Somatic Experiencing Can Help Release Past Trauma, Here's How

When you live through a traumatic experience, you may not be able to fully let go of what happened or feel like you can move on with your life. A range of symptoms still plague you. You may struggle with insomnia or night terrors, deal with headaches and stomach aches on a daily basis, or avoid certain situations because they remind you of your trauma and trigger you.

Sometimes, talk therapy alone isn’t enough to help people heal from trauma or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. That’s because your body stores the effects of trauma and holds on to these memories. Somatic experiencing therapy could be the right fit for you. Here’s how it works, and how it can help.

How Does Trauma Become “Trapped?”

Why does your body “store” trauma? When you’re faced with a traumatic situation, you might freeze up as a protective mechanism, but have “fight-or-flight” energy underneath the “freeze”. But if you never use this pent-up energy, your body doesn’t just let go of it. Instead, it remains trapped in your body, and you end up going through your day-to-day routines in survival mode. Your cortisol levels are raised, so you can never truly relax, and your blood sugar and blood pressure are elevated, which weakens your immune system.

Symptoms Of Trapped Trauma

When trauma is trapped in your body, you begin experiencing negative symptoms that affect your emotional and physical health. You might find yourself getting sick more often, dealing with physical aches and pains, struggling with digestive problems, and/or insomnia. Furthermore, you may experience symptoms of depression or high levels of anxiety. If you’ve developed PTSD, you might have triggers that hold you back in everyday life, and the stress of encountering these triggers can drive you away from activities you used to love.

Negative Beliefs Exacerbating Symptoms

If you’ve experienced trauma, and your body is still holding on to the memory of what happened, you might be ruminating on negative thoughts that only worsen your symptoms. And if you’ve been feeling better recently, but face another intensely stressful situation, your symptoms might flare up again, leaving you right back where you started. This is another issue that Somatic Experiencing® can help you address.

What Is Somatic Experiencing®?

Somatic experiencing® is a form of therapy that emphasizes the mind-body connection and how it is affected by trauma. Through body awareness and a range of physical or imagination techniques, you can gradually reduce the severity of your symptoms with the guidance of a therapist.

Some people who have lived through trauma are also hesitant to delve into the details of their experiences with a therapist. Somatic experiencing does not require you to dive deep into your traumatic memories in conversation. Instead, you’ll reflect internally on sensations and may use some guided imagination exercises to help alleviate your symptoms. Your body will be the guide to allow you to heal from the inside-out.

Somatic Experiencing® Techniques

What sorts of techniques are used in Somatic Experiencing® therapy? Your therapist will help you identify the specific sensations you experience when you think about your trauma. Then, they will work with you on “resourcing”. This means drawing on your positive memories and personal strengths when you feel distressed to bring you back to a state of inner calm.

Next, you’ll start focusing on “titration”, which has to do with pacing to avoid overwhelm. Your therapist will support you as you slowly revisit your traumatic memories and identify the related sensations. If you start to become distressed, your therapist will walk you through “pendulation” to help you move to a more resourced state, and use breathing and relaxation methods to help you return to equilibrium. We can also use imagination exercises to help to re-pattern the experience in your mind and body.

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Are you struggling to let go of past trauma? Working with a Somatic Experiencing therapist can help. Reach out to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.