Somatic Experiencing (SE): Relieving Trauma Stored in the Body

What is Somatic Experiencing?

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented therapeutic model for healing trauma and other stress disorders. Created by Dr. Peter A. Levine, it is based on the observation that wild animals, though routinely threatened, are rarely traumatized. They use built-in mechanisms to regulate and discharge high levels of energy arousal associated with defensive survival behaviors.

SE focuses on resolving the symptoms of trauma by recognizing that trauma is not just a psychological event, but a physiological one that gets "stuck" in the nervous system.

How Somatic Experiencing Works

During an SE session, the therapist guides you to focus on physiological sensations rather than the narrative of the trauma:

• Titration — Exploring traumatic material and the accompanying bodily sensations in small, manageable amounts.
• Pendulation — Shifting attention between a state of dysregulation and a state of regulation, training the nervous system to regain its natural flow.
• Discharge — The body's natural release of trapped survival energy (crying, shaking, yawning, warm sensations).

Who Can Benefit from SE?

• Single-incident traumas (car accidents, medical procedures, falls)
• Chronic or developmental traumas (abuse, neglect)
• PTSD and Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
• Chronic pain syndromes (fibromyalgia, IBS)
• Anxiety, panic attacks, and severe stress

Sources & Clinical Evidence

• Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. The foundational book on the biological perspective of trauma.
• Brom, D., et al. (2017). Somatic Experiencing for PTSD: A Randomized Controlled Outcome Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress.