Somatic Experiencing is a trauma healing modality that helps you understand and work with your mind, body and emotions. Think of it as a conversation with your body. We move beyond the cognitive or intellectual stories you may already know on repeat, to hear your body’s stories, where trauma and stress are stored. You’ll learn to track sensations in your body like tension, tightness or discomfort, and explore how they relate to your emotions and past experiences. You’ll build capacity for the things that are uncomfortable, ultimately allowing it to unwind stored patterns of trauma, stress and bracing. An SE session may not include a ton of talking – we’ll be busy noticing what emerges moment to moment in your felt sense.

Anxiety, overwhelm, boundary issues, shame, attachment wounds and relational struggles can often be tracked, explored, and healed at the nervous system level. Our systems naturally want to move towards healing – together we create the safe space for that to happen.

Somatic work isn’t just about tracking the trauma. It’s also about finding the places and things that feel good in the body.  Building new neural connections with ‘glimmers’ (the opposite of triggers), felt-sense experiences of compassion, safety, healing, connection, and ease. Those moments where you feel ‘most like yourself’, whether alone, or deeply supported by loved ones, animals, nature, spirit and more.  

I love this work because it’s so deeply transformational. We can understand something, be aware of our stories or our patterns, and still feel stuck and unable to shift them through thinking or sheer force of will. That’s because our bodies and nervous systems are so powerful – they’re designed to adapt to trauma and overwhelm, and keep us safe. And that’s exactly what they’re doing! Maybe we experience that as being stuck in flight, fight, freeze or shutdown. That can feel scary and frustrating. Instead of fighting with our bodies, we can support them to experience something new.

This work takes some time and consistency – we’re rewiring your system from the ground up! The effects are long lasting and can help you to:

• Reduce anxiety and symptoms of chronic stress

• Better regulate emotions and tolerate discomfort

• Respond to challenges

• Experience life, vitality and yourself in new ways

• Experience more connection and safety in yourself and in relationships

You can learn more about Somatic Experiencing here.