Your body has been trying to finish something your mind has been trying to forget.
Stress, trauma, and entrenched patterns don't just live in memory. They live in the body — in muscle tension, automatic reactions, the way your nervous system braces before you've consciously registered a threat.
Somatic Experiencing works with that layer directly. Not by talking about what happened, but by helping your nervous system complete what it couldn't finish at the time.
Developed by Dr. Peter Levine — built on how the body naturally heals from threat.
Somatic Experiencing was developed by Dr. Peter Levine after decades of studying how animals in the wild recover from life-threatening experiences — and why humans often don't. His observation was simple and profound: the body is designed to discharge stress and restore balance after threat. But that process frequently gets interrupted — by the pace of modern life, by the pressure to function, by the need to push through rather than process.
When that happens the nervous system stays stuck in a state of activation — anxiety that won't quit, reactivity that surprises even you, numbness or disconnection that no amount of understanding seems to shift.
Somatic Experiencing helps the body complete those unfinished responses. Not by revisiting the past in detail, but by working slowly and carefully with what's happening in the body in the present moment — sensations, tension, movement, breath — until the nervous system can finally settle.
What is Somatic Experiencing Actually Is
What Happens in Session
Sessions are quieter than most therapy. More internal. Often surprisingly effective.
In a Somatic Experiencing session we slow down significantly. I'll guide your attention to physical sensations — warmth, tension, movement, breath — moment by moment, without rushing toward insight or resolution.
This can feel unfamiliar at first, particularly for men who are used to solving problems by thinking harder. The work asks something different — a willingness to notice what's happening in the body rather than analyze what's happening in the mind.
Over time small shifts accumulate. Tension that was chronic begins to ease. Reactivity that felt automatic starts to have a pause before it. Urges and patterns that felt overwhelming become more manageable — not because you've understood them better, but because your nervous system is no longer running in the overdrive that made them feel inevitable.
What Can You Address with Somatic Experiencing?
SE is particularly effective for what chronic stress and unprocessed experience leave behind.
Trauma and experiences from the past that still affect your present reactions and relationships. Compulsive patterns and urges driven by nervous system dysregulation rather than conscious choice. Chronic stress and burnout that haven't responded to rest, exercise, or lifestyle changes. Anxiety and reactivity that feel disproportionate to the current situation. Numbness, disconnection, or a persistent sense of going through the motions.
If your nervous system has been running in overdrive for long enough that it no longer knows how to fully settle — Somatic Experiencing addresses that directly.
How SE and Brainspotting Work Together
In my practice these two approaches complement each other naturally.
Brainspotting and Somatic Experiencing share the same foundational understanding — that lasting change requires working with the nervous system, not just the thinking mind. In practice they operate differently and access different layers of experience.
Brainspotting uses specific eye positions to locate and process stored experiences with precision. Somatic Experiencing works more broadly with the body's activation patterns, building the nervous system's capacity to regulate over time.
Many clients benefit from both approaches within the same course of treatment. Which we use — and when — is something we determine together based on what you're working through and how your system responds.
FAQ
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es. A growing body of research supports SE's effectiveness for trauma, PTSD, and stress-related conditions. It is recognized as an evidence-informed approach by trauma researchers and clinicians internationally. Dr. Levine's foundational work — particularly his book Waking the Tiger — remains one of the most widely cited texts in somatic trauma treatment.
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Traditional talk therapy works primarily through insight and cognitive understanding. Somatic Experiencing works through the body — tracking physical sensations and nervous system responses rather than narratives and explanations. For many men who have already understood their problems thoroughly without changing them, SE provides access to a different level of the issue entirely.
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Both are body-based, nervous system-focused approaches. I use both in my practice and often integrate them depending on what a client needs. If you're unsure which approach is right for you that's a good thing to discuss in our initial consultation.
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Yes — and it adapts well to the telehealth format. Many clients find working from their own environment actually supports the sense of safety the work requires.
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Yes. Extended sessions allow for deeper work than a standard 50-minute session can reach. Learn more on the Intensives page.
If your nervous system has been running the show — let’s work with it directly.
Reach out today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation. We'll talk through what you're dealing with and whether Somatic Experiencing — alone or alongside Brainspotting — is the right fit.