"The goal to treatment (of trauma) is to find a way in which people can acknowledge the reality of what happened without having to re-experience the trauma all over again."
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING
Whether one has experienced a shock trauma (car accident, fall, surgery, or other) or developmental trauma (abuse or neglect) it is possible to feel safe, joyful, and empowered.
Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a powerful method for addressing the psychobiology of stress and trauma. This body-based approach understands that symptoms of traumatic stress are often expressions of incomplete self-protective responses of fight, flight or freeze. SE helps people complete these innate biological responses and awakens our inherent capacity for resilience.
Both a therapeutic and educational approach, an SE session may include conversation, visualization, awareness of internal body sensations, movement or gentle touch.
Somatic Experiencing gently helps to alleviate anxiety, panic, hyper-vigilance, insomnia, and other symptoms of unresolved trauma. SE offers the possibility of once again feeling safe, happy, and living with ease.
— Bessel van de Kolk, MD