Somatic Experiencing (SE): Understanding Dr. Peter Levine’s Trauma Therapy

By William Schroeder, LPC and clinically reviewed by Teri Schroeder, LCSW

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a form of therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine to help individuals who have experienced trauma. Simply put, it is based on the idea that trauma is stored in the body and can manifest as physical and emotional symptoms. SE focuses on releasing this stored energy by working with the body’s natural mechanisms for processing and resolving traumatic experiences.

What Is Somatic Experiencing? Key Concepts

1. Trauma as a physiological response: SE argues that trauma is not just a psychological experience but a physiological response to an overwhelming event. When faced with a threatening situation, our bodies instinctively activate the fight, flight, or freeze response. If these responses are not able to complete or are interrupted, the body may hold onto the energy, which can lead to symptoms of trauma.
2. Working with the body: SE gives another outlet for working with trauma Instead of solely talking about the traumatic event, SE works with the body’s sensations and movements to help release the stored energy. By observing and working with the body’s responses, SE can help individuals reconnect with their bodies and release the tension held in their muscles, organs, and nervous system. It’s a very inside out approach, if you will.
3. Titration and Pendulation: Two important concepts in SE are titration (slowly processing small amounts of trauma at a time) and pendulation (moving between states of activation and relaxation). These approaches help prevent retraumatization and overwhelm during the therapeutic process.
4. Resource-building: SE also helps individuals build resources and develop coping skills to handle difficult emotions and sensations. These resources can be internal (e.g., feeling grounded and connected to the body) or external (e.g., supportive relationships and safe environments).

How Somatic Experiencing Helps With Trauma

1. Releasing stored tension and energy: By working with the body’s natural responses, SE helps release the energy that has been stuck due to incomplete fight, flight, or freeze responses. This can help reduce physical and emotional symptoms associated with trauma.
2. Building resilience: By building resources and helping individuals process their traumatic experiences, SE can increase their ability to cope with stress and challenges in the future.
3. Reconnecting with the body: Many people who have experienced trauma may feel disconnected from their bodies or struggle with body awareness. SE helps individuals reconnect with their bodies and develop a healthier relationship with their physical sensations.
4. Improving overall well-being: By addressing the physiological and psychological effects of trauma, SE can help improve overall well-being, including physical health, emotional stability, and interpersonal relationships.

What Happens in a Somatic Experiencing Session?

An SE session can look quieter than people expect. You won’t be asked to retell the worst moment of your life in detail. Instead, your therapist helps you notice what is happening in your body right now and move slowly between what feels activating and what feels settling.

• Building a sense of safety first. Early sessions often focus on resources, like a calm memory, a supportive person, or the feeling of your feet on the floor, so your nervous system has somewhere steady to return to.
• Tracking sensations. Your therapist may ask what you notice in your chest, jaw, hands, or breathing as you talk, and help you stay curious about it instead of pushing it away.
• Small doses. Using titration, you touch a small piece of a difficult memory, then return to a resource. This keeps you from getting flooded.
• Letting the body finish. Sometimes people notice shaking, warmth, tears, or a deep breath. These are signs the nervous system is releasing activation it has been holding.

Sessions typically last about 50 minutes and can happen in person or by telehealth. Many people notice changes in sleep, startle response, or tension over a series of sessions rather than all at once.

What Can Somatic Experiencing Help With?

SE was built for trauma, but therapists use it for a range of concerns where the body stays stuck on high alert:

• PTSD and single-incident trauma, like car accidents, falls, assaults, or frightening medical procedures
• Developmental trauma from childhood
• Anxiety and panic that show up strongly in the body
• Chronic tension or pain connected to stress
• Feeling numb, shut down, or disconnected from your body
• Trouble calming down after conflict or startling easily

SE can also work alongside other approaches, like EMDR or talk therapy. If you’re curious whether it fits what you’re dealing with, you can read more about Somatic Experiencing therapy at Just Mind or make an appointment with one of our SE-trained therapists.

Is Somatic Experiencing Evidence-Based?

Since its inception, researchers and clinicians have been studying SE’s efficacy. There are a limited number of research studies on Somatic Experiencing, but the body of evidence has been growing. Several studies have suggested that SE can be beneficial for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related issues.

Some of the evidence includes:

1. Naturalistic Studies: These are studies where SE is applied in real-world settings without the rigorous controls of a randomized clinical trial. Some of these studies have indicated positive outcomes for individuals who received SE therapy.
2. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs): A few RCTs have investigated the effectiveness of SE. Some of these studies have shown that SE can be effective in reducing trauma-related symptoms, although more high-quality RCTs are needed to establish SE as a gold standard, evidence-based treatment. For example, a 2017 randomized controlled trial by Brom and colleagues in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that people with PTSD who received SE had larger reductions in symptoms than a waitlist group.
3. Qualitative Studies: These studies gather detailed narratives from participants, which can provide rich insight into their experiences. Some qualitative studies on SE have reported that participants felt a profound sense of relief and improvement in trauma symptoms after undergoing the therapy.

It’s essential to approach evidence with a nuanced perspective. While there is evidence suggesting that SE can be effective for some individuals, the body of research is still relatively small, and more high-quality, large-scale studies are needed. Additionally, what works for one person may not work for another, so it’s always essential to consider individual factors and needs.

Bonus: Peter Levine discussing trauma and how Somatic Experiencing helps