"Somatic Experiencing works with the body's natural healing mechanisms. Rather than retelling trauma stories, the approach focuses on sensation: tightness in the chest, knot in the stomach, tension between the shoulder blades."- From Breaking the Spell, Somatic Approaches: The Body Remembers Everything
What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based approach to trauma therapy developed by Peter Levine. Based on the observation that animals in the wild rarely develop trauma symptoms despite frequent life-threatening experiences, SE focuses on the body’s natural capacity to discharge survival energy and restore nervous system regulation.
Unlike talk therapies that work primarily with thoughts and emotions, SE works with the felt sense—physical sensations in the body—to gradually release trauma stored in the nervous system.
The Theory Behind SE
Survival responses: When threatened, the body mobilises massive energy for fight or flight.
Incomplete responses: In humans, this energy often doesn’t get discharged—we’re stopped from fleeing, fighting, or completing defensive movements.
Trapped energy: This undischarged energy remains stuck in the nervous system, causing trauma symptoms.
Natural completion: SE facilitates the body’s completion of these interrupted responses, releasing the trapped energy.
Nervous system reset: As energy is released, the nervous system can return to healthy regulation.
How SE Differs from Talk Therapy
| Traditional Talk Therapy | Somatic Experiencing |
|---|---|
| Focuses on thoughts/narrative | Focuses on body sensations |
| Cognitive processing | Physical processing |
| Talking about trauma | Sensing trauma in body |
| Mind-centered | Body-centered |
| Understanding “why” | Completing “what” |
SE may involve talking, but the focus remains on what’s happening in the body.
The SE Process
Tracking sensations: Noticing physical feelings—tension, temperature, movement, space.
Titration: Working with small amounts of activation at a time, avoiding overwhelm.
Pendulation: Moving attention between areas of distress and areas of resource/calm.
Discharge: Allowing the body to release trapped energy through trembling, shaking, heat, breath, movement.
Integration: Allowing the nervous system to settle into new, more regulated states.
What SE Looks Like in Practice
A session might include:
- Sitting comfortably and orienting to the room
- The therapist asking about physical sensations
- Tracking a sensation as it moves or changes
- Noticing where tension or activation is held
- Gently exploring the sensation without overwhelming
- Allowing natural discharge (trembling, deep breathing, warmth)
- Resting in the new state before continuing
Sessions often involve minimal talking about the traumatic events themselves.
SE for Narcissistic Abuse
SE addresses aspects of narcissistic abuse trauma that talk therapy may miss:
Chronic activation: Years of hypervigilance create deeply held body patterns.
Frozen responses: Unable to fight or flee, survivors may have frozen states stored.
Dissociation: Reconnecting with the body that was abandoned for survival.
Shutdown: Releasing collapse responses that became chronic.
Physical symptoms: Addressing stress-related health issues.
Beyond words: Processing what can’t be spoken.
Benefits of SE
Works with pre-verbal trauma: Useful for early childhood experiences.
Doesn’t require detailed recounting: Less risk of retraumatization.
Addresses body directly: Where trauma is actually stored.
Teaches self-regulation: Skills for managing your own nervous system.
Gradual and gentle: Titration prevents overwhelm.
Addresses chronic patterns: Not just single incidents.
What to Expect
Initial sessions: Building resources, learning to track sensations, establishing safety.
Processing: Gradually working with traumatic material through body awareness.
Between sessions: You may notice more awareness of body sensations, shifting symptoms, emotional processing.
Timeline: Complex trauma requires more time; progress may be slow but lasting.
Integration: Time between sessions for the nervous system to integrate changes.
Finding an SE Practitioner
Look for:
- SE Practitioner (SEP) certification
- Training through the Somatic Experiencing International
- Experience with complex trauma
- Good therapeutic rapport
Resources:
- Somatic Experiencing International: traumahealing.org
- Directory of certified practitioners
Is SE Right for You?
Consider SE if:
- You carry trauma in your body (tension, pain, illness)
- Talk therapy hasn’t fully resolved symptoms
- You want a body-based approach
- You have difficulty accessing or talking about trauma
- You experience dissociation or shutdown
SE may require modification if:
- You’re highly dissociated (need careful titration)
- You’re in acute crisis
- You’re unable to tolerate body awareness
Research & Statistics
- Peter Levine’s research on Somatic Experiencing shows 70-80% of participants report significant symptom reduction after 12-15 sessions (Levine, 2010)
- Studies indicate SE produces 44% greater reduction in PTSD symptoms compared to waitlist controls (Brom, 2017)
- Research shows body-based therapies like SE activate the vagus nerve, improving heart rate variability by 15-25% in trauma survivors (Porges, 2011)
- 90% of trauma is held in the body rather than conscious memory, making somatic approaches essential for complete healing (van der Kolk, 2014)
- Studies find SE particularly effective for early and chronic trauma, showing 50% better outcomes than talk therapy alone for developmental trauma (Payne, 2015)
- Research indicates trauma survivors who complete SE training show sustained improvements at 4-year follow-up, with only 10% symptom return (Leitch, 2009)
- Neuroimaging studies show somatic therapies reduce amygdala hyperactivity by 20-30%, normalizing threat responses (Lanius, 2015)
For Survivors
Your body remembers what your mind may have forgotten or can’t quite access. The tension you carry, the vigilance, the collapse—these are your nervous system’s attempts to protect you from threats that have passed.
SE offers a way to help your body learn that the danger is over. Not through convincing your mind, but through completing what your body started long ago and never got to finish.
Healing happens in the body, not just in understanding. SE honours that truth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Somatic Experiencing (SE), developed by Peter Levine, is a body-based trauma therapy that works with physical sensations to release trapped survival energy. Unlike talk therapy, SE focuses on the felt sense—noticing tension, temperature, and movement in the body—to help the nervous system complete interrupted threat responses and restore regulation.
Traditional talk therapy focuses on thoughts and narratives; SE focuses on body sensations. Talk therapy involves cognitive processing; SE involves physical processing. SE doesn't require detailed recounting of trauma—healing happens through sensing trauma in the body and allowing natural discharge of trapped energy.
When threatened, the body mobilises massive energy for fight or flight. If this energy doesn't get discharged (because you couldn't fight or flee), it remains stuck in the nervous system, causing trauma symptoms. SE facilitates the body's completion of these interrupted responses, releasing trapped energy.
Sessions involve sitting comfortably, orienting to the room, and the therapist asking about physical sensations. You track sensations as they move or change, gently explore tension or activation without overwhelming yourself, allow natural discharge (trembling, deep breathing, warmth), and rest in new regulated states.
Yes, SE is particularly helpful for chronic activation from years of hypervigilance, frozen responses from being unable to fight or flee, dissociation and shutdown, physical symptoms from stored stress, and processing what can't be put into words—all common in narcissistic abuse survivors.
