Somatic Counseling

Somatic Experiencing… healing trauma, naturally!

Resolving Trauma…

Somatic Experiencing (SE), a body-centered somatic counseling modality created by Dr. Peter Levine, helps heal and resolve trauma on the deepest level in the nervous system.

In developing SE, Levine observed that prey animals commonly threatened in the wild tend to experience full fight, flight, or freeze responses when threatened and recover quickly from traumatic, stressful, or survival-based events.

However, humans often override these adaptive and natural nervous system regulating responses, keeping us stuck in maladaptive or toxic stress and threat responses.

What is trauma?

Trauma can be easily described as what happens to a person/nervous system when there is too much too soon (too much adult responsibility in childhood, for example), too much for too long (ongoing toxic stress, for example), or not enough for too long (neglect, for example).

Or trauma can result from any sudden experience like an accident, attack, or other unexpected occurrences with psychological, emotional, or physical impact.

Research shows that unresolved traumas play a significant role in many common mental and physical illnesses, including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, irrational fears, constantly feeling “on guard,” PTSD, etc.

Somatic Experiencing restores the nervous system to optimal health and function through cultivating freedom from repetitive stress patterns and traumatic shock signals… allowing us to be fully present and available for life.

“I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE BORN WITH AN INNATE CAPACITY TO TRIUMPH OVER TRAUMA… IN SO DOING, WE WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE BOTH OUR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE DREAMS.”

– PETER LEVINE, MD, PH.D., FOUNDER OF SOMATIC EXPERIENCING

Understanding the Nervous System in Brief

Connected to the limbic system (LS) in the brain, which perceives threat responses, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) represents both the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS).

When the LS perceives a threat, it triggers action. The SNS typically comes online and mobilizes us into a fight or flight response, both of which are adaptive self-protection mechanisms. When the threat is too great for even the SNS to mobilize, the PSNS will come online and take us into a freeze response.

Although designed to be self-regulating, the ANS can become dysregulated, mainly when one cannot have a fully expressed trauma response. Often, as a result, the body may continue to respond as if it is still under threat.

SE theory holds that maladaptive trauma symptoms (anxiety, depression, aggression, shame, hypervigilance, etc.) result from the body’s inability or missed opportunity to complete a trauma response.

Okay, that is cool and all, but what will we do in a session? How is this going to help me?

Let me begin by telling you a bit about how SE helped me. But honestly, where do I even start?

Like many of you reading this, I, too, have experienced plenty of my own trauma – in fact, loads. From years of chronic illness, multiple car accidents, surviving a physical attack to early childhood neglect and family dysfunction, I’ve been through it.

And besides mindfulness, somatic counseling, or to be more specific, SE, has been the other most significant support in the healing process.

Like many of you reading this, I had a few favorite trauma responses that I clung to for dear life. When triggered, I often experienced a freeze/shut-down state, and I was a gold medalist in hyper-independence and hypervigilance. Another favorite was managing and controlling anything I could get my hands on.

Everything had to be perfect… But not anymore!

I am glad to say, while I am still known for my striking fashion sense and a keen sense of design and decor, I no longer freak out when I have white dog hair all over my black clothes, or my pillows aren’t fluffed just the right way. Nor do I experience panic attacks, anxiety, or depression anymore either.

SE helped me learn to regulate my nervous system without shutting down, isolating, or controlling everything. It helped me learn to notice dysregulation and maladaptive safety/regulation strategies and to engage in supportive practices to help me get unstuck.

And more than anything, SE helped me or my nervous system, if you will, learn it would be “okay” during times of stress, activation, or other experiences that might trigger past trauma responses. I learned that I could be flexible.

And Somatic Experiencing can do this for you, too.

The mechanics of SE are simple. The approach is not the same as traditional talk therapy; so while we explore some of the content, we won’t be doing deeper process work in the same way you might with a talk-based psychotherapist.

We will be working with what you notice in your body (feelings and sensations), emotions, or any other aspect of your experience at that moment and how your nervous system responds to varying degrees of activation.

If you get stuck in freeze/shut-down states, we want to help your nervous system learn to experience greater degrees of activation safely. And if you get stuck in fight/flight responses, we want to help your nervous system learn to relax and feel safe at rest.

As your guide through this process, I will help you notice your body sensations, images/thoughts that come into your mind, behaviors took out effect or emotions, and make meaning of it all.

Through this process, your nervous system will build more strength, capacity, resilience, and flexibility, thus allowing you to live a more easeful and multidimensional life.

Somatic Experiencing in practice…

SE provides a supportive healing tool for…

```
toxic stress and overwhelm
```
```
dysregulated nervous system
```
```
accidents or injuries
```
```
physical or emotional violence
```
```
sexual trauma
```
```
emotional wounds and abuse
```
```
fears or phobias
```
```
addiction/dysfunction recovery
```

living with chronic illness/pain/health issue

In an SE session, we may utilize any of the following:

```
body-centered mindfulness
```
```
conversational inquiry
```
```
movement
```
```
touch (with consent of client)
```
```
vocal expression
```
```
etc.
```

You are bigger than your trauma. It is not forever!

You are here right now because I am guessing your trauma feels big, and real, and like it takes up too much space in your life, even though it occurred in the past.

But it won’t be like this forever. Like so many others who have explored SE, you too will heal the events from your past which trigger. Your nervous system will become more flexible, regulated and will, in time, resolve old traumas.

Remember, your life is worth showing up for, and it way too short to let trauma run the show.

I would love to partner with you as you ease into a more stable, easeful, and multidimensional life.

Testimonial

“Nichole has an incredible sense in attuning to my needs as a client with PTSD from physical and psychological abuse as a child.

She has the ability to know just the right amount of depth I can tolerate without overwhelming me. I have never experienced a more profound source of support and guidance in the 15+ years of going to therapy to resolve my childhood trauma.

Working with Nichole has given me agency, compassion and the resources to grow and recover from my challenging circumstances. I feel fortunate to have encountered her and her masterful practice in Somatic Experiencing and Mindfulness. This has been the most powerful assistance in my recovery and each week I look forward to our sessions, always feeling more hopeful and inspired afterwards. Her skill, dedication and expertise are invaluable.”

– Private client