Somatic Experiencing®

Somatic Experiencing® - Developed by Dr. Peter Levine

WHAT IS IT?

SE is a gentle approach to resolve the distressing aftermath of trauma, or high stress.

It works by supporting you to find balance and flexibility in the nervous system

-instead of being stuck in states of Fight or Flight (or Freeze)

SE supports your own capacity to ease

back into a baseline that is calm, connected,

and clear,

with a sense of energy and participation in your own life.

It's empowering!

Often clients want to try Somatic Experiencing® when other therapy did not work.

This therapy isn't dependent on your physical abilities or shape,

It's not anything like getting an adjustment or doing yoga.

Although we talk about how you're thinking about the problems,

we know that thinking alone doesn't change the problems. You learn a gentle way to notice your body reactions

to emotions and thoughts;

and practices that support more ease and sense of empowerment in your life.

Trauma -= Having experiences that were too much, too soon, too fast, or not enough for too long.

The result is an out of rhythm body,

as it gets stuck in responses of fight/flight/freeze,

that at one time helped you survive.

Complex PTSD or Developmental Trauma = (Generally) Experiencing trauma during childhood,

when the brain and our relationship patterns are developing.

"While trauma is a fact of life, it does not have to be a life sentence." - Dr. Peter Levine

This truth is a guiding principal of Somatic Experiencing®.

Reach out;

I'd love to hear from you,

Victoria

Somatic Experiencing® is offered by Victoria Ford, LMFT , SEP

Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

Contact Victoria

Cultivate resiliency and regulation

We can get stuck in patterns of tension and high stress, or disconnection and numbness, or we might be moving back and forth.

Somatic Experiencing helps the body to naturally reshape these patterns and feel restored, settled and balanced.

Somatic Experiencing® supports a sense of overall wellness, peace, and aliveness.

What symptoms do you treat?

Chronic Stress

History of Trauma -Psychological, Physical or Sexual

Medical trauma or Chronic Illness

Preparation for medical procedure

Birth trauma (your own or in giving birth)

Falls

Chronic Pain or Chronic Illness

Find out more general information here:

Link here to learn more about what is Somatic Experiencing®.

Contact Victoria Ford for scheduling.

Research article links for SE and PTSD

SE Session

What is a Somatic Experiencing® Session like?

There is nothing like having the experience, so a consultation is probably the best way to find out how this might look for you.

Of course this will depend on your situation and goal for your sessions.

At the beginning, SE will feel like familiar "talk therapy" where you might share about your current concerns and situation, what you'd like to be different, and what links you might be connecting in your own life.

I'll teach some about the nervous system so that we have a common language and understanding of why it's relevant, and how this will help.

We will be curious about how you might be experiencing your emotions or thoughts in your body, such as tension, tight muscles, or a pleasant experience like breathing easily and feeling a sense of warmth in your face or chest. You may have no idea and feel nothing...and that is ok and not unusual.

You can't do this wrong!

We are supporting your nervous system to have some flow and flexibility, versus feeling "stuck" in states that feel rigid and tense, or kind of numb.

In session that will look like pauses to slow down experiences so you can move through and integrate a new experience, while you're observing and curious, and supported by your therapist.

You learn some methods we practice in session, and learn to use them more on your own. This is a gentle therapy.

I found it to be so freeing and gentle, and it's changed my life! I continue my own personal sessions to stay healthy - for you and for me.

Warmly,

Victoria

Reach out for scheduling