LeSage who experienced a serious car accident and eventually recovered with Somatic Experiencing. Here’s a link to Dan Harris’ interview with Dr. Levine on the Ten Percent Happier podcast, and the SE website is also a great resource.
my training in somatic therapy
All the modalities that I am trained in include working with the body. I have completed several body-based trainings including NARM (The Neuro Affective Relational Model) which is a three-year intensive training, Brainspotting, EMDR and TRM (The Trauma Resiliency Model). I am in my second year of Somatic Experiencing training, which is a three-year program.
