Somatic Experiencing (SE)
You can be in a room full of people you love, know you’re safe, and still feel your chest tighten. You might brace for something to happen, feel the urge to leave or go quiet and feel far away.
Sometimes this is what we mean when we say the body remembers. An experience can shape how your body responds today, even when you can’t put your finger on what set it off [6].
What is it?
01Developed by Dr Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to working with trauma and chronic stress. A practitioner might invite you to notice where you’re holding tension, how your breath changes or whether there’s somewhere in your body that feels a little steadier. You explore what feels difficult in small steps, with room to pause whenever you need to.
Talking can help you make sense of what happened. Somatic work gives you another way in, especially when you’ve told the story many times and your body still reacts as though the danger is close.
When you slow down and turn your attention inward, a familiar memory might come back with a detail you’d forgotten. An image, a feeling or a moment from an earlier time in your life might come to mind unexpectedly. Sometimes all you notice is a tight chest or a shift in your breathing. Whatever comes up, you can work with how it feels in the present. A vivid image or strong sensation on its own can’t tell you exactly what happened [7].
What may it help with?
02People often explore SE when they feel on edge, frozen, numb or disconnected, or when talking through what happened feels overwhelming. It can give you space to notice how stress shows up in your body and explore what helps you feel steadier.
Early studies suggest SE may help ease some symptoms of post-traumatic stress [1]. The research is still limited, particularly for complex PTSD and dissociation.
For other body-based approaches, including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Hakomi, explore Somatic Therapy in Therapy + Psychology.
How does it work?
03SE is built on a simple idea. When something overwhelming happens, your body gears up to protect you: to fight, to run or to freeze. If that response can’t run its course, SE suggests it can stay held in the nervous system, leaving you on high alert, or shut down, long after the danger has passed.
SE works with a few key ideas [5]:
- Resourcing. Finding what helps you feel safe, steady or strong. A calming memory, a supportive person, the weight of your feet on the floor, or a part of your body that feels okay.
- Titration. Touching on difficult sensations or memories in small, manageable amounts, rather than all at once.
- Pendulation. Gently moving your attention between something difficult and something settled, so your body learns it can come back.
- Completion. Making room for the body to finish what it couldn’t at the time. This may show up as trembling, a deep breath, warmth or a wave of tiredness.
None of this needs to be forced. You don’t have to shake or cry for it to be working. Sometimes the shift is as quiet as a longer breath.
When researchers asked practitioners and clients what makes SE different, two things stood out: building resources, and touch, either gentle supportive touch from the practitioner or your own hand on your body [1]. Touch is always your choice.
The description of how SE works above comes from a paper by Peter Levine and two SE practitioners. Two of the three authors declared income from SE [5]. How and why SE helps is still being researched.
“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”
Dr Peter A. Levine
What does the evidence say?
04SE is used by therapists around the world, and interest in it keeps growing. The research is still early, but some of it is encouraging.
The first randomised controlled trial of SE included 63 adults with PTSD. Those who had 15 weekly sessions had greater reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms than people on a waiting list, and the improvements held at follow-up [2].
A 2021 review brought together 16 studies, only two of them randomised controlled trials. It found early signs that SE may ease post-traumatic stress, with possible benefits for mood, physical symptoms and wellbeing. The authors described the quality of the studies as mixed, and called for more rigorous research [1].
Two Danish trials looked at people living with both back pain and trauma symptoms. In the first, adding SE to exercise therapy reduced PTSD symptoms and fear of movement more than exercise alone [3]. In the second, larger trial, adding SE to physiotherapy didn’t lead to extra improvement. Both groups improved [4].
What does a session look like?
05SE sessions are usually one-on-one, in person or online, and often last about an hour.
Your practitioner will usually begin by helping you feel settled and finding what helps you feel steady. From there, they may invite you to notice what’s happening in your body as you touch lightly on something difficult, then come back to something that feels okay.
You might notice warmth, tingling, trembling, a sigh, tears or a deeper breath. You might notice very little at first. Both are normal. Many of us learnt to switch off from our bodies to get through hard times, so feeling more can take time.
The pace is slow on purpose. You won’t be pushed to relive what happened, and you can keep your eyes open, pause or change direction at any point.
Some practitioners use gentle touch, such as a hand on your shoulder or upper back, but only with your clear permission. You can say no, or change your mind, at any time.
In the trials above, people had between 6 and 15 sessions.
Finding the right person
SE training matters. So does how you feel in the room. If your body doesn’t feel safe with a practitioner, that’s important information, and you’re allowed to look for someone else.
Something to try
Wherever you are, notice where your body is supported: your back against the chair, your feet on the floor. Let your eyes slowly take in the room. Then ask yourself, “Where in my body feels okay right now?” It might be your hands, your feet or simply your breath. Stay with that spot for a few breaths.
This is a small taste of resourcing, the place SE begins.
Going further
Waking the Tiger by Dr Peter Levine introduces the ideas behind SE, and why he believes the body holds the key to moving through trauma.
Risks and considerations
06SE is a gentle approach, but working with the body can still stir things up.
Strong feelings can surface. A skilled practitioner keeps the pace slow and helps you settle before you leave.
Touch is always your choice. You can decline, or change your mind, at any point.
Check SE training. SE practitioners complete a training program of around three years, run through Somatic Experiencing International and its training partners. It’s a professional credential, not a government registration.
Questions to ask a practitioner
07- Are you a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP)? What other qualifications do you hold?
- What do you do if someone becomes overwhelmed or shuts down in a session?
- How do you help someone who feels very little in their body at first?
Founder’s Insight
“Closing my eyes and letting my body do the talking has been one of the most valuable things I’ve done in therapy.”
I spent years in talk therapy and often felt like I was going over the same ground. I could analyse just about anything in my head. The real work, for me, began when I quietened my mind and paid attention to what I was feeling in my body.
It was uncomfortable then, and it still is. I’d feel this urge to want to run. Learning to sit with that urge, even for a few seconds, helped me get curious about what was underneath it. Sometimes there was a memory. Other times there was no thought attached. Just a feeling I’d sit with long enough to find a name for. Other times, I’d think of moments I hadn’t thought about in years. In all my years of talking, those moments had never come up. It felt like my body was still carrying some of what I’d needed to acknowledge, process and let go of.
I’d spent years asking my mind for answers. I had no idea how much my body had to say.
Founder, The Mental Wealth Hub
You’ve read about it. Now what can you actually do?
You don’t need to have the perfect plan. Choose the next step that feels most useful for where you are right now.
Always speak with a qualified health professional before starting something new. If you are struggling right now, find immediate support.
Want to keep exploring?
Recommended articles, books, podcasts and lived experiences related to this topic.
Explore the LibraryRelated Tools
This is educational information. It is not a recommendation that this approach is right for you. Always speak with a qualified health professional.
