Somatic Experiencing:
Body-Centered Trauma Relief

The Somatic Experiencing method is a body-oriented psychotherapy specifically designed to heal trauma and other stress-related disorders. Developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine, this Somatic Experiencing offers clients an opportunity to overcome challenging emotions using Somatic Therapy Techniques. This may include focusing on sensations in your body, exploring and processing feelings, memories, and beliefs connected to earlier experiences.

Somatic Experiencing in Therapy

At times, life can feel overwhelming. One moment you’re fine, and the next, you’re overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. These feelings—whether it’s anger, anxiety, despair, or even a sense of forgetfulness—can strike without warning, leaving you struggling to regain control.

When these emotions hit, they can be so intense that they disrupt your ability to enjoy life and maintain healthy relationships. It feels as though something is fundamentally off, and you’re stuck in a cycle of self-protection.

Over time, we all learn to suppress emotions that are too painful to confront. We build walls to protect ourselves, creating a life that feels disconnected from our true selves. These deeply buried emotions can lead to shame, self-doubt, and the persistent belief that you’re “not good enough.”

Somatic Experiencing Therapy for Trauma

SE operates on the principle that trauma symptoms arise when our natural fight, flight, or freeze responses are thwarted. By gently guiding clients to become aware of these trapped physiological responses, SE helps them process and release this energy, facilitating deep healing therapy (Sutini et al., 2022).

The Body's Response to Trauma

Trauma often results in the body getting “stuck” in a fight, flight, or freeze response. This means that even long after the traumatic event has passed, the body remains in a state of hyperarousal or numbness, as if the danger is still present. Somatic Experiencing helps individuals become aware of these lingering physical responses.

Building Awareness & Resilience

Through SE, individuals are guided to develop a heightened awareness of their bodily sensations, which helps them recognize the signs of stress or trauma as they arise. This awareness allows them to address these sensations before they escalate, building resilience over time.

Reprocessing Trauma Safely

One of the key aspects of SE is that it doesn’t require the person to relive or retell the traumatic event in detail. Instead, the focus is on the body’s sensations in the present moment. This approach minimizes the risk of re-traumatization while allowing the body to process and release the trauma.

Releasing
Trapped Energy

When trauma occurs, the body may be unable to release the energy generated by the survival response. This trapped energy can manifest as anxiety, hypervigilance, or chronic stress. SE helps individuals slowly and safely discharge this energy by focusing on and gently moving through the physical sensations that arise during sessions.

Restoring the Body’s Natural Rhythm

Trauma can disrupt the body’s natural rhythms, such as sleep, digestion, and emotional regulation. Somatic Experiencing helps restore these rhythms by gently guiding the body back to its natural state of balance, allowing the nervous system to function more effectively.

Promoting a Sense of Safety

Creating a sense of safety is crucial in SE. The therapist ensures that the individual feels grounded and supported throughout the process. By moving at the pace of the client’s body, Somatic Experiencing respects the natural healing process and helps establish a sense of security.

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Benefits of Somatic Experience Therapy

Somatic Experience Therapy to Build Resilience

SE therapy focuses on the body’s ability to self-regulate. By helping individuals recognize and navigate their bodily sensations, SE empowers them to manage their stress responses better. “By learning to tune into their bodies and process emotions, individuals can better handle future stressors and challenges” (Hetherington & Gentile, 2022).

Reduction of Anxiety and Stress

By focusing on the body’s sensations, SE therapy can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and chronic stress. The techniques used in SE help in calming the nervous system, reducing the constant state of fight, flight, or freeze that many individuals with trauma experience. This leads to a greater sense of inner peace and the ability to manage stress more effectively.

Somatic Experiencing To Improve Emotional Regulation

Somatic Experiencing helps individuals develop better emotional regulation skills. By becoming more attuned to bodily sensations, clients learn to recognize early signs of emotional overwhelm and use techniques to calm themselves before emotions become unmanageable. This leads to improved mood stability and fewer emotional outbursts.

Enhanced Self-Awareness

One of the core aspects of SE therapy is increasing self-awareness, particularly in how the body holds and expresses emotions. This heightened awareness allows individuals to understand the connection between their physical sensations and emotional states, leading to greater self-insight and personal growth.

Restored Sense of Safety and Trust

For many who have experienced trauma, the world can feel like a dangerous place, and trusting others can be difficult. SE therapy helps in re-establishing a sense of safety and trust, both in oneself and in relationships with others. By working gently with the body, individuals can begin to feel more secure and grounded in their daily lives.

Long-Term Positive Change

Because Somatic Experience therapy works on a deep, physiological level, the changes it brings about are often long-lasting. Clients report sustained improvements in their emotional and physical health, even after therapy has ended. The tools and techniques learned in SE therapy can be used throughout life to maintain a healthy balance.

What New Clients Can Expect
in Somatic Experiencing Therapy

Bodily Sensations During Somatic Therapy

During an SE session, therapists guide clients to notice bodily sensations and emotions. Through gentle questioning and observation, therapists help clients release trapped energy and restore equilibrium (Rivkah & Gentile, 2022). Therapists will help clients to recognize, understand, and navigate body sensations, leading to better stress and affect management.

Fatigue after Somatic Experiencing Therapy

Some clients feel tired after completing a somatic therapy session. Engaging with deep-seated traumas and navigating intense bodily sensations can be exhausting. The release of energy and emotions can be exhausting. As the body processes and heals, it’s natural to feel fatigued (Patrick, 2021).

