What Is Somatic Experiencing? Understanding Trauma in the Body
By Brooke Levy
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-focused trauma therapy designed to help clients process trauma held in the body. Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, SE is based on the idea that trauma gets stored not just in our minds, but in our nervous systems. Levine observed that animals on the other hand do not experience trauma the same way. He noted that when animals were subjected to life-threatening situations, they were able to discharge the energy that builds up during the threatening event (Levine, 1997).
With animals we might see a deer shake after a close call or a dog tremble after it was scared. Those natural movements are the body’s discharging of energy and way of letting go of stress in order to return to balance.
Alternatively, humans tend to hold that energy in for a variety of reasons: One being that many of us have received the messaging that we must always “hold it together” no matter what we are internally experiencing. Another is that our minds often override what our bodies want to do, where we might do what is seemingly socially acceptable or even personally permissible rather than follow our bodies natural instinct.
Another option, and possibly the simplest one, is that because feelings can be overwhelming and there isn’t always a clear place to put them, they get stored in some unknown place within us. Regardless, when that release doesn’t happen, the leftover stress can stay stuck in the body, showing up as both emotional and physical pain.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) gives people a safe and supported way to reconnect with this natural process involving energetic release. SE gently helps the body do what it already knows how to do which is discharge stress and move back toward regulation. Somatic Experiencing is a non-verbal, resilience-based approach that focuses on helping the nervous system find regulation through body awareness (Levine, 1997).
Why Trauma Gets Stuck in the Body
When something big or overwhelming happens, something that feels like too much, our body doesn’t stop to think - it just reacts. This is our survival system at play where the autopilot inside of us starts to kick in. It’s the part of us that decides: do we fight, do we run, or do we shut down, freeze, and to try and stay safe?
A key way to understand this is that in the moment, that freeze response is the body doing the best it can to protect us. However, sometimes if that reaction doesn’t get to fully complete, our system gets stuck in that freeze response and that can show up as chronic tension in the body, lingering pain, or feeling emotionally on edge.
Somatic Experiencing gives the body a chance to complete what it couldn’t finish at that time when it felt too unsafe. SE gently guides the nervous system back into balance, so we can feel more settled, safe, and present again.
Research supports the idea that trauma can cause both emotional and physical symptoms. Andersen, Lahav, Ellegaard, and Manniche (2017) found that trauma-related hyperarousal often contributes to chronic pain, muscle tension, and psychological distress. This is especially relevant among people diagnosed with PTSD. This shows that trauma isn’t just something that lives in memory but in the body as well.
Macêdo and Sousa (2019) argue that clients diagnosed with PTSD and complex trauma are particularly well suited for SE. Unlike some forms of therapy that rely on talk or cognitive restructuring, Somatic Experiencing meets the client through the physical experience. The sensations and impulses within the body can point toward incomplete trauma cycles which can serve as helpful clues as to where trauma is stored and needs to be released.
How SE Helps
Somatic Experiencing can help the nervous system reset through utilizing manageable, buildable steps. Through unlocking what’s stored, the body can release, get unstuck, and can ultimately restore – this is known as biological completion. The freeze response often happens when someone is overwhelmed by trauma and their body isn’t able to fight back or run away (Payne, Levine, & Crane-Godreau, 2015). Instead of asking people to relive or retell painful stories, Somatic Experiencing (SE) shifts the focus. It invites clients to tune into the state of their bodies through using physical sensations as the main guide for healing so that the body itself becomes a resource for releasing what was held in during those moments where they felt overwhelmed. SE then provides a different pathway for healing trauma that can feel safer for many people.
Payne et al. (2015) explain that SE emphasizes interoception (noticing what’s going on inside the body) and proprioception (how the body is positioned in space) as core tools. These help clients come into relationship with their body. After trauma, the natural flow of the body can get interrupted. Instead of moving through an experience, we can feel cut off from ourselves, almost like we’re not fully living in our own body anymore. That’s why this healing process matters so much, it helps us reconnect to ourselves through resolving where the body once felt lost or stuck.
