Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a potent psychobiological method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. It resets the nervous system, restores inner balance, enhances resilience to stress, and increases people’s vitality, equanimity, and capacity to actively engage in life.

 

What is Somatic Experiencing trauma resolution?

SE is a potent method for resolving trauma symptoms and relieving chronic stress. It is the life’s work of Dr. Peter Levine, resulting from his multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics, together with over 45 years of successful clinical application. The SE approach releases traumatic shock, which is key to transforming PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early developmental trauma.

 

How does SE work?

SE is a bio-physiological approach to healing trauma. Peter Levine has said that trauma does not rest in the event but in the individuals’s nervous system. By paying attention to the client’s nervous system, the trained therapist supports the client in their experience of a more ‘coherent’ and ‘resilient’ nervous system.

 

How long does SE take?

The length of time and number of sessions in which a client will visit a practitioner will depend on several factors, including the severity and duration of the trauma(s) and the degree to which the trauma has affected the individual’s nervous system. A conversation with the practitioner during the initial session may be helpful in providing this kind of information.

 

What should I know about my SE Practitioner’s training?

Those practitioners who are designated as Somatic Experiencing Practitioners (SEPs) have completed a program in which they have accumulated 216 hours of training, as well as professional consultations and personal SE sessions. This training is intended to work with their other professional and academic training. It is expected that an SE Practitioner will hold membership in a professional therapeutic body which has professional standards and code of ethics and that the practitioner has professional liability insurance. 
(offered by Dr. Desneiges SEP, Heather Macmillan RCT, Maria DeNicola RCT, Amanda Henry RCT)