On Trauma Therapy: Somatic Experiencing
Overwhelming or ‘traumatic’ experiences are common to us all. They may be sudden, or they build over time (‘too much too soon’, or ‘too little too late’). Sometimes you do not even know the cause. Robbed of of your usual capacity, your healthy responses are frozen or blocked, leaving you stuck, bewildered, disempowered or ashamed. Trauma therapy allows you to access the deep nervous system wiring that has closed down your system in a bid to protect you. This re-awakens the life energy you need to find healing, and your pathway to health and happiness.
I turned to trauma therapy myself following a traumatic experience that was ‘too big’ for me. I no longer knew how to response or process the emotions and sensations which swept over me with the trauma. I was so inspired by what I learned that I trained in Somatic Experiencing, integrating what I learned into every aspect of my work.
Somatic Experiencing is a cutting-edge trauma therapy, developed for healing overwhelming distress and trauma. It is based on the work of biophysicist and psychologist, Dr Peter Levine, who describes trauma as a phenomenon ‘held in the body’. Based on his observations of wildlife, Levine notes that as animals are regularly threatened with death yet are rarely traumatised. Inspiringly, humans are equipped with the same capacity for overcoming overwhelming experience and restoring health:
‘I have come to the conclusion that human beings are born
with an innate capacity to triumph over trauma […].
[T]he healing process can be a catalyst for profound awakening.‘*
I now weave the tremendous expertise and knowledge from the world of trauma into everything I do. With ever-growing awareness of the workings of the nervous system, I have a profound respect for the healing potential of our bodies and beings.
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References
* Peter A. Levine, Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body (Sounds True Inc, 2008), p.10
For more, see Peter Levine’s semi-autobiographical account, In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness (North Atlantic Books, 2017). The following sites may be helpful: Wikipedia, SOS Internationale and SOS International.