Who is Somatic Experiencing (SE) for?
SE can be especially helpful for people who haven’t found relief through other kinds of therapy, like traditional talk therapy. It often supports those who live with:
Chronic pain
Dissociation, or feeling disconnected from yourself or your surroundings
PTSD or complex trauma
A nervous system that feels “stuck” either constantly on edge, or shut down and numb
What Makes SE Unique
One of the key differences in Somatic Experiencing from other approaches is that it views trauma not as the event itself, but as the unresolved energy that lingers in the body after the traumatic event. In Levine’s words, “Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness” (Levine, 1997).
As previously described, rather than revisiting traumatic memories through words, SE shifts the focus to the body. This approach supports completing the instinctual survival responses that were interrupted, allowing the nervous system to settle by moving, breathing, and feeling safely.
The work of Kuhfuß et al. (2021) reinforce the growing effectiveness of SE as a trauma treatment model. Their findings confirm that body-based approaches like SE can support trauma recovery effectively. It is important to note that they emphasize the importance of safety and trust between the client and therapist. While this may be standard for most therapy, with SE it is particularly key as the therapist must be especially in tune with the client’s physical and emotional state, and the client must trust the therapist to guide them through the intervention.
Conclusion
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a valuable approach to the treatment of trauma as it is a body-focused method that provides clients with an alternative approach to traditional therapy techniques. As this is a resilience-based technique, a core pilar behind SE is that our natural inclination is to move towards healing and restoration. Stored energy within the nervous system might be blocking this healing process, which is why the discharge of these experiences is so important - there must be room made for that energy to exit so healing energy can enter and help shift the client’s experience.
As the therapist, generally being self-awareness and culturally sensitive is key to being effective. However, in SE it might be particularly crucial as we are dealing with such powerful material. We must stay attuned to the nuances of our client’s experience and all that accompanies it. We must also note our own reactions and make sure we are able to hold space for our client’s trauma. This is where self-care and grounding are key to ensure we can remain empathetic yet strong for our client’s processing complex trauma.
Aside from these crucial skills, research shows that autonomic nervous system regulation and resourcing can be universally beneficial and can ultimately be viewed as a powerful tool for assisting trauma with trauma recovery.
SE is known to be an effective method for improving daily life through reinstating healthy regulatory responses, particularly those suffering from PTSD and complex trauma.
Stay tuned for Part 2 where I break down the key steps of Somatic Experiencing and what to expect in session.
References
Almeida, A. K., Macêdo, S. C. G. de M., & Sousa, M. B. C. de. (2019). A systematic review of somatic intervention treatments in PTSD: Does Somatic Experiencing® (SE®) have the potential to be a suitable choice? Estudos de Psicologia, 24(3), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.22491/1678-4669.20190025
Andersen, T. E., Lahav, Y., Ellegaard, H., & Manniche, C. (2017). A randomized controlled trial of brief Somatic Experiencing for chronic low back pain and comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8(1), 1331108–1331109. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2017.1331108
Briggs, P. C., Hayes, S., & Changaris, M. (2018). Somatic Experiencing ® Informed Therapeutic Group for the Care and Treatment of Biopsychosocial Effects upon a Gender Diverse Identity. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 53–53. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00053
Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel-Porat, V., Ziv, Y., Lerner, K., & Ross, G. (2017). Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22189
Kirmayer, L. J. (2012). Rethinking cultural competence. Transcultural Psychiatry, 49(2), 149–164. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461512444673
Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing – Effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: A scoping literature review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), Article 1929023. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023.
Leitch, M. L., Vanslyke, J., & Allen, M. (2009). Somatic experiencing treatment with social service workers following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Social Work, 54(1), 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/54.1.9
Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma: The innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences. North Atlantic Books.
Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93–93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093
Sanders, N. M. A., & Kim, J. (2024). S.M.A.R.T.E.R. self-care for counselors. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 18(2), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.70013/j6kn5br1
