Somatic Experiencing
a Body-Focused approach for Healing Trauma
Welcome to this alternative approach for treating trauma.
Somatic Experiencing works primarily with body sensations. In situations of trauma, talk therapy is often not enough and needs to be complimented with body awareness, which is what this method is all about. We cannot ‘think’ or ‘understand’ our way out of a body response; we have to feel it. And because these responses are coming out of scary, triggering or painful situations, we have our reasons to not feel it, but this only causes it to get stuck. By tuning in to the body’s wisdom with an open heart and non-judgemental mind, we offer a safe space for healing to happen.
The guiding principle of the Somatic Experiencing method is that trauma is not caused by the events that happen to us but by our body's natural defensive responses which have been triggered but have not been adequately supported towards completion.
When danger is perceived, the body's natural self-defense responses are Fight, Flight and Freeze.
If the danger is overwhelming, these responses affect the entire body. They are a full-body response.
Animals in the wild are always facing life-or-death situations, but they never get traumatized. This is because they release all the energy of the defensive response when the threat is over and they go back to a relaxed stated. A deer can be grazing peacefully on some leaves just moments after running for its life from an attacking lion.
For us humans, on the other hand, our body's natural defensive responses do not always get fully expressed and we miss the return to homeostatis. Strong survival responses remain stuck inside us, and often from a very young age.
Somatic Experiencing works primarily with body sensations. In situations of trauma, talk therapy is often not enough and needs to be complimented with body awareness, which is what this method is all about. We cannot ‘think’ or ‘understand’ our way out of a body response; we have to feel it. And because these responses are coming out of scary, triggering or painful situations, we have our reasons to not feel it, but this only causes it to get stuck. By tuning in to the body’s wisdom with an open heart and non-judgemental mind, we offer a safe space for healing to happen.
The guiding principle of the Somatic Experiencing method is that trauma is not caused by the events that happen to us but by our body's natural defensive responses which have been triggered but have not been adequately supported towards completion.
When danger is perceived, the body's natural self-defense responses are Fight, Flight and Freeze.
If the danger is overwhelming, these responses affect the entire body. They are a full-body response.
Animals in the wild are always facing life-or-death situations, but they never get traumatized. This is because they release all the energy of the defensive response when the threat is over and they go back to a relaxed stated. A deer can be grazing peacefully on some leaves just moments after running for its life from an attacking lion.
For us humans, on the other hand, our body's natural defensive responses do not always get fully expressed and we miss the return to homeostatis. Strong survival responses remain stuck inside us, and often from a very young age.
Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the event itself. They arise when the energy, mobilized to meet an extreme or life-threatening event, is not fully discharged and integrated. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds."
Dr. Peter Levine, award-winning body-based psychotherapist and founder of Somatic Experiencing practice, author of In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, 2010.
There are many reasons our responses get inhibited or incompleted. Often it is because they are overwhelming and there is no sense of sufficient support to handle them. The repression is done subconsciously, yet the symptoms are there. It is not uncommon for symptoms to appear long after the traumatic incident(s) and they seem to be without apparent cause. The charge of an incomplete survival response causes disruptions and imbalances in the body's various systems.
Post-Traumatic Stress can be physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual. Common symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, flashbacks, panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness, feeling disconnected.
Somatic Experiencing is a gentle, careful and natural approach to treating the symptoms of trauma. By understanding how the autonomic nervous system works and by creating the space and support to allow an experience of safety, body sensations can be observed and traces of Fight, Flight & Freeze can be felt. Sessions are slow and gentle so that experiences are manageable to digest and the survival energy is gradually released. All of this done with very little words, it is happening at a cellular level. The language we work in is the language of perception and sensation.
Post-Traumatic Stress can be physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual. Common symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, flashbacks, panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness, feeling disconnected.
Somatic Experiencing is a gentle, careful and natural approach to treating the symptoms of trauma. By understanding how the autonomic nervous system works and by creating the space and support to allow an experience of safety, body sensations can be observed and traces of Fight, Flight & Freeze can be felt. Sessions are slow and gentle so that experiences are manageable to digest and the survival energy is gradually released. All of this done with very little words, it is happening at a cellular level. The language we work in is the language of perception and sensation.
Self-empowerment and self-acceptance means being at home in our own body.
Coming to terms with the history our bodies carry is a journey. It can be a long one, an initiation into self-compassion and self-discovery. Working on healing trauma is not just for ourselves, but for the everyone else in the world too. We expand our capacities for being more fully human.
How to get started
I offer a free 20-minute consultation prior to beginning any sessions with a new client.
In sessions, the purpose is to orient to an environment of comfort and safety. I will guide you to help you connect with your body's experience. My guidance will often be about slowing down and sensing. This may feel unusual at first, but it becomes more familiar with time. There will not be any analysis involved; only experience and observation.
Most people may find this unusual at first. Are usual way of communicating is by talking and analyzing and storytelling. In a Somatic Experiencing session, however, we need to shift from being in our head to being in body. This is because survival responses happen at a bodily-level and they need to be felt in order to be released. Talking about them is not the same as feeling them. And because traumatic memories tend to be intense and confusing, it is important to slow down the process of feeling them, allowing clarity to gradually emerge.
By slowing down and being grounded together, the body's experience can unfold without harm.
Session by session, things start to emerge and transformation begins to happen.
In sessions, the purpose is to orient to an environment of comfort and safety. I will guide you to help you connect with your body's experience. My guidance will often be about slowing down and sensing. This may feel unusual at first, but it becomes more familiar with time. There will not be any analysis involved; only experience and observation.
Most people may find this unusual at first. Are usual way of communicating is by talking and analyzing and storytelling. In a Somatic Experiencing session, however, we need to shift from being in our head to being in body. This is because survival responses happen at a bodily-level and they need to be felt in order to be released. Talking about them is not the same as feeling them. And because traumatic memories tend to be intense and confusing, it is important to slow down the process of feeling them, allowing clarity to gradually emerge.
By slowing down and being grounded together, the body's experience can unfold without harm.
Session by session, things start to emerge and transformation begins to happen.
Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure..." - Rumi
Fees & Consultations
Sessions are $70 and the duration is 50 mins.
For package rates, I offer 4 sessions for $260.
Sessions can be held in person or online.
A free 20-minute consultation is available for first-timers.
For package rates, I offer 4 sessions for $260.
Sessions can be held in person or online.
A free 20-minute consultation is available for first-timers.
Cancelation Policies
Cancellation without charge is permitted up to 48hours of session.
Half charge is due for cancellations 24hours before the session.
Full charge is due for cancellations on the day of the session.
Half charge is due for cancellations 24hours before the session.
Full charge is due for cancellations on the day of the session.
Concessions & Financial Support
As we are living unprecedented times of economic uncertainty and loss, I believe we need to get creative and adaptive in supporting each other. To that effect, I offer a package of 4 sessions for people requiring financial support, where the fee of the session is determined by you in accordance with your capacities.
If you would like to apply, click here for the Arabic application form and here for the English.
The same Cancelation Policies as above apply.
If you would like to apply, click here for the Arabic application form and here for the English.
The same Cancelation Policies as above apply.