Somatic Experiencing and Trauma Resolution: Healing Through the Body
Trauma is more than just a memory; it is a physiological imprint carried deep within the body.
Long after the traumatic event has occurred, the nervous system may stay in survival mode, trapping the body in cycles of hypervigilance, anxiety, or collapse.
Many people require more than talk therapy.
What Is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a therapy approach that focuses on the body to heal trauma. It allows people to release stress and tension in their bodies by gently guiding them to observe and explore internal bodily sensations rather than revisiting unpleasant memories.
Dr. Peter A. Levine developed Somatic Experiencing, a trauma recovery therapy based on neuroscience, physiology, and ethology.
Rather than focusing on the narrative or recollection of trauma, SE works directly with the autonomic nervous system (ANS), leading the body through its natural regulation and repair process.
SE helps individuals:
- Track interior sensations (interoception).
- Safely finish incomplete survival responses (fight, flight, freeze).
- Release stored traumatic energy from the body.
- Restore nervous system stability and resiliency.
These strategies are mild, non-invasive, and especially useful for those who deal with trauma stored beneath conscious awareness, including developmental trauma, shock trauma, and somatic symptoms that remain despite other interventions.
Trauma Lives in the Body: The Science Behind SE
Trauma not only creates psychological memories, but it also alters the control of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve systems.
If a person fails to complete the innate responses to danger (running, fighting, or freezing), this energy becomes “stuck,” resulting in persistent dysregulation. This commonly appears as:
- PTSD symptoms
- Anxiety and Panic
- Chronic pain
- Sleep disorders
- Emotional dysfunction
- Autoimmune or functional syndromes.
SE takes a bottom-up approach to healing, honoring the body’s intrinsic intuition.
Evidence Spotlight: The 2017 randomized controlled trial on Somatic Experiencing and PTSD
One of the most rigorous studies supporting Somatic Experiencing is Brom et al.’s 2017 randomized controlled experiment, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology.
This study involved 63 persons diagnosed with PTSD following severe trauma (e.g., vehicle accidents, attacks). They were randomly assigned to either:
- A therapeutic group undergoing 15 weekly Somatic Experiencing sessions, or
- A waitlist control group.
Key results
- The SE group showed large and clinically meaningful decreases in PTSD symptoms, as measured by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), a gold-standard diagnostic assessment.
- Hyperarousal, intrusion, and avoidance clusters showed the most improvement.
- Global functioning improved, notably in social and vocational sectors.
- Importantly, these findings were preserved at a one-year follow-up, indicating long-term therapeutic efficacy.
Meaning?
SE’s emphasis on autonomic modulation makes it particularly helpful for hyperarousal and frozen states, which frequently resist typical cognitive therapies. This study supports SE as a solo trauma treatment, with strong results that support its incorporation into clinical practice and holistic care models.
Nervous System Techniques That Heal
In SE sessions, clients are gently directed to:
- Observe and record internal feelings (such as tingling, tightness, and heat).
- Pendulate between phases of stress and serenity.
- measurable trauma exposure in modest, manageable doses.
- Complete “biological impulses” (e.g., the desire to run, push, or vocalize).
These techniques gradually restore neural pathways of safety, promote vagal tone, and result in enhanced self-regulation, present, and emotional clarity
Who can benefit?
Somatic Experiencing is useful for various populations:
- PTSD and Complex Trauma Survivors
- First responders, veterans, and medical professionals.
- People with persistent pain, autoimmune diseases, or digestive issues.
- Survivors of childhood maltreatment or neglect.
- Individuals experiencing anxiety, burnout, or emotional dysregulation.
- Optimizing the nervous system for high-performing individuals
Even people who do not identify as traumatized can benefit from SE’s emphasis on embodiment, resilience, and energy flow.
Somatic Experiencing and Somatic Symptom Disorders: A Nervous System Approach to Unexplained Pain
Many people suffering from somatic symptom disorders (SSD) experience persistent, often debilitating bodily symptoms, such as pain, exhaustion, gastrointestinal difficulties, or dizziness, that have no medical explanation. While these sensations are real and upsetting, conventional medicine frequently fails to treat them because the underlying cause is not just physical; it is physiological and emotional.
Here, Somatic Experiencing provides a transformative lens.
Somatic Experiencing helps by
- Disrupting the chronic activation loop between the brain and body.
- Restoring neurological system regulation, lowering pain, and physiological misery.
- Resolving unresolved trauma, which frequently underlies medically inexplicable symptoms
Want to Learn More?
If you’re curious about how unresolved trauma can shape physical health and why traditional medicine often overlooks this, read our in-depth article on Somatic Symptom Disorders and Holistic Healing to explore the connection between mind, body, and biofield.
Further reading
Evaluating Somatic Experiencing® to Heal Cancer Trauma: First Evidence with Breast Cancer Survivors
SOMATIC EXPERIENCING by Dr Susan Kriegler
Disclaimer:
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before incorporating any new therapy into your practice.
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