Somatic Experiencing® is a body-awareness approach to healing trauma. It is the result of over forty years of observation, research, and hands-on development by Dr. Peter Levine. Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of trauma, Somatic Experiencing (SE®) restores self-regulation, and returns a sense of aliveness, relaxation and wholeness to traumatized individuals who have had these precious gifts taken away. This work is of tremendous benefit to combat veterans, rape survivors, Holocaust survivors, auto accident and post surgical trauma, chronic pain sufferers, and even to infants after suffering traumatic births.

Focusing on the nuances of subtle feelings and impulses, rather than on reliving the event, allows for one’s nervous system to begin to heal from the shock of the event. Your system has a story to tell, a story often without words, and these subtleties are profoundly wise and restorative. In a safe, supported and contained environment you have the opportunity to reset your system.

Animals naturally reset their systems after encountering a scary or even life threatening event. This resetting is natural and organic if given the proper space and time for the healing, in fact all mammals have this inherent ability as part of their nervous system. So often we hear “I’m good” after a calamitous event, when in actuality we’re in a bit of shock, but feel the need to get on with it rather than allow this natural, organic resetting to occur. Through Somatic Experiencing® this natural, organic resetting of the nervous system can occur even decades after the original event.