Somatic Experiencing® – a brief overview

Somatic Experiencing® (SE®) is a body-oriented foundational concept for treating people who are impacted by shock or developmental trauma and/or suffer from chronic stress. SE® does not focus primarily on cognitive recall, but rather on how stress and trauma are stored in the nervous system. With the help of SE®, clients learn to regulate their nervous system, strengthen resilience, and regain trust in their own perceptions and abilities to lead active lives again.

SE® was developed by American biophysicist and psychologist Dr. Peter A. Levine. His findings are based on the observation that animals in the wild are rarely, if ever, traumatized despite constant life-threatening danger, because they instinctively physically "shake off" or discharge the state of shock (such as the freeze response). In the 1970s, Dr. Levine began systematically structuring his method during his time in Berkeley, CA. Later, the organizational center shifted to Boulder, CO. 

Today, Somatic Experiencing® is a globally recognized and widely used method for trauma and stress management. There are tens of thousands of practitioners and official training institutes around the world. The modality is utilized by a wide range of professionals, including psychotherapists, physicians, physiotherapists, educators, and coaches. Since the 2000s, SE® has gained significant prominence in German-speaking countries. Detailed information about the German association can be found here: https://www.somatic-experiencing.de/