Fluctuating Emotions during & After Somatic Work

During SE, it’s normal to experience a range of emotions and bodily sensations. Individuals might feel sadness, anger, relief, or even joy. Physically, they might experience tingling, warmth, cold, or other sensations. These are all part of the body’s way of processing trauma.

Therapist Tips for Clients just Starting

Choose a trauma-informed provider: Being confident that your provider is competent and well trained allows for feelings of safety, connection and openness.
Stay Open: Approach SE with an open mind and heart. Be ready to engage with your bodily sensations.
Communicate: Always communicate with your therapist about what you’re feeling.
Practice Self-Care: Ensure you have relaxation techniques or coping mechanisms in place for post-session.
Trust the Process: Healing is a journey. Trust the process and give yourself the time and space to heal.

Final Thoughts on SOMATIC EXPERIENCING THERAPY

Somatic Experiencing is a gentle, non-invasive therapy. It does not require the client to relive traumatic experiences in detail, which can be re-traumatizing in other therapeutic approaches. Instead, it focuses on the body’s current sensations, making it a safer and more comfortable option for trauma recovery.

Somatic Experiencing offers a unique and effective approach to trauma therapy. By addressing both the physiological and psychological aspects of trauma, SE facilitates deep healing and resilience.

Questions About Our Therapy Services?

Where are you located? I need a therapist near me

We are fully online, which means that your therapy sessions will be help via video call on our HIPAA compliant Platform. Anyone in New Jersey can access our therapy services

How do I get started as a new client?

New Clients can reach out to us directly via call, text or email here:

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Does my insurance cover my visits?

We provide”Courtesy Billing” for clients who are using the Out-of-network insurance benefits.

Our Insurance Page shares a small blurb about Why We Left Insurance Panels

What are out-of-network benefits?

When using OON benefits, patients typically pay the full cost of the treatment upfront and then file a claim with their insurance company for reimbursement. The amount of reimbursement can vary depending on the plan, but it can sometimes be as high as 90%. Call your insurance to see if you have OON benefits or click here to call us and we can check for you!

Is Online Therapy As Effective As In-Person Therapy?

Online therapy is essentially face-to-face counseling, just conducted remotely. Studies show that tele-therapy is as effective as traditional counseling. Professional organizations and state governments recognize its benefits and have set regulations for it. However, like any therapy, its success in achieving your goals isn’t guaranteed. It’s important to discuss with your therapist whether tele-therapy is working for you.

How Should I Prepare for My First Session?

Showing up is all that you need to do! But if you really want to get the most out of session, it could help to take some time to think about what you want from therapy. It helps to write down your goals, questions you have or things that you feel are important to share.

Do you offer traditional talk therapy?

of course! though we have some unconventional therapy approaches, we are rooted in evidenced based practices. Talk therapy is a major player in the therapy room! See What we Treat and Integrative Services for more information

Is Virtual Counseling Suitable for Everyone?

Online therapy might not be as effective for individuals with chronic suicidal thoughts, severe trauma, significant mental health history, or those recently in intensive care. Such cases often benefit more from traditional, in-person counseling. We’ll help you decide if our online services are right for you during your intake and evaluation.

Can I Change Therapists If I'm Not Happy?

Yes, you can switch therapists to another provider within the practice, or we can provide you a referral if preferred. We want to ensure that your time and effort are well spent, and that you are getting the relief you need, that’s why we work collaboratively with each other in the practice, as well as outside therapists who we know and trust.

How Do I Know If Therapy Is Helping?

You should feel like you’re making progress. Signs it’s working include:

Feeling comfortable talking to your therapist
Your therapist respects boundaries
You’re moving towards your goals
You feel listened to
You’re doing better in life
Your self-esteem is getting better

What is your cancellation policy?

We ask that clients provide at least 24 hours notice in the event that they need to cancel to avoid the 50% cancellation fee. we understand that life happens and do our best to be flexible & reschedule.

What Geographic Areas Are Served?

Currently, we serve clients in New Jersey and are expanding to other states as telehealth laws evolve. While telehealth offers the convenience of attending sessions from anywhere, state laws require clients to be in-state during their session.

Is Online Therapy Easy to Use for Non-Tech-Savvy People?

Yes, it’s pretty simple to access sessions. You’ll need basic internet skills, such as opening and visiting the patient link sent to you via email. It’s similar to video chatting like Facetime or Zoom. We can also walk you through it on the phone the first time to ensure a strong connection

What Questions Should I Ask My New Therapist?

Feel free to ask anything. Some good questions are:

How often will we meet?
What do you specialize in?
What experience do you have with my issue?
What outcomes can I expect?
How will I know I’m progressing?
How long do you usually work with clients?
How will we set my treatment goals?

What is the difference between associate therapists & fully licensed therapists?

Our Qualifications:

Our founder, Rebecca Sidoti, is a highly qualified, state-licensed therapist and supervisor with extensive training in anxiety related disorders and innovative treatment such as Ketamine Therapy. Mind by Design Counseling adheres to standards set by the our governing counseling boards.

To see each providers credentials, training and licenses, visit our “Meet the Therapists” Page to learn more.

LAC/LSW are therapists who may practice clinical work under the supervision of a fully licensed therapist.
LPC/LCSW are therapists who have completed the necessary clinical hours post-graduation under supervision and can practice clinical work independently.