What is Somatic Experiencing®?

Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a research-based, innovative, body-centered approach to emotional healing and trauma resolution.  It was developed by Peter Levine, Ph.D and author of the best-seller, Walking the Tiger: Healing Trauma and In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. 

Somatic Experiencing® provides the steps needed to reconnect individual with the innate wisdom of their bodies. Those who experience Somatic Experiencing® and do this work resolve their traumatic symptoms and reengage life with optimism, creativity, passion, and joy.

Learn more about Somatic Experiencing® through these resources. Or watching one of the short videos below.

I've done therapy and it didn't work.  How is SE® different?

SE® is NOT talk therapy. SE® engages focused awareness of bodily sensations to engage innate self-regulation and healing. 

SE® helps individuals develop body awareness to
renegotiate and heal trauma rather than relive or re-enact trauma. 

SE® naturally builds greater and greater inner resiliency, self-regulation, and wellness. 

SE® is experienced as your own journey of
healing, rather than someone else "healing" you.

Our hope for you or your loved one:
Common Benefits of Somatic Experiencing® and resolution of Trauma

  • Reduced or alleviated chronic physical pain and recurring tension
  • Becoming more present and engaged in life
  • Increased resiliency for future stressors
  • Restored sense of optimism and hope
  • Increased confidence and sense of personal empowerment
  • Developed better sense of clarity and purpose
  • Greater sense of peace and calm
​Check out Peter Levine's In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness
“We believe that trauma is not in the event itself; it lies in the resiliency of the nervous system.  In others words, how quickly does the person who experienced the overwhelm bounce back, if at all? 

This means that after the event is over, if the children or adults affected are still registering danger signals in their body, they may easily get stuck in a vicious cycle of fight, flight or freeze, become alternately hyper-vigilant, or dissociated and aloof. 

Either of these states may cascade into a myriad of symptoms including sleeplessness, aggression, social problems, academic problems, and eventually, if unresolved, PTSD.”

-  Maggie Kline, MS, LMFT, SE® Practitioner
​Nature's Lessons in Healing Trauma: An Introduction to Somatic Experiencing® 
In this video, you will learn about the physiological basis of trauma and how Somatic Experiencing® (SE™), developed by Peter A. Levine, PhD, helps distressed individuals recover  a sense of well being, stability and vitality.
Peter Levine uses his famous "Slinky" presentation to demonstrate the effects of trauma on the nervous system, and his philosophy of treating trauma; which involves slowly releasing (or titrating) this compressed fight-or-flight energy a bit at time to give the individual the ability to reintegrate it back into their nervous system.

Ray's Story

This video tells the compassionate story of the healing process of Ray, a marine who had been injured by two explosive devices (IEDs) and diagnosed with both severe PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He was brought to see Peter A. Levine after developing chronic pain, Tourette-like convulsions, cognitive problems and insomnia due to night terrors. In a series of documented Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) sessions, including Ray's family, Peter demonstrates the power of SE as a tool to heal the wounds of war. 

Recovery and Resilience

The Science of a Happy Mind, Part 1 | Nat Geo Live
 
Renowned neuroscientist Richard Davidson is finding that happiness is something we can cultivate and a skill that can be learned.  Working with the Dalai Lama, Davidson is investigating the far-reaching impact of mindfulness, meditation, and the cultivation of kindness on human health and well-being. In part one, Davidson talks about his research findings and the four main areas of scientific research that support his work: neuroplasticity, epigenetics, mind/body communication, and innate basic goodness.
The Science of a Happy Mind, Part 2 | Nat Geo Live

​Renowned neuroscientist Richard Davidson is finding that happiness is something we can cultivate and a skill that can be learned.  Working with the Dalai Lama, Davidson is investigating the far-reaching impact of mindfulness, meditation, and the cultivation of kindness on human health and well-being. In part two, Davidson talks about his research findings and the four fundamental components that, he has found, contribute to well-being: resilience, positive outlook, attention, and generosity.