Somatic Experiencing® – A Body-Oriented Approach to Stress and Trauma

Somatic Experiencing® is a body-oriented approach to working with stress and the effects of traumatic experiences.

Alongside conversation, attention is also directed towards what is happening in the body – breathing, tension, movement, internal sensations, a sense of support, and changes in the level of activation. The work is gradual and adapted to the individual, with the aim of developing a greater capacity for regulation, adaptation, and a sense of choice.

You do not need to describe a difficult experience in detail or relive it. The focus of the process is on what is happening in the present moment and on how we can support the body and nervous system in developing greater flexibility.

What is Somatic Experiencing®?

Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a body-oriented approach to working with stress and the effects of traumatic experiences, developed by Dr Peter A. Levine.

The focus is not only on the question of what happened to us, but also on how our organism responded to that experience and what is happening in the body and nervous system now.

SE is an approach in which, alongside conversation, particular attention is given to immediate bodily experience.

This may include observing:

• breathing
• muscular tension and relaxation
• body position and movement
• a sense of support
• internal sensations such as warmth, cold, pressure, or tingling
• impulses to move
• changes in energy and activation levels.

In this way, a person gradually develops a greater ability to recognise what is happening within them before a reaction becomes too intense or completely automatic.

From a professional perspective, interoception – the perception of internal bodily processes – as well as proprioception and kinaesthetic awareness, the sense of one’s own position and movement, play an important role.

The aim is not to eliminate every stress response or to achieve a state of constant calm, but to develop a greater capacity for regulation, adaptation, and a return towards stability after periods of stress or challenge.

How Do Stress and Trauma Affect the Body?

When the organism perceives a threat, automatic protective mechanisms are activated.

Breathing and heart rate may increase, muscular tension may rise, attention may become more focused on the environment, and the body may prepare for action. These responses are often described as fight, flight, or freeze responses.

In themselves, these reactions are not a problem. They are part of our natural capacity for survival and adaptation.

Difficulties may arise when, after a stressful or overwhelming experience has ended, the organism has difficulty returning to greater flexibility.

For some people, this may appear as tension, restlessness, irritability, difficulty relaxing, sleep problems, or a constant sense of being on alert.

For others, fatigue, withdrawal, a sense of heaviness, stiffness, or reduced connection with the body may be more prominent.

Sometimes these states alternate.

SE therefore does not aim to teach a person to remain calm at all times.

Healthy regulation involves the ability to mobilise when necessary, while also being able to return towards greater stability once the danger has passed.

What Does an SE Session Look Like?

An SE session often looks quite simple.

We talk, but we do not focus only on the content of the conversation. From time to time, attention is also directed towards what is happening in the body.

For example, I may ask:

“What are you noticing in your body right now?”

“What happens to your breathing as you talk about this?”

“Has anything changed?”

“Is there anywhere in your body right now where you feel a little more support or stability?”

Sometimes the focus may be on internal sensations, and at other times on the space around you, your gaze, sound, movement, or the feeling of your feet in contact with the floor.

There is no “right” answer, and you do not need to already be highly aware of your body.

For some people, developing this capacity is an important part of the process itself.

You Do Not Need to Relive the Trauma

SE is not based on the idea that a person must confront a difficult experience as intensely as possible.

The work is more gradual.

At times, we may approach only a small part of an experience, notice what is happening in the body, and then gently shift attention back towards something that provides greater stability, support, or a sense of choice.

This can help develop the ability to remain in contact with an experience without becoming completely overwhelmed by it.

A detailed retelling of the event is not a necessary prerequisite for the work.

The person decides how much they wish to share and at what pace they wish to proceed.

Key Elements of SE Work

Orientation

When we are under stress, our attention can become strongly narrowed towards a possible threat.

Orientation involves re-establishing contact with the environment and with the present moment.

This can be very simple: looking around the room, noticing light, sound, the distance between objects, or simply becoming aware of where we are right now.

Resources

A resource does not have to be something that simply relaxes us.

It may be a sense of strength, a supportive person, a place, a memory, an ability, a movement, the contact of the feet with the ground, or a moment in which the body experiences a little more stability.

It is important to develop the ability not only to recognise stress, but also to register experiences that increase the organism’s capacity.

Working in Small Steps

One of the important principles of SE is gradual progression.

Challenging material is approached only to the degree that the person can manage in that particular moment.

The aim is not to provoke the strongest possible reaction, but to allow the organism to remain sufficiently connected with itself and with the present moment.

Moving Between Different States

During a session, attention may move between tension and a greater sense of space, between an uncomfortable and a more neutral sensation, or between activation and settling.

It is important to notice that the state of the body changes.

Over time, this can help develop the experience that even an intense sensation does not necessarily have to remain permanent or completely overwhelming.

Movement and Protective Impulses

During the work, an impulse to move may sometimes arise: to move away, turn the head, sit more upright, feel the feet more clearly, raise a hand, or become more aware of a boundary.

Such impulses are explored slowly and only with the person’s consent.

The aim is not to produce a particular reaction, but to develop the ability to notice one’s own impulses and possibilities for choice.

What Can a Person Develop Through SE?

SE is not focused only on what happens during an individual session.

Over time, a person may begin to recognise earlier:

• when activation is increasing
• what tends to happen before they begin to feel overwhelmed
• when they need rest or more space
• what helps them remain present
• how the body responds when they want to set a boundary
• how to distinguish between tension, fear, excitement, and energy for action
• moments in which the organism spontaneously returns towards greater stability.

In this way, more space can gradually develop between a stimulus and an automatic reaction.

This does not mean that stress disappears.

It means that the range of possible responses becomes broader.

