Somatic Experiencing is a therapeutic approach that focuses on resolving the nervous system (ANS) and psychological impacts of trauma.

Your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) helps maintain the body's homeostasis. It's what allows you to feel calm, connected, anxious, enraged, scared, shutdown, or numb.

It manages your survival responses that are always present in trauma - Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn, operating underneath your conscious awareness and without your direct control.

• It's what allows you to relax into the arms of your partner

• react quickly when a car suddenly cuts you off on the freeway

• brings energy and tension into your body during a conflict

• manages your digestive system, heart rate, and breathing patterns

Your past & trauma leaves behind a trace in your nervous system. There's memories that you can't see in your mind, but can feel in your body as sensations, feelings, and emotions - implicit memory.

They profoundly affect your body, thoughts, and actions today, by what they predict is going to happen, rather than what is actually happening

• Your life situation may be different now, but your nervous system is working off of previous experiences, including trauma. This can create a mismatch between how you feel inside and what your current life situation is.

• Your memories create a distorted lens of what you think is going to happen based off your past. All of this happens without your choice or control...and all of this affects the way you feel, think, and act. This can be very confusing because you might know things are okay, but still feel like something bad is going to happen.

There is clear evidence that symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions are actually autonomic nervous system responses. To heal the wounds left in your nervous system, you need a technique that works with the nervous system.

Trauma is any overwhelming experience that doesn’t allow your body to return to homeostasis. This includes singular events and/or a continuous stream of stress in your environment, especially during your childhood.

Trauma is more common than you think…over 70% of the population has experienced at least one traumatic event in their life. You’re not alone.

• neglect, emotional abuse, or physical abuse

• raised in a stressful or anxious home

• a sudden loss

• car accidents

• witnessing or experiencing violence

• sexual assault or violations

• medical procedures

• any many more...

Trauma is usually the underlying cause for

• panic attacks

• depression

• feeling unsafe when “nothing is wrong”

• feeling you’re “too much” or “never enough”

• feeling “on edge” or “shutdown”

• functional, yet disconnected or numb

• it can even impact your health (autoimmune disorders, digestion issues, insomnia, restless leg, and many more…)

Trauma can get in the way of...

• connecting with your partner

• focusing at work

• sleeping at night

• caring for yourself