Somatic Experiencing® + Coaching Sessions

WHAT CAN I EXPECT IN A Somatic COACHING SESSION?

Coaching is trauma informed, body-based, and we work with the nervous system. Sessions include a combination of Somatic Experiencing®, motivational interviewing, and coaching theory.

The structure of each session

During sessions, I facilitate somatic, emotional, and spiritual exploration in a way that resources and empowers the individual. Depending on the client’s needs and interests, I integrate elements of ritual, touch work, sound, breath, and gentle movement.

The structure of each session differs widely depending on the clients goals and needs. The client typically comes to the session with something they want to work on, an idea of what they want out of somatic work, or how they hope somatic work might support them. While we explore content we also mindfully track the nervous system which includes tracking bodily sensations, images, emotions, movement, and thoughts.

Somatic Processing

Somatic processing may also include renegotiation of past traumatic events by slowing down the experience/the story and allowing your body to process events in the present moment.

Whatever comes up will be integrated into the session and we make sure to stay within the client’s window of tolerance to build capacity, as well as allowing space for integration.

therapeutic Touch Work

I am trained in Somatic Experiencing® therapeutic touch work and may provide touch work in sessions, if the participant is interested. Therapeutic touch work is always optional and we will discuss together in session if therapeutic touch is appropriate for facilitating your exploration. Using therapeutic touch does not necessarily make the session more effective than somatic work alone. Touch is not intended to manipulate tissue, is non-sexual, and is only used when necessary for the support of awareness.

What is the Somatic Experiencing® method?

Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a naturalistic approach used to enhance regulation in the nervous system and support the resolution of trauma developed by Dr. Peter Levine. The word trauma in this sense covers a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms that result from the effect of acute and/or accumulated stress on human physiology.

SE is partially based upon the observation that wild prey animals, though routinely threatened, are rarely traumatized. Animals in the wild utilize innate mechanisms to regulate and discharge the high levels of energy associated with self-protective survival behaviors. These mechanisms provide animals with built-in resilience that enables them to return to healthy functioning in the aftermath of highly charged, distressing, or life-threatening experiences.

These built-in responses are often inhibited in humans by other humans, social and cultural conditioning, and/or our inability to find safe enough conditions that we can fully move through them. SE supports individuals in completing fight, flight, and freeze response patterns that remain in the physiology after stressful or traumatic experiences or conditions.

The completion of these survival patterns can bring a greater capacity for self-regulation, as well as an increased sense of social engagement, well-being, and integration. Even though SE primarily targets issues of trauma, it is also seen as an effective way of supporting individuals interested in expanding their ability to authentically be in the world. People often report feelings of greater ease physically, psychologically, relationally, and spiritually.

• SE employs awareness of the body and the body’s “voice” to help people “renegotiate” rather than relive or re-enact traumatic experiences in their efforts to heal.

• SE approaches allow highly charged survival energies to be safely experienced and gradually discharged.

• SE “titrates” experience (breaks down into small, incremental steps), rather than evoking catharsis – which can overwhelm the regulatory mechanisms of the organism.

• SE may employ (with the client’s consent) coregulatory touch work (not massage) in support of the renegotiation process.