I am a psychologist who is also a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, which means I have completed a 3-year long certification program in Somatic Experiencing® (SE) in addition to obtaining my doctorate degree in psychology. I also continue to assist SE trainings to further deepen my knowledge and stay current in my practice. I am able to integrate SE in my clients' therapy sessions if that is something they want and their concerns indicate that SE would likely be a helpful modality for their treatment. 

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SE is a trauma treatment approach based on research of the human (mammalian) nervous system and how our nervous system negotiates potentially traumatic events. Most of the time, in a traumatic event, the nervous system begins to make decisions for us, which is to say, it operates at a level below conscious thought. The goal is to keep us alive and as safe as possible. And, well, if we are still here, then it worked! However, depending on the nature of the trauma or trauma response, we may be left with a dysregulated nervous system. Remember, our brain's primary concern is survival, not happiness.

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When the nervous system is dysregulated, it becomes unbalanced and begins responding in inappropriate ways to the present moment (such as our body acting like we're being chased by a lion when we're just sitting at home on a regular old Tuesday). When our nervous system gets out of sync like this, our capacity to deal with big - or even little - stressors in everyday life diminishes. This effect can show up in our lived experience in various ways, such as: "Man, I just can't ever seem to feel rested; I wake up still tired and drag myself through the day" or "I'm so jumpy; every unexpected sound makes me startle" or "I don't feel like being around people like I used to; I just wish I could go in a cave" or "Ever since that [traumatic thing] happened, I just don't feel like myself and I get sick more often (or I've developed a chronic condition)" or "I feel like I'm stuck [or shut down/can't function the way I used to]" and the examples could go on...

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Somatic Experiencing® aims to help the entire nervous system become more regulated, coherent, and balanced. From a more regulated state, the body and mind have more access to internal and external resources that promote physical and mental health. From a more regulated state, there is more capacity to handle the kinds of unpredictable events that we will inevitably encounter throughout life. When we are traumatized, we are alive, yes, but we are not able to fully live. SE provides a beautiful roadmap for us to find our way back to our full humanity and vitality - to help us get "unstuck" from our trauma, and live as rich and rewarding of a life as possible.

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To learn more about SE, click here.