ExperSomatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to trauma developed by Peter Levine. Trauma is not so much located in the event itself, but in how our nervous system responds to what happened. When something occurs too quickly, too intensely, or too often, the organism — our nervous system — can become overwhelmed (you may know the familiar responses of fight, flight, or freeze). These reactions lie outside our conscious control, because they take place in deeper parts of the brain. That is why trauma cannot simply be reasoned away, no matter how intelligent you are or how clearly you understand the situation. When this happens, we may lose our sense of connection with our body, our emotions, ourselves, and the world around us. The effects of trauma often become noticeable only later and can then — sometimes without being recognised as such — show up as physical, emotional, or psychological difficulties.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to trauma developed by Peter Levine. It focuses on how the nervous system responds to overwhelming experiences. Because trauma cannot simply be resolved through rational thinking, and its effects are often felt only later, this method helps people reconnect with their bodies and emotions and restore the system’s natural capacity for regulation.
Somatic Experiencing
A gentle and effective approach
Through Somatic Experiencing, we work with trauma by focusing on how your nervous system has responded to what happened. The aim is not to force you to relive painful memories, but to listen to the signals of the body, which often carries the story in its instinctive reactions. We move carefully and step by step, at the pace your body needs to process what was once too much, too fast, or too overwhelming. In this way, Somatic Experiencing helps restore and strengthen your body’s natural capacity for self-regulation and resilience.
Within Somatic Experiencing, I also draw on elements from related theories and approaches, such as Gabor Maté’s When the Body Says No, Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score, the Polyvagal Theory as developed by Stephen Porges and further applied by Deb Dana, and Janina Fisher’s parts-based model of personality.