Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) is a therapeutic approach and set of tools that resolves symptoms of stress, shock, and trauma that accumulate in our bodies. When we are stuck in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze, SE helps us release, recover, and become more resilient. It is based on a multidisciplinary intersection of physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics, is very well-researched, and has been clinically applied for more than four decades.

Trauma is defined as a nervous system response to an event that overwhelmed the system’s ability to self-regulate. Trauma is not in the event; it’s a nervous system response. For this reason, trauma symptoms can arise from a variety of different events. You might hear practitioners refer to “Big-T” and “little-t” traumas, which is a way of normalizing that trauma can occur following a variety of circumstances – not only from obviously traumatic events such as war or abuse, but also seemingly benign events (e.g. a child losing sight of their parent in the mall, a routine medical procedure, losing a job, a fall, a fender bender). In the words of Dr. Peter A. Levine: “Trauma has become so commonplace that most people don’t even recognize its presence. It affects everyone. Each of us has had a traumatic experience at some time in our lives, regardless of whether it left us with an obvious case of post-traumatic stress.” “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence. Not only can trauma be healed, but with appropriate guidance and support, it can be transformative. Trauma has the potential to be one of the most significant forces for psychological, social, and spiritual awakening and evolution.”

Absolutely. What we call “trauma” is simply a nervous system response to being overwhelmed. All human beings experience overwhelm, even if we’re not aware of it, and even if the event doesn’t fall into one of the obviously traumatic categories such as war, violence, or abuse. Because of this, to varying degrees, all of us have some vitality and life energy bound up in our bodies that is preventing us from fully experiencing our lives. This can manifest in a lot of different ways, but often looks like: stress, a general lack of enthusiasm or joy, anxiety, chronic or mystery illnesses, digestive issues, feeling disconnected, an inability to relax or rest without sleep aids, overthinking, becoming easily depleted or exhausted, coping mechanisms (e.g. overdrinking, over/undereating, overworking, overspending, compulsive behavior), and/or outsized emotional responses (such as anger or sadness) that are much larger than the energy of the inciting situation – among other things. The way our symptoms manifest and the ways we cope are unique to each of us, but the underlying nervous system disorganization is not unique. Our nervous system responses are mappable, predictable, well-understood by science, and – here’s the best part – changeable! In fact, your nervous system knows how to come back into regulation and organization. It just needs a safe environment and support of a qualified professional to guide you into accessing that bound up energy in the body.

Before our first session, I will send you an intake form with questions about what brings you to coaching. That will help me have a sense of where you are now and where you’d like to go, so that I can best support you to bridge the gap. Coaching sessions often simply look and feel like deep conversations. We usually begin by talking about your goals. What is it in your life that you would like to be different? What isn't working? What kind of life calls to you but feels out of reach? We also build awareness of what IS working so we can build on your existing resourcefulness and competency. As we talk, I will invite you to notice the sensations in your body and your felt experience. And if that’s not something you feel comfortable with yet, we start with paying attention to your environment. This modality is mindfulness-based, so if you already have a mindfulness, meditation, or yoga practice, this noticing or “tracking” of thought and sensation will be very familiar. As we progress, we might explore slow and gentle movement in the body and bring in imagination and meditation to the conversations. This supports the body in the "completion" and reorganization that is central to trauma resolution.

Sessions can be conducted in person or virtually via Zoom.