Somatic Experiencing
a Body-Focused approach for Healing Trauma
Welcome to this alternative approach for treating trauma.
The guiding principle of the Somatic Experiencing method is that the symptoms of trauma are not caused by the events that happen to us but by the remaining traces of our natural defensive responses.
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. And they are meant to be quick, intense, and short term, so that once the danger has passed, the survival energy gets discharged through the body. Tremors, tingles, changes in body temperature, changes in breathing patterns, heart rate, impulses to move or to rest are all part of what happens in the releasing process.
Because survival energy tends to be intense or overwhelming, the primary conditions to allow their release is to approach very slowly and gently, help the client reconnect to a sense of safety that is tangible, and educate the client about these natural processes so they are not inhibited or scared by them.
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 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 is a safe and gentle way to unravel these stuck responses.
The guiding principle of the Somatic Experiencing method is that the symptoms of trauma are not caused by the events that happen to us but by the remaining traces of our natural defensive responses.
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. And they are meant to be quick, intense, and short term, so that once the danger has passed, the survival energy gets discharged through the body. Tremors, tingles, changes in body temperature, changes in breathing patterns, heart rate, impulses to move or to rest are all part of what happens in the releasing process.
Because survival energy tends to be intense or overwhelming, the primary conditions to allow their release is to approach very slowly and gently, help the client reconnect to a sense of safety that is tangible, and educate the client about these natural processes so they are not inhibited or scared by them.
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 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 is a safe and gentle way to unravel these stuck responses.
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.
Post-Traumatic Stress can be physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual. Common symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, flashbacks, panic attacks, rage, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness, feeling disconnected.
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, 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
Free 20-minute consultation prior to beginning any sessions with a new client. The purpose of this consult is for you to ask any questions about this approach and find out if you would like to work with it.
Once sessions begin, my guidance will be about helping you slow down and connect with an environment of safety. Because traumatic memories tend to be intense and confusing, it is important to slow down the process of feeling them, working in small increments, so that the experience is easier to unravel and release. When traces of survival energy start to emerge in this way - sensations like tension, constriction, numbness or change of temperature - we can notice them before they become overwhelming and we can release them in a safe and integrative way.
By slowing down and being grounded together, the body's experience can unfold without harm.
Once sessions begin, my guidance will be about helping you slow down and connect with an environment of safety. Because traumatic memories tend to be intense and confusing, it is important to slow down the process of feeling them, working in small increments, so that the experience is easier to unravel and release. When traces of survival energy start to emerge in this way - sensations like tension, constriction, numbness or change of temperature - we can notice them before they become overwhelming and we can release them in a safe and integrative way.
By slowing down and being grounded together, the body's experience can unfold without harm.
Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure..." - Rumi
Fees & Consultations
Sessions are $70 and the duration is 50 mins.
Sessions can be held in person or online.
A free 20-minute consultation is available for first-timers.
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
I offer a package of 4 sessions for people requiring financial support. The fee of the session is determined by you in accordance with your capacities. If you would like to apply for support, click here for the Arabic application form and here for the English.
The same Cancelation Policies as above apply.
The same Cancelation Policies as above apply.