When we think about therapy, we tend to think about talking — about words, insights, and understanding. But for many people, particularly those with trauma histories, talking is not enough. The body holds what the mind cannot always reach.
What Is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-centred approach to healing trauma developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It is based on the observation that animals in the wild rarely develop lasting trauma responses — even after life-threatening experiences — because they discharge the survival energy through physical movement (shaking, trembling, running) after the threat has passed.
Humans, with our capacity for self-consciousness and social inhibition, often suppress these natural discharge responses. The result is that survival energy gets trapped in the nervous system, where it continues to drive symptoms of trauma: hypervigilance, numbness, anxiety, chronic pain, and disconnection.
How Does SE Work?
SE works by gently tracking bodily sensations and helping clients complete the interrupted survival responses that were frozen at the time of the traumatic event. This is done very gradually, in small doses — a process Levine calls "titration" — to avoid overwhelming the nervous system.
Key principles of SE include:
- Tracking sensation — noticing physical sensations in the body (warmth, tension, tingling, heaviness) rather than focusing primarily on the story of what happened
- Pendulation — moving gently between areas of activation (distress) and areas of resource (calm, safety) to build nervous system flexibility
- Titration — working in small, manageable doses to avoid re-traumatisation
- Discharge — allowing the body to complete its natural responses through movement, breath, or trembling
What Conditions Does SE Help With?
SE has been shown to be effective for:
- PTSD and complex trauma
- Anxiety and panic disorders
- Chronic pain and somatic symptoms
- Dissociation
- Grief and loss
What Does an SE Session Feel Like?
SE sessions are typically quieter and slower than traditional talk therapy. Your therapist may ask you to slow down and notice what is happening in your body as you speak. There may be moments of stillness, of gentle movement, of breath. It can feel unfamiliar at first — especially if you are used to processing things primarily through words.
Many clients describe SE as deeply settling — a sense of the nervous system finally being able to let go of something it has been holding for a very long time.
At Spark Wellness
Several of our therapists are trained in somatic approaches and integrate them with other evidence-based modalities. If you are curious about whether SE might be right for you, we would be glad to discuss it.