Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can last anywhere from a few weeks to many years., which is why finding the right way to heal is paramount. In this post, we’ll discuss Somatic Experiencing (SE), a form of therapy designed to treat trauma, PTSD, and other stress-related disorders.
Understanding Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a form of therapy pioneered by Peter A. Levine, Ph.D., after studying stress, animal behavior, biology, neuroscience, psychology, and indigenous healing practices for many years. He has practiced Somatic Experiencing for over 50 years, successfully treating trauma.
Somatic Experiencing is a way to heal from trauma by paying attention to your body’s sensations. It can help people feel better physically and emotionally by making them more aware of their internal experiences, including body sensations, movements, and feelings.
Somatic Experiencing Techniques
Somatic Experiencing uses a framework called SIBAM (Sensation, Imagery, Behavior, Affect, and Meaning) to help people use their bodies to process trauma.
- Sensation is an interoceptive sense of what is happening in your body, such as breathing, heartbeat, and muscle tension.
- Kinesthetic sensations tell you how your muscles move and where they are.
- Proprioceptive sensations tell you where your body parts are in space.
- Vestibular sensations inform your brain about balance and movement.
- Visceral sensations come from your internal organs, such as your heart, lungs, and gut.
- Image refers to sight, taste, smell, hearing, and touch.
- Behavior relates to:
- Voluntary gestures
- Emotional and facial manifestations
- Posture
- Autonomic signals you don’t have to think about, such as breathing and heart rate
- Visceral behavior – noting changes in your gut based on the sounds it makes
- Archetypal behavior – the natural, unconscious ways we move and express ourselves
- Affect is the full range of emotions, including basic emotions like fear and joy and more subtle feelings like attraction and avoidance.
- Meaning is how we make sense of our experiences – the stories we tell ourselves. Our past experiences, including trauma, can shape our beliefs and values and influence how we make meaning of the world around us. It is essential to be open to forming new and more positive meanings from our experiences, including difficult ones.
What to Expect
During your first session with an SE therapist, you will discuss your trauma and health background. They will ask you questions to assess how your trauma affects your body. It is a “bottom-up processing” therapy focusing on the body’s sensations rather than the mind. The healing process isn’t about changing the mind or reliving memories, but exploring the body’s sensations and learning how to manage them in a more healthy way.