Somatic Experiencing (SE) Approach in Counselling
I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and attained my certification In 2015. I started my SE training in 2011. I was drawn to SE work because it is a wholistic way to work with clients and is very helpful when working with clients who have dealt with traumatic events in their life, child abuse, car accidents, or other events that have left them feeling unsafe or with a lingering sense of danger. I have found this approach to be helpful when other approaches cannot relieve the client’s symptoms. Below is a description of the Somatic Experiencing approach and some of the benefits that I and my clients have seen.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a naturalistic approach and is one of the approaches that can be used in counselling to help people resolve and heal from trauma. It was developed by Dr. Peter Levine and is supported by research. Somatic means “of, or relating to the body” and Experiencing means “to encounter or undergo; to be affected by what one meets with”. So it is an approach that helps a person encounter or pay attention to the experience of the body to create healing.
Ever wonder how wild prey animals can be chased by a Tiger or a Lion, barely escaping with their life, and then get up, literally shake it off and carry on with their day? SE is based on the observation that wild prey animals, though threatened routinely, are rarely traumatized. Animals in the wild utilize innate mechanisms to regulate and discharge the high levels of arousal energy related to defensive survival behaviours. These mechanisms provide animals with a built-in “immunity” to trauma that enables them to return to normal in the aftermath of highly “charged” life-threatening experiences.
SE is a holistic approach to dealing with trauma that brings the body’s experience into awareness, while also paying attention to thoughts, emotions, images, behaviour. You might relate to going for a job interview and be aware of your mind racing with worried thoughts, then feeling butterflies in your stomach or having your throat get tight or dry when you try to talk. Or think of the last time you experienced a loss of some kind and you may have felt a heaviness come over you. These are ways that our body holds energy from different types of difficult experiences we go through in life. Trauma is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. What is distressing or disturbing is different for everyone and can include things like car accidents, loss of any kind, falls, surviving abuse as a child, or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
Here are some key points about using Somatic Experiencing (SE) in counselling:
· SE employs awareness of body sensation to help people “renegotiate” and heal rather than relive or re-enact trauma.
· SE’s guidance of the bodily “felt sense” allows the high survival energies to be safely experienced and gradually discharged.
· SE experience breaks down the release of trauma energy into small, incremental steps, rather than allowing large overwhelming flooding.
· SE has a number of benefits such as relief of traumatic stress symptoms, increased resiliency and increased regulation.
If you would like to learn more Somatic Experiencing here are some helpful books:
Levine, P (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Kline, M. and Levine, P. (2007). Trauma through a Child’s Eyes: Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Levine, P. and Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma – The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Van Der Kolk, Bessel (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Solvang, CA: Viking Press.
Online Information about Somatic Experiencing:
Colleen Barss, MSW, BSW, SEP
Registered Social Worker
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
Keeping the Holiday Season Simple
The holiday season is approaching fast and with it often comes feelings of stress and being overwhelmed. We try to squeeze all the good cheer, kindness and making everything perfect in the three to four weeks leading up to Christmas and the New Year. Why do we do that to ourselves???
The reality is there are lots of ways of rethinking and experiencing the holiday season that can take the pressure off and have us get in touch with the spirit of the season. Here are some ideas:
Be Present in Each Moment
Whatever you are doing, try to be fully present in that experience. If you are baking cookies with your grandkids focus on that experience. If you are at your weekly yoga or kick-boxing class, stay fully present in that. Building skills around staying present in our own experiences can go a long way to reducing anxiety and lessening worry in our lives.
Think Small
Try to spend this season showing caring through small, inexpensive gestures. Think of things you can do with people instead of buying for people. A homemade gift card, sharing a walk in the park, a foot rub, or a movie night out together are appreciated. A Christmas card that tells the person what you appreciate about them is always cherished. These small gestures help build relationships and express your love and gratitude.
Make Time for Yourself
During the holiday season, it’s even more important that you make time for yourself.
Reflect on what rejuvenates or relaxes you the most and then mark that in your schedule. It may be a soothing bubble bath, a movie night out with your partner or friend, or an evening reading a good book. Maintaining balance through this season is very important to feeling positive about the season when it’s over.
Expect Mixed Feelings
The expression “be of good cheer” is often associated with the holiday season, yet at this time of year, like any other, people have often experienced difficult losses or significant hardships that make “being cheerful” very difficult. Allow yourself to feel all the emotions that come up at this time of year and recognize that is normal and expected. It is normal to be sitting at a family gathering and feel sadness that your dad has passed away, and at the same time feel grateful for the other family present around the table. Let the feelings move through you, acknowledging them and breathing through your experience of them. Think of them as waves that ebb and flow through our lives and be gentle with yourself.
Practice Saying “No”
Setting limits with people in respectful ways is necessary to living a healthy and balanced life. We can’t be everything to everyone and we certainly can’t’ be everywhere at once. Depending on your energy level and your time, you may not be able to show up to every holiday season gathering that you’re invited to. Or you may need to show up late and leave early. Saying “no” to something will leave the door open to saying “yes” to something that is more of a priority for you. Be gentle with yourself and remind yourself that you are allowed to make those choices.
Share the Load
If you are having big family or friend gatherings, consider making them potluck. Everyone bringing their favourite appetizer or dish can make for a culinary delight! Or if you are having a traditional Christmas dinner, make a list of the menu and ask family/friends what dish they would like to bring. Many hands do make light work, and will help your hosting duties be less overwhelming, leaving to you more time to visit with your guests.
Start new Rituals and Traditions
When families grow and change, old ways of doing things don’t always fit. Who do you spend what time with? What kind of meals do you have? Where do you gather? Who does the cooking? Who’s coming home? These are all questions that are up for discussion and negotiation as family and friend networks grow and change. Having discussions about these questions and inviting creative ideas can get people enthused about new ways of celebrating and gathering. It does take time for everyone to adapt so in the meantime, be kind and respectful to each other.
Focus on Gratitude and Love
The holiday season can be a time to realize what is important in your life. A simple way to do that is to take time each day to reflect on three things that you appreciate in your life right now and what difference those three things make. This focus on what’s in your “half full” glass will remind you what your priorities are and you will see the potential in life, yourself and others.
Remember to Breathe
It’s funny how something we do thousands of times each day can be something we are so unaware of! Breath is a tool that we carry with us wherever we are and has proven to be a helpful way to centre ourselves, to get more settled in our body and reduce anxiety. So if you are feeling overwhelmed or unsettled, find a quiet place - bedroom, bathroom or close your office door - and bring your attention to your breath. Notice it moving in and out of your body, and be curious about the flow and rhythm without any judgment. Taking 2 minutes to experience your breath will give you a little bit of space from the whirling thoughts in your head, and allow your body to start to settle. You can check in with your breathing once or many times a day to create little pockets of calm. You can also join a meditation class or search for an App that help develop this skill.
Keeping things simple around the holiday season can make more room for reflection and sharing the spirit of gratitude and love.