Working with the nervous system

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Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based approach to working with trauma, stress and nervous system overwhelm.

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Rather than focusing primarily on retelling or analysing what has happened, SE pays attention to what is happening in the nervous system now — including sensation, movement, emotion and our responses of fight, flight, freeze or shutdown.

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Sometimes the nervous system has simply experienced too much, too fast or too soon.

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SE works gently and gradually, helping to build greater capacity for the nervous system to move between activation and settling without becoming overwhelmed.

 

What can Somatic Experiencing help with?

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People come to me for many different reasons, including:

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• anxiety and panic

• trauma and developmental trauma

• feeling stuck, shut down or disconnected

• chronic stress and overwhelm

• persistent pain

• difficult or repetitive patterns

• recovery following accidents, surgery or other overwhelming experiences

• difficulties with emotional regulation

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You don't need to have experienced a single identifiable traumatic event to benefit from this way of working.

 

Fight, flight and freeze

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Fight, flight and freeze are not signs that something has gone wrong with us. They are protective responses of the nervous system.

 

Difficulties can arise when these responses cannot fully resolve, or when a nervous system continues to respond as though danger is present even when the original threat has passed.

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SE helps us understand and work with these responses, rather than simply trying to suppress them.

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What happens in a session?​

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Sessions are collaborative and paced according to the individual.

 

We may work with bodily sensations, movement, images, emotions or thoughts, while also paying attention to the things that provide support, stability and a sense of safety.

 

We don't need to plunge into difficult experiences or repeatedly revisit traumatic memories.

 

By working gradually — and noticing small changes in activation and settling — we can help the nervous system develop greater flexibility and capacity.

 

And if you don't feel much in your body, that's OK too. Numbness, disconnection or an absence of sensation can themselves be meaningful nervous-system responses.

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From Laura: ​

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"I bring Somatic Experiencing together with my background in psychology, therapeutic Pilates and body-based work.

 

This allows us to consider the person as a whole rather than separating physical symptoms, emotions and nervous-system responses.

 

My approach is compassionate, respectful and non-judgmental. The work is led by what is manageable and appropriate for you rather than by a predetermined process."

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Further Resources

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If you'd like to explore Somatic Experiencing, trauma and the nervous system in more depth, you can find recommended articles, videos, research and reading on my Resources page.