SOMATIC EXPERIENCING
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based trauma therapy.
With the guidance of a practitioner, S.E. clients are oriented to their own internal sensations to unlock “stuck” energy and process traumatic events, and ultimately, begin to heal.
Trauma can span a vast array of experiences: abuse, loss of job or relationship, difficult news, birth trauma, or the effects of war and natural disasters, to name just a few. Somatic Experiencing does not require that the person re-live or re-tell the traumatic event, but instead helps one discover their body’s own innate ability to recover and heal.
Traumatic events can create dysregulation in the nervous system. By increasing awareness of the difficult emotions and sensations that reside in the body, one can increase their own tolerance of them and thus create a more resilient and regulated nervous system. This increased resilience can not only heal the physical and emotional symptoms left by the trauma, but also be a pathway to a new level of well-being.
To quote the founder of Somatic Experiencing, Dr. Peter Levine: “I believe that not only is trauma curable, but that the healing process can be a catalyst for profound awakening – a portal opening to emotional and genuine spiritual transformation.”
SESSIONS WITH MIYA
Similar to the configuration of a talk therapy session, in a Somatic Experiencing session, you will be seated in a chair opposite Miya, either virtually or in person. There is no manipulation of the body, though she may incorporate touch work with your consent, simply to support your nervous system and bring more awareness to a particular part of the body. You might wish to work with a specific trauma in small increments. As you speak, she will orient you to your body, to notice what is going on internally through sensation, visual imagery, movement, emotion and insights. Our cognitive minds have a tendency to try to work out problems in a linear way. Somatic Experiencing is oriented to the body. By approaching traumatic events through the non-linear path of the body, and letting it “speak,” trauma can be released and healed.
In the words of Dr. Levine, “The mind might not remember, but the body never forgets.”
To learn more about SE, visit Dr. Levine's website and The Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute