Somatic Experiencing: Releasing Trauma through Body Awareness

Trauma, whether experienced through a single event or repeated exposure, can leave a lasting impact on the body and mind. Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a therapeutic approach that recognizes the body’s role in storing and processing trauma. Unlike traditional talk therapy, SE focuses on the physical sensations associated with trauma, helping individuals release the emotional and physical tension that can be trapped in the body.

SE is based on the principle that the body’s natural defense mechanisms, designed to protect us from danger, can become overwhelmed by trauma. As a result, the body may go into a state of hyperarousal or shutdown, leading to a range of physical and emotional symptoms. By gently guiding individuals to reconnect with their bodies and process these stored sensations, SE can help them release the unresolved trauma and restore a sense of safety and well-being.

Introduction

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a form of therapy developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine that focuses on resolving trauma and stress-related disorders. Unlike traditional talk therapy, SE emphasizes the role of the body in the healing process. By tapping into the body’s natural ability to self-regulate and heal, SE aims to release the physical tension and emotional burden caused by traumatic experiences, helping the body to complete the stress response and return to normal functioning.

Peter Payne, Peter A. Levine and Mardi A. Crane-Godreau explain:

“SE differs from cognitive therapies in that its major interventional strategy involves bottom-up processing by directing the client’s attention to internal sensations, both visceral (interoception) and musculoskeletal (proprioception and kinesthesis), rather than primarily cognitive or emotional experiences. SE is not a form of exposure therapy; it specifically avoids direct and intense evocation of traumatic memories, instead approaching the charged memories indirectly and very gradually, as well as facilitating the generation of new corrective interoceptive experiences that physically contradict those of overwhelm and helplessness” (Payne et al., 2015).

The Foundations of Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing is grounded in the understanding that trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind. This perspective is heavily influenced by the study of how animals in the wild recover from life-threatening events. Notably, even after facing extreme danger, animals rarely suffer from trauma in the way humans do. Dr. Levine observed that these animals naturally discharge the energy and stress associated with traumatic events through specific physical behaviors, such as shaking or trembling. SE seeks to replicate this natural process in humans to facilitate healing.

Danny Brom and his colleagues wrote:

“In the theory behind SE, posttraumatic stress symptoms are considered an expression of stress activation and an incomplete defensive reaction to a traumatic event. From this theoretical perspective, the goal of the therapy is to release the traumatic activation through an increased tolerance of bodily sensations and related emotions, inviting a discharge process to let the activation dissipate” (Brom et al., 2017).

The Stress Response

The stress response is a complex physiological and psychological reaction to perceived threats or challenges, often referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response. When we perceive a threat, the sympathetic nervous system activates, releasing stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to prepare the body to either confront or flee from the threat. This response involves a cascade of events, including increased heart rate, heightened senses, and a surge of energy, allowing for rapid and effective action (Hofland et al., 2015).

Once the immediate threat has passed, the body’s parasympathetic nervous system activates to calm the body and restore homeostasis. However, when the stress response is prolonged or frequently triggered without adequate recovery, it can lead to a state of chronic stress.

Incomplete Stress Cycles

Chronic stress can have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health, contributing to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression. Extreme traumatic events may also interrupt the smooth operation of the stress response, leaving an organism in a hypervigilant state, never completing the stress response cycle.

Levine explains:

“Potentially traumatic situations are ones that induce states of high physiological arousal but without the freedom for the affected person to express and get past these states: danger without the possibility of fight or flight and, afterward, without the opportunity to ‘shake it off,’ as a wild animal would following a frightful encounter with a predator” (Levine, 2012).

Understanding the stress response is crucial in therapeutic contexts, as interventions can be designed to help individuals manage and mitigate their stress reactions. Techniques such as mindfulness, controlled breathing, and somatic experiencing aim to enhance the body’s natural ability to regulate stress and return to a state of balance. By fostering a greater awareness and tolerance of bodily sensations and emotions, individuals can effectively discharge accumulated stress and reduce the impact of traumatic experiences on their overall well-being.

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Key Principles of Somatic Experiencing

Levine posits that recovery from trauma is a very individual experience. Not everyone follows the same path. He explains:

“In Somatic Experiencing, traumatic reactions are addressed by a wide variety of strategies. What unifies them is that they are all used in the service of de-structuring the thwarted anxiety response and restoring defensive and orienting resources. The overall picture shows how each individual’s needs and resources call forth a unique, creatively adaptive solution” (Levine, 2009).

In order to assist a client in finding their own path to recovery, Levine explains that the therapist must “help to create an environment of relative safety, an atmosphere that conveys refuge, hope and possibility.” However, pure empathy and a warm therapeutic relationship are not enough, for traumatized people are “often unable to read or fully receive compassion. They are too suppressed, too stuck in primal defenses more appropriate to our amphibian or reptilian evolutionary predecessors” (Levine, 2012).

Levine posits that Somatic Experiencing is an avenue to help these clients get unstuck.

Bodily Awareness

One of the core tenets of SE is the cultivation of bodily awareness. Clients are encouraged to pay close attention to their physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts. This heightened awareness helps to identify areas of tension and discomfort that may be linked to past traumatic events. Levine explains that somatic experiencing helps “to create physiological, sensate and affective states that transform those of fear and helplessness. It does this by accessing various instinctual reactions through one’s awareness of physical body sensations” (Levine, 2012, p. 9).

T. Franklin Murphy wrote, somatic awareness is “the whispered dialogue between mind and flesh, a conversation that often goes unheard amidst the noise of routine. Yet, when we attune to its rhythm, we discover a world of sensations that narrate the story of our existence” (Murphy, 2023).

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Titration

The term of titration is a chemistry term “to describe the process where two reagents (like a strong acid and strong base) are mixed drop by drop to avoid the explosive reaction that would occur from pouring them together quickly” (Payne et al., 2015). Titration in somatic experiencing involves gently and gradually approaching traumatic memories and sensations in a controlled manner. By breaking down the process into small, manageable steps, SE helps prevent clients from becoming overwhelmed and re-traumatized during therapy.

Titration allows the client to re-approach traumatic experiences so they can complete the stress response cycle. Levine explains that somatic experiencing “‘de-potentiates’ (defangs) the disturbing, trauma-linked implicit and procedural memories through titration and the co-evocation of supportive and empowering interoceptive experiences” (Levine, 2015).

Pendulation

Pendulation refers to the natural rhythm of moving between states of contraction (stress) and expansion (relief). Levine describes that in renegotiating trauma via Somatic Experiencing, “we utilize ‘pendulation,’ the shifting of body sensations or emotions between those of expansion and those of contraction. This ebb and flow allows the polarities to gradually be integrated. It is the holding together of these polarities that facilitates deep integration and often an ‘alchemical’ transformation” (Levine, 2015, p. 71).

Pendulation works in a similar fashion to attachment theory’s concept of a secure base. A child curiously explores their environment with the trust they can routinely return to the security of their mother. In somatic experiencing, a client may curiously explore painful emotions when they know they have avenues of retreat where they can find momentary relief.

Pendulation allows clients to oscillate between the discomfort of traumatic memories and the comfort of safety, facilitating the release of pent-up energy and promoting a sense of balance.

Resource Building

SE places a strong emphasis on building internal and external resources that offer support and resilience. Dilara Özel explains that from the perspective of SE, resilience is defined as “the capacity of the nervous system to hold strong sensations or emotions without activating fight, flight, or freeze responses. Resiliency is a dynamic process that can be improved through the experience of body sensations and provides protective resources towards adverse life situations” (Özel, 2024).

SE helps enhance resiliency through a strengthening a variety of resources. Internal resources might include positive memories, coping skills, and bodily sensations of strength, while external resources could involve supportive relationships, safe environments, and other therapeutic tools.

The SE Process: What to Expect

The process of Somatic Experiencing typically involves several stages, each designed to help clients reconnect with their bodies and resolve trauma.

Assessment

During the initial assessment, the therapist gathers information about the client’s history, symptoms, and specific traumatic experiences. This stage helps to establish a baseline for therapy and identify areas that require attention.

Tracking Sensations

Therapists guide clients to track their internal bodily sensations in a mindful and non-judgmental way. This practice helps them become more attuned to their physical responses and recognize how trauma manifests in their bodies.

Discharging Energy

As clients become more aware of their bodily sensations, they may begin to experience the release of pent-up energy associated with trauma. Levine explains that when these ‘discharges’ are inhibited or otherwise resisted and prevented from completion, our natural rebounding abilities get ‘stuck.’” A direct consequence of discharge of the survival energy mobilized for fight-or-flight is “the restoration of equilibrium and balance” (Levine, 2012, p. 93).

This discharge can take many forms, such as shaking, crying, or deep breathing. The therapist provides a safe and supportive environment for this process, ensuring that clients do not feel overwhelmed.

Integration

Integration is a primary source of healing. Allan N. Schore explains:

“Failure of integration of the higher right hemisphere with the lower right brain induces an instant collapse of both subjectivity and intersubjectivity. Stressful and painful emotional states associated with intensely high or low levels of arousal are not experienced in consciousness, but remain in implicit memory as dysregulated dissociated unconscious affects” (Schore, 2009).

By creating an environment and methods for the client to experience feeling affects associated with trauma, they are able to approach past events without emotional overload, allowing for an integration of different processes of the body, leading to a discharge of survival energies, and a return to a healing homeostatic state.

Moreover, the final stage of treatment also involves integrating the insights and experiences gained during therapy into the client’s daily life where the client can continue to process daily stresses in a productive and successful manner. This process helps solidify the healing and encourages the continued practice of bodily awareness and self-regulation.

Benefits of Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing offers numerous benefits, particularly for individuals who have struggled to find relief through traditional therapy methods. Some of the key advantages include:

• Holistic Healing: SE addresses the whole person, integrating the mind, body, and emotions in the healing process.
• Empowerment: Clients learn to trust their bodies and develop self-regulation skills, empowering them to manage stress and trauma more effectively.
• Non-Invasive: SE is a gentle and non-invasive approach that respects the client’s pace and readiness for healing.
• Long-Lasting Results: By addressing the root causes of trauma, SE can lead to long-lasting and sustainable healing.

