Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body‐focused therapy used for treating people suffering from PTSD that integrates body awareness into the psychotherapeutic process, taking a unique approach not used by other PTSD treatment methods. The focus of the therapy is on creating awareness of inner physical sensations, which are seen as the carriers of the traumatic memory. In the theory behind SE (Levine, 2010), posttraumatic stress symptoms are considered an expression of stress activation and an incomplete defensive reaction to a traumatic event. From this theoretical perspective, the goal of the therapy is to release the traumatic activation through an increased tolerance of bodily sensations and related emotions, inviting a discharge process to let the activation dissipate. SE differs from exposure therapy methods used for treating PTSD in that it does not require extensive nor full retelling of the traumatic events. It does require the client to engage with traumatic memories that cause high arousal. The client learns to monitor the arousal and downregulate it in an early phase by using body awareness, and applying self‐regulatory mechanisms like engagement in pleasant sensations, positive memories, or other experiences that help regulate arousal. The therapeutic goal is to decrease the distress and symptoms caused by the posttraumatic arousal and restore healthy functioning in daily life (Levine, 2010; Payne, Levine, & Crane‐Godreau, 2015).
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858.480.5310
emilyhuntermft@gmail.com
858.480.5310
emilyhuntermft@gmail.com
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