Who May Benefit from Somatic Experiencing®?

People come to SE for many different reasons.

Some can clearly connect their difficulties with a specific event, such as:

• an accident or fall
• a physical injury
• surgery or a demanding medical procedure
• serious illness
• childbirth
• the loss of someone close
• violence or neglect
• experiences related to war
• a prolonged period of fear or insecurity.

For others, there may be no single clearly defined event.

Sometimes the issue is long-term stress and years of adapting to circumstances in which it was necessary to remain strong, vigilant, responsible, or to suppress one’s own needs.

People may also seek SE because of:

• persistent inner tension or restlessness
• a feeling of always being “on alert”
• difficulty relaxing
• strong reactions to relatively small triggers
• feelings of overwhelm
• withdrawal or a sense of disconnection from the body
• difficulty recognising their own needs and boundaries
• bodily reactions that intensify in stressful situations
• difficulties following an injury, surgery, or another intense physical experience
• a wish to better understand their own patterns of response.

A diagnosis of PTSD is not necessary in order to work on regulation, body awareness, and one’s relationship with stress.

What If I Don’t Know What I Feel in My Body?

This is a very common response.

Some people clearly notice every change in their body, while for others their internal experience is much less accessible.

Neither is wrong.

We do not try to force our way “into the body”.

Sometimes it is more appropriate to begin by looking at the environment, moving, feeling the feet on the floor, or focusing on something completely neutral.

The work is adapted to the person, not the person to the method.

Somatic Experiencing® and Osteopathy

Osteopathy and Somatic Experiencing® are two distinct approaches and should not be treated as the same method.

Osteopathic work focuses on the body, its structure and function, tissue mobility, and the relationships between different bodily systems.

Somatic Experiencing® focuses on the person’s subjective experience and on the ways in which stress, protective responses, activation, a sense of safety, boundaries, and choice are expressed through the body and nervous system.

In my work, these two areas come together primarily through a shared interest in the organism’s capacity for regulation and adaptation.

Over the years of working osteopathically, I have often observed that the body is not simply a biomechanical structure. Muscle tone, breathing, posture, sensitivity to touch, and the way a person occupies space may change depending on their sense of safety, previous experiences, and the current state of the nervous system.

SE allows me to approach this dimension in a clearer and more structured way.

This does not mean that I interpret every physical complaint through stress or trauma. Likewise, I do not use osteopathic findings as a psychological explanation.

Sometimes a person comes exclusively for osteopathic treatment.

Sometimes they come exclusively for a Somatic Experiencing® session.

And in certain situations, my experience in both fields allows me to better understand the relationship between bodily function, subjective experience, and the organism’s ability to adapt to stress and challenge.

The central question in my work is therefore not:

“Which technique should I use?”

but rather:

“What does this person need right now in order for their system to have more possibilities for adaptation and choice?”

What Somatic Experiencing® Is Not

SE is not an approach that explains every physical symptom through trauma.

Not every pain is caused by stress, and not every bodily reaction is psychological in origin.

When indicated, physical symptoms require appropriate medical assessment and diagnosis.

Somatic Experiencing® is also not a substitute for psychiatric, psychotherapeutic, or other healthcare when such care is needed.

In cases of severe psychological difficulties, suicidal thoughts or behaviour, acute crisis states, or significant deterioration in health, an appropriate healthcare professional should be involved.

SE is practised within the practitioner’s professional scope of competence and, where appropriate, as part of an interdisciplinary approach.

What Does Scientific Research Say About SE?

Somatic Experiencing® has been used in clinical and helping professions for many years, but its scientific evidence base is still smaller than that of some well-established psychotherapeutic approaches.

Research to date has produced preliminary findings suggesting possible benefits for symptoms related to post-traumatic stress, as well as some emotional and physical symptoms.

At the same time, the number of high-quality controlled studies remains limited, sample sizes are often relatively small, and further independent research is needed.

For this reason, the most accurate description is that SE has a promising but still developing scientific evidence base.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Have to Talk About What Happened to Me?

Not necessarily.

A detailed retelling of an event is not required for SE work. It is possible to work with what is arising in the body and in the person’s experience in the present moment.

You decide how much you wish to share.

Do I Have to Know What My Trauma Is?

No.

Sometimes the connection between a particular experience and a reaction is very clear, and sometimes it is not.

It is not necessary to have a complete explanation of your reactions before beginning the work.

Is the Goal to Always Calm Down?

No.

Regulation is not the same as relaxation.

Sometimes a healthier response may involve more energy, a clearer boundary, movement, or a greater ability to act.

The goal is to increase flexibility, not to achieve constant calm.

How Long Does the Process Take?

There is no predetermined number of sessions.

For some themes, the process may be relatively short and focused, while more time may be needed for long-standing or complex experiences.

The pace of the work is adapted to the individual.

Can SE Be Done Online?

Yes.

A large part of SE work is based on conversation, awareness of bodily sensations, movement, orientation, and changes in the person’s state, and can therefore also be carried out online.

The Body Can Learn New Experiences

The body is not separate from our life story. At the same time, that story is not written into the body in a simple or unchangeable way. Our nervous system is constantly receiving new information, learning, and adapting. Somatic Experiencing® directs attention precisely towards this capacity for change.

We are not trying to force the body to “release” something, nor to teach it never to react again. We are learning to recognise its signals more clearly, distinguish the present moment from past experiences, and gradually develop greater flexibility, more choice, and greater trust in our own capacity for regulation.

Would You Like to Find Out Whether Somatic Experiencing® Is the Right Approach for You?

Somatic Experiencing® sessions are available in person or online.

If you are unsure whether this approach is suitable for your needs, we can explore this together during the first session.

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