What is Somatic Experiencing?

Who are we when we are safe enough to be who we are?

Somatic Experiencing is a form of body orientated therapy that works with the regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the vagus nerve and the healing of physical, emotional and soul traumas. It was developed by Peter A. Levine 45 years ago and is now taught all over the world. 

Stress in the body is stressful.

Long periods of stress, traumatic events, birth traumas, disconnection and shock can create physical symptoms such as anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines and other types of headaches, fibromyalgia, depression, digestive problems, low libido, cystitis, and bladder issues to name a few. There can also be significant emotional symptoms such as shame, anger, sadness, grief, withdrawal, guilt, hyper-sensitivity, addiction and overwhelm.

Stress affects our relational interactions.. How we communicate, trust, love, our sense of safety with those around us and the environment we live in.

The premise of any Somatic Experiencing session is to create spaces of relative safety where we can tune into sensations that may have been blocked, hidden or stifled. There may be places we are numb or frozen, or where our responses flare up in a similar patternOne of the key elements is to give time to the body to unfold and experience sensations at its own pace in a safe enough environment. In this way the body finds new opportunities to discharge, release and reorganise itself into a more regulated state. Once we become more embodied, the body and mind become greater companions and we regain our innate rhythm. It begins to feel safer to tune into what the body is wanting to say and express. This practise is gentle, deep and profound. Over time this work can bring the body, mind and soul back into union, back into flow.