"THE BODY HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO RENEW ITSELF THROUGH CONTINUOUS SELF CORRECTION. THESE SAME PRINCIPLES ALSO APPLY TO THE HEALING OF THE PSYCHE, SPIRIT, AND SOUL."
-DR. PETER A. LEVINE |
Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a body (soma) centered approach to holistic healing, grounded in the relationship between mind and body. Rather than focusing only on the thoughts or emotions surrounding a traumatic event, SE draws on the body's natural responses to resolving trauma, chronic stress, and pain. This body-oriented approach to healing allows us to create new experiences which contradict those of tension and residual helplessness, tracking and treating sensations that have become stuck or habitual.
SE is a result of over 40 years of observation, research, and hands on development by Dr. Peter Levine. His multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, biology, neuroscience, medical biophysics, and indigenous healing practices led him to the discovery that trauma is held in the nervous system. Through SE, we are able to move beyond the cognitive thought process in favor of a more intuitive approach. This facilitates the completion of self-protective motor responses and the release of blocked survival energy bound in the body, allowing us to feel a greater sense of connection, safety, and ease in our own bodies. As we work to balance the delicate flux held in the nervous system between relaxation (parasympathetic) and activation (sympathetic), we will be more able to meet periods of challenge effectively and to return back to a quieter and easier place when circumstances permit. Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of trauma and stress, SE restores self regulation and returns a sense of aliveness, relaxation, and wholeness as well as provides tools to resolve these fixated physiological states. Our nervous system is connected with every part of our physical body and balancing it is essential for healing, allowing us to not only better digest but also to improve our experience of life both physically and emotionally in countless ways. With SE, feeling better and repairing the nervous system is within reach. Whether or not you are dealing with stress and anxiety, chronic or acute pain, navigating life events (however big or small), and so on, habitual tension is exhausting. SE will guide you slowly through stepping into your own felt sense experience of the present moment. Learning (or relearning) how to heed our body's signals can provide sweet relief. Michelle is committed to holding a supported and empathetic space of presence during each session. For in person sessions, contact us with questions or book directly on the link below. Virtual sessions are now available as well, please email to schedule. |