“Trauma is not in the event, it is in the Nervous System.” - Peter A Levine Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a body-centred therapy that helps you heal by focusing on the body’s sensations to help release tension and stress that is trapped in your nervous system from past traumas. It enables you to release the energy that is stored up following traumatic experiences, promoting a sense of safety, balance, and well-being. ​ This work prioritises creating safety within you, enabling you to heal without the risk of being re- traumatised, helping you to feel more balanced and at ease in your daily life. It is especially effective for the healing of trauma but can also work successfully with many other issues. SE can work without the need for reliving your story, the narrative is not the focus of this therapy. This means that if you don’t have the whole picture of what happened to you or you don’t want to talk about it, it is still possible to heal. What do I mean by trauma? At some point in our lives we will all experience trauma - some of which we can recover from without needing therapy. Imagine that you hear about the death of an old friend, someone you haven’t seen or spoken to in a long time, you weren’t expecting it and the shock of it knocks you about for a couple of weeks. During this time you may experience disruptions to your eating and sleeping, anger, sadness, fear of loved ones dying, feeling numb, mind-racing and on and on. Once your mind has processed and come to terms with this loss those symptoms will disappear and you will return to your usual state of being. Now imagine the news of the death was about your closest friend who you speak to every couple of days. The symptoms will be the same but the intensity and length of time you experience them will be much greater. The longer it goes on, the more symptoms can arise creating other issues for you to deal with. You may need additional support to recover from this trauma. What can I expect from SE sessions? A Gentle, Safe Space I create a calm and supportive environment where you can explore your experiences in a safe and contained way. Unlike a lot of traumatic experiences, you won't have to face the memories alone—I will be there with you and you will be safe. Work on your trauma will not begin until you are able to find some sense of safety with me and within yourself. Listening to Your Body SE pays close attention to bodily sensations, movements, and emotions. I might ask you to notice how your body feels in the moment—while you think about the memory. You may notice things like tension, warmth, or a change in your breathing. Slow and Intentional Steps SE sessions move at a pace that is safe for you. Instead of diving straight into difficult memories, the focus is on small, manageable steps that help your nervous system reset and recover from stress. When you are in a state to manage more, we will work on the trauma in small pieces, taking time out to give your nervous system a rest. Regulation I will invite you to spend time thinking of things, people, places or experiences that bring you a sense of calm or contentment. This will be done throughout the session so your nervous system does not become overwhelmed. We will work with a very small piece of traumatic material then bring your focus back to what supports you. Using Movement and Awareness I may guide you through simple movements, breathing techniques, or actions. These practices help your body release stored tension and restore balance. Building Resilience and Self-Regulation Over time, SE helps you develop a stronger sense of control over your emotions and bodily responses. You will feel more able to trust what your body tells you and separate out the fear experienced during the trauma from the fear of the memory. You may notice feeling more grounded, calm, and able to handle stress in everyday life. I offer Somatic Experiencing® as an advanced trainee having just one module of training left to complete. "Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence." Peter A. Levine