Applications of Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing can be beneficial for a wide range of conditions and situations, including:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): SE is particularly effective for individuals suffering from PTSD, helping them to process and release traumatic memories.
• Anxiety and Depression: By addressing the physical manifestations of anxiety and depression, SE can provide significant relief from these conditions.
• Chronic Pain: SE can help uncover the emotional and psychological factors contributing to chronic pain, promoting holistic pain management.
• Developmental Trauma: Individuals with childhood trauma can benefit from SE’s gentle and supportive approach to healing.
• Stress Management: SE techniques can be used to manage everyday stress and enhance overall well-being.
• Secondary Trauma and Burnout: SE techniques help those that work in industries routinely exposed to trauma (hospitals, first responders, etc.) (Winblad et al., 2018).

Associated Concepts

• Adaptive Survival Styles: These survival styles are patterns that children adopt to adapt to harsh early environments.
• Emotional Wounds: These wounds, whether from childhood or adulthood, can linger, impacting our well-being. Memories of pain persist, but healing is possible through patience, understanding, and support.
• NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) Therapy: This therapy style is a clinical therapeutic approach that Dr, Lawrence Heller designed to address complex trauma and relational issues. It focuses on resolving early childhood attachment and developmental trauma to help individuals establish healthy relationships and self-regulation.
• Cognitive Processing Therapy: This is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that Dr. Patricia Resick specifically designed to help individuals recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions. It focuses on altering maladaptive beliefs and thought patterns related to traumatic events.
• Complex Trauma: This concept refers to trauma often resulting from prolonged abuse during childhood. It significantly impacts victims’ physiological and psychological well-being.
• Emotional Abuse: This form of abuse is a pervasive pattern of behavior aiming to gain power and control over another person by undermining their self-worth, manipulating their emotions, and subjecting them to constant criticism.
• Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM): This model is a therapeutic framework designed to help individuals recover from trauma and build resilience. It emphasizes the body’s natural healing abilities and integrates techniques to regulate emotions and manage stress.

A Few Words by Psychology Fanatic

For those who have endured the weight of traumatic experiences, it’s important to acknowledge the profound challenges that can arise in everyday life. The shadows of trauma can cast a long and heavy pall over one’s existence, affecting not just emotional well-being but physical health as well. It is entirely understandable to feel overwhelmed, lost, or disconnected from oneself during such trying times. Yet within this struggle lies the potential for healing and transformation. You are not alone; many have walked this difficult path and discovered a way through the darkness toward renewed hope and resilience.

Somatic Experiencing offers a gentle light on this journey of recovery, inviting you to reconnect with your body and emotions in a safe space where healing can begin. By embracing compassion for yourself and acknowledging your experiences without judgment, you open doors to understanding and self-acceptance.

Remember that healing is not linear nor uniform; it is uniquely personal—an unfolding process filled with moments of strength intertwined with vulnerability. With patience, support, and commitment to nurturing your inner resources, there is a pathway back to wholeness waiting for you—a chance to reclaim joy, safety, and connection in life once more. Hope is here; let it guide you toward brighter tomorrows where peace resides within reach.

Last Update: September 5, 2025

References:

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. DOI: 10.1002/jts.22189
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Hofland, J.; Bakker, J.; Feelders, R. (2015). What’s new on the HPA axis?. Intensive Care Medicine, 41(8), 1477-1479. DOI: 10.1007/s00134-015-3771-8
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Levine, Peter A. (2015). Trauma and Memory: Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Working with Traumatic Memory. ‎North Atlantic Books; Illustrated edition. ISBN: 9781583949948
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Levine, Peter A. (2012). In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. North Atlantic Books; 1st edition. ISBN: 9781556439438
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Levine, Peter A. (2009). Panic, Biology, and Reason: Giving the Body Its Due. The USA Body Psychotherapy Journal, 2(2), 5-14. (PDF)
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Murphy, T. Franklin (2023). Somatic Awareness. Psychology Fanatic. Published: 9-3-2023; Accessed 10-8-2024. Website: https://psychologyfanatic.com/somatic-awareness/
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Özel, Dilara (2024). ‘We are all in this together’: Coping with stress during uncertain times through somatic experiencing. Group Analysis: The International Journal of Group-Analytic Psychotherapy, 57(2), 256-270. DOI: 10.1177/05333164231189471
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Payne, Peter, Levine, Peter, Crane-Godreau, Mardi (2015). Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093
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Schore, Allan, N. (2009). Right-Brain Affect Regulation An Essential Mechanism of Development, Trauma, Dissociation, and Psychotherapy. In: Daniel J. Siegel, Marion Solomon, and Diana Fosha (eds.), The Healing Power of Emotion: Affective Neuroscience, Development & Clinical Practice. ‎W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition. ISBN-10: 039370548X; APA Record: 2009-20446-000
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Winblad, N., Changaris, M., Stein, P. (2018). Effect of Somatic Experiencing Resiliency-Based Trauma Treatment Training on Quality of Life and Psychological Health as Potential Markers of Resilience in Treating Professionals. Frontiers in Neuroscience. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00070
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