Somatic Experiencing–SE

Price

Sessions

90 EUR per session of 60 minutes.

Cancellation policy

It is always possible that you need to cancel a session, which is not a problem in itself, but we kindly request that you do so at least 24 hours in advance. If you cancel later, I will ask for a 50% cancellation fee based on the session price. If you do not cancel, the full amount will be charged.

Practice addresses

Friday and Saturday

Rue Mareyde 35, 1150 Woluwe-St-Pierre/ Bruxelles

Monday to Thursday

Koninklijkelaan 26, 2600 Antwerpen-Berchem

What it is?

It is a naturalistic way for healing trauma and it has been based on more than 40 years of scientific research and experience by Dr. Peter Levine. Somatic Experiencing offers a safe, gradual way to help trauma survivors develop their own ability to eliminate the excess energy caused by overwhelming events. It focuses on the bodily experiences for emotional healing and the resolution of trauma.

How does it work?

With the comprehension that animals in the wild trough the constant stress by threat of predators are rarely traumatized. These animals as he noted, had internal mechanisms that permit them the release of high amounts of energy after they have been chased, injured or nearly killed and then return to a normal state of safety. Dr.Levine concluded in their investigations that the same regulatory processes exists within human animals. Somatic Experiencing© is a system of techniques that support the inherent capacity of health that is inbuilt in our body.

This approach uses education about and awareness of your bodily experiences as a primary tool.

In Somatic Experiencing© less means more. Tiny sensations to access the lower structures of the brain.

What is trauma?

We can say that although humans have the same instinctive self regulating mechanisms as animals, we often block those healing processes out of overwhelming emotions like embarrassment or shame, decreasing our capacity to be in balance and heal. When we fail to discharge the high levels of arousal associated with survival those massive energies stay trapped in our neuromuscular and autonomous nervous system and affect our bodies and minds. So, trauma is all this trapped and disorganized energy. When not discharged it develops into a whole constellation of post-traumatic symptoms including pain, anxiety, anger, depression, intrusive thoughts, and it avoids we can live with fullness and totality in the here and now.

What does a session look like?

The setting for a Somatic Experiencing session would look like traditional talk therapy, sitting in two coaches or chairs and maybe with tea and there’s where the similarity begins and ends. Because during a SE session the conversation goes about inviting you to engage in your body awareness, in body sensations to discover innate – self regulation and healing. At times and even agreed upon by you and me, the practitioner, touch may be used to guide, to support and to contain the experiences and emotions that you may have.

SE is experienced as your own journey of healing/ rather than “someone else healing you”.

Who would benefit from Somatic Experiencing?

Se can basically benefit anyone who has experienced something overwhelming. This can include but is not limited to the following examples:

Long term diseases, migraines, burn-out, IB syndromes, chronic pain
The abrupt loss of a dear one
Events of drawning, suffocation,
Long periods of immobility due to injuring and concuscions.
Events of shock (with a begin and end in time).
Injuries due to accidents, falls, motor vehicle accidents
Major overwhelming life changes. Pre and perinatal trauma.
Preparations and recovery from surgical procedures
War traumas and experiences of natural disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, fires.

Learn to Regulate your Nervous System

When your nervous system is regulated your capacity to relate is easier, you can feel alert and yet relaxed at the same time. Feel patience and in connection with your creativity, your intelligence, your love for life.Your nervous system regulation helps others to feel at ease.

Eliminate or significantly reduce the symptoms of trauma.
Improve sleep, digestion and concentration
Decrease frequency and intensity of nightmares and flashbacks
Decrease anxiety, angry outbursts and depression
Decrease need to feel on constant guard or hyper vigilant.
Decrease muscle tension.
Increase of energy.

In general, SE is a powerful antidote to those dealing with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

SE would probably not benefit those with severe psychotic or major personality disorders. If you are currently seeing another therapist to address other concerns and wish to include SE into your healing process, discuss this wish with your therapist. SE can be used together with other approaches as a complementary modality.

Learn actively to know your Window of Tolerance

Your Window of tolerance is a zone in your nervous system. When you are in it, you feel your boundaries and you are able to cope with the punches that life throws at you.

When you are in a zone of dysregulation, you can be with that… it feels difficult. There you don’t feel out of control, but you don’t feel comfortable.

When you are in an hyper-arousal or hypo-arousal zone, you might feel easily overwhelmed. You have limited choices because the survival responses in your body take over and you feel out of control.

During sessions, we will use resources and activating states . We might discharge remaining energy in the body. So, you are learning to be back in your window of tolerance.

Peter Levine

Peter A. Levine, PhD (born 19 February 1942) is an American therapist, author and educator who specializes in the treatment and understanding of chronic stress and tonic immobility, more commonly known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD).

Dr. Levine is the developer of Somatic Experiencing® (a body awareness approach to the treatment of trauma) and founder of the non-profit educational and research organization dedicated to the worldwide healing and prevention of trauma, The Somatic Experiencing Training Institute (formerly known as The Foundation for Human Enrichment).

He is also an author of numerous books about trauma and post traumatic stress disorder, including In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness and the New York Times Best Seller Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.

Dr. Levine holds doctorates in both medical biophysics and psychology.

He was a stress consultant for NASA on the development of the Space Shuttle program and was a member of the Institute of World Affairs Task Force of Psychologists for Social Responsibility in developing responses to large-scale disasters and ethno-political warfare. Levine’s original contribution to the field of Body Psychotherapy was honored in 2010 when he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP).