What is Somatic Experiencing (SE)?
“It’s not YOU, it’s what happened to you (and inside you).” - C.Courtois
SE is a short-term and safe approach to the resolution and healing of trauma. It was developed by Dr. Peter Levine, author of “Waking the Tiger”, and is currently accepted as one of the leading methods of healing trauma. Trauma is not a mental illness, nor is it a character flaw; it is about how the nervous system responded to the event experienced.
It is based on the observation that prey animals, though often threatened, are rarely, if ever, traumatized. This is because they use instinctual mechanisms when threatened, to regulate and discharge high levels of electrical charge (fight or flight impulses) - mechanisms that are typically interrupted/ prohibited in humans (due to social norms, judgment and pre/pro-scriptions, ). SE normalizes the symptoms of trauma, and helps to build resources, and safely and gradually discharge the arousal that is locked up in the human body (in the neuromuscular and central nervous system.), thereby resolving traumatic symptoms. Little “rehashing” of the details is required.
What does an SE session look like?
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” - Alice Walker
In each session, we will begin with an assessment of your symptoms, struggles, needs, and priorities. The relevance of the SE approach to your difficulties, and a plan to address these symptoms will be developed and modified as needed.
Each session will involve a gentle somatic (bodily) exploration of the sensations, images, behaviours, impulses, emotion, and story associated with a difficult experience (e.g., a past trauma), as well as work to build resilience and self-regulating resources. The goal in session is to help free the body from unhealthy activation in the system, and to move towards integration, self-regulation, equilibrium, and rest. This will be achieved through stillness and movement, using sound and silence where necessary, with a focus on bringing the trauma to its completion.
*These sessions are not exclusively designed for people who have been in “life or death” situations. This approach is suitable for anyone who has experienced difficult events in which they felt overwhelming feelings of fear, helplessness, loss of control, and/or lack of support, and where their boundaries were violated or ruptured.
Therapy Options
Sessions can be done in person, or online. To schedule an appointment, visit the “Contact page” or you can contact me at drsabinasarin@gmail.com.