“It’s not YOU, it’s what happened to you (and inside you).” - C.Courtois

What is SE?

SE is a short-term and safe approach to the resolution and healing of trauma. It was developed by Dr. Peter Levine, author of “Waking the Tiger”, and is currently accepted as one of the leading methods of healing trauma. Trauma is not a mental illness, nor is it a character flaw; it is about how the nervous system responded to the event.

SE is based on the observation that prey animals, though often threatened, are rarely, if ever, traumatized.  This is because they rely on their instincts when threatened, to regulate and discharge high levels of electrical charge in the body (fight or flight impulses). In humans, these mechanisms are typically interrupted/ prohibited (due to social norms, judgment, discomfort, shaming, etc) and the activation gets “stuck”, later showing up as physical and emotional symptoms.

How does SE help?

Healing requires completion of what once needed to occur (completing blocked responses). SE normalizes (rather than judges) the symptoms of trauma. It helps to build resources, resilience, and coherence, through safely and gradually discharging the arousal that is locked up in the body (in the neuromuscular and central nervous system), thereby resolving traumatic symptoms. Little “rehashing” of the details is required.

“The most common way people give up power is by thinking they don’t have any.” - Alice Walker

What does an SE session look like?

In each session, we will begin with an assessment of your symptoms, struggles, needs, and priorities. The relevance of the SE approach to your situation, and a plan to address these symptoms will be developed and modified as needed.

Each session will involve a slow somatic (bodily) exploration of the sensations, images, instincts, impulses, emotion, and story associated with a difficult experience (e.g., a past trauma), as well as work to build resilience and self-regulating resources. The goal in session is to help free the body from unhealthy activation in the system, and to move towards integration, self-regulation, equilibrium, and rest. This will be achieved in stillness and with movement, with sound and in silence, where appropriate, with a focus on bringing the trauma to its completion.

Who should do SE?

These sessions are not exclusively designed for people who have been in “life or death” situations. This approach is suitable for anyone who has experienced difficult events in which they felt overwhelming feelings of fear, helplessness, loss of control, and/or lack of support, where their needs/ instincts were silenced or stifled, and where their boundaries were violated or ruptured. This method can be particularly helpful for those with difficulties remembering details or expressing their reaction to an experience. For those with low distress tolerance (to emotion/ sensation), early sessions will focus on resource (skill) building and self regulation capacity.

Therapy Options

Sessions can be done in person, or online. To schedule an appointment, visit the “Contact page”.