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.

Entwickelt wurde Somatic Experiencing® von dem US-amerikanischen Biophysiker und Psychologen Dr. Peter A. Levine. Seine Erkenntnisse basieren auf der Beobachtung, dass Tiere in freier Wildbahn trotz ständiger Lebensgefahr eigentlich nie traumatisiert werden, da sie instinktiv den Schockzustand (wie z. B. die Schockstarre) körperlich „abschütteln“ oder entladen. 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/