First, I'll Have To Admit I'm Biased.
It's true. I'm completely and 100% biased at this point in my journey as a marriage and family therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). In my experience of working with Somatic Experiencing (SE) since 2006, I find SE is great for just about everybody. You can't get more biased than that! Right?
So, I might as well put my cards on the table up front.
I love Somatic Experiencing.
And it's not just because I've spent a ton (ton!) of treasure and four years of specialized training (past my MA) to secure my knowledge base, either. I love SE and my clients love it. I find it so useful I'm right this minute arranging for yet another year of Masters Level training, Organic Intelligence™ with the esteemed Steven Hoskinson, and following that with an additional two-year training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model™ with Dr. Larry Heller and Dr. Aline LaPierre starting in 2016. I can't get enough. And neither can my clients. There's a reason this is true.
So, I might as well put my cards on the table up front.
I love Somatic Experiencing.
And it's not just because I've spent a ton (ton!) of treasure and four years of specialized training (past my MA) to secure my knowledge base, either. I love SE and my clients love it. I find it so useful I'm right this minute arranging for yet another year of Masters Level training, Organic Intelligence™ with the esteemed Steven Hoskinson, and following that with an additional two-year training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model™ with Dr. Larry Heller and Dr. Aline LaPierre starting in 2016. I can't get enough. And neither can my clients. There's a reason this is true.
Awesome. But What Does Any of That Have To Do With You?
Nice as it is, it really doesn't matter if I love doing SE work or if my current clients love the SE work they are receiving, does it? What really matters is whether SE is an approach that is suited for you. If one or more of the following situations fits your situation and experience, chances are exploring the possibility Somatic Experiencing may be an important next step for you. Let's take a look.
1. Do You Have A Body?
Yes? Awesome! It's very helpful. Why? SE is a body-based, biologically based trauma-healing modality. This dynamic somatic psychology approach was developed years ago by Dr. Peter Levine. So, we need bodies to start. You have a body, everyone I (admit) talking to has a body, as well. This body, which has been the source of so much pleasure and discomfort for you can now be incorporated as your primary healing agent. How cool is that? I have a body. You have a body. Everyone we know has a body and as inconvenient, messy, painful, and problematic as bodies can sometimes be, they are also amazing, beautiful, pleasurable, largely durable, very complex, highly portable, and as you always (conveniently) have it with you, we can use your body and the sensations in your body as the basis to build your healing and expanding self-knowledge upon. Very cool. Very cool, indeed.
It's neat how that all works.
So, Number One, you have a body. Great! Chances are, SE is good for you.
It's neat how that all works.
So, Number One, you have a body. Great! Chances are, SE is good for you.
2. Have You Had Experiences In Your Body?
Since the moment of conception forward, experiences of all kinds, seemingly positive and negative, have occurred and have been layered into your nervous system. Yes, your little system, from first cell division forward, has been bathed in the chemical and hormonal bath of Mom's experience of herself and her life. All the pleasures, all the stressors. Then, there's birth. Quite the experience! And that's just the first nine months. Your life has been peppered with experiences, all of which land on and are negotiated to one degree or another by your body and nervous system.
What kind of experiences qualify you as someone who might benefit from Somatic Experiencing and learning how to be more aware of what is going on in your body and how it impacts your life, relationships, habits, decisions, personality formation, anxiety, and ability to self-regulate?
Well, conception, gestation and birth. Got it! Anything from simple falls to surgeries, car accidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, and inescapable assaults. Attachment disruption in childhood and chaotic, violent, or addicted family systems. Somehow ending up feeling less-than, unseen, unlovable, invisible, alone. Or as the trauma community says: Big T trauma and Little T trauma (the things that may be even more traumatic but which we so often fail to note as trauma). All are suitable applications for Somatic Experiencing.
What it comes down to is we all have experiences stored in our bodies that have an impact on our lives and warrant our attention. Somatic Experiencing is a fantastic way to bring that healing attention to bear.
What kind of experiences qualify you as someone who might benefit from Somatic Experiencing and learning how to be more aware of what is going on in your body and how it impacts your life, relationships, habits, decisions, personality formation, anxiety, and ability to self-regulate?
Well, conception, gestation and birth. Got it! Anything from simple falls to surgeries, car accidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, and inescapable assaults. Attachment disruption in childhood and chaotic, violent, or addicted family systems. Somehow ending up feeling less-than, unseen, unlovable, invisible, alone. Or as the trauma community says: Big T trauma and Little T trauma (the things that may be even more traumatic but which we so often fail to note as trauma). All are suitable applications for Somatic Experiencing.
What it comes down to is we all have experiences stored in our bodies that have an impact on our lives and warrant our attention. Somatic Experiencing is a fantastic way to bring that healing attention to bear.
3. Are You Experiencing High Levels Of Anxiety Or Distress?
Not everyone experiences themselves in this manner, but it is common enough--so common!--we need to address it. Overwhelming anxiety and panic attack episodes are reported to be the source of as much as 80% of all Urgent Care and ER visits. It's mind boggling. I specialize in helping folks reduce their experience of overwhelming panic and anxiety, phobias, and obsessions. In the driven stressed out world we inhabit today there are many, many people struggling to cope with debilitating stress and anxiety.
Why would Somatic Experiencing be an appropriate approach for anxiety? Anxiety is a very sensation-based and highly uncomfortable experience. In fact, it is so uncomfortable we will do anything to outrun or numb the sensations of panic and anxiety, including trying to turn off our access to feeling our bodies. Numbing coping strategies may include over-working, over-exercising, over-eating, drinking, drugging, gambling, obsessive use of pornography, over-doing anything, managing our lives through high levels of control, exhibiting controlling and distancing behaviors with the people we love most, and exhausting ourselves with worry. SE is one of my most powerful tools for taming anxiety and healing the anxious nervous system.
If you're experiencing periods of overwhelming anxiety, Somatic Experiencing is your new best friend. And it is a tool not just any therapist has in their bag of tricks. Although Peter Levine started developing this work over 20 years ago, it can still be hard to find a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) in your community. This is true in Orange County as well.
Why would Somatic Experiencing be an appropriate approach for anxiety? Anxiety is a very sensation-based and highly uncomfortable experience. In fact, it is so uncomfortable we will do anything to outrun or numb the sensations of panic and anxiety, including trying to turn off our access to feeling our bodies. Numbing coping strategies may include over-working, over-exercising, over-eating, drinking, drugging, gambling, obsessive use of pornography, over-doing anything, managing our lives through high levels of control, exhibiting controlling and distancing behaviors with the people we love most, and exhausting ourselves with worry. SE is one of my most powerful tools for taming anxiety and healing the anxious nervous system.
If you're experiencing periods of overwhelming anxiety, Somatic Experiencing is your new best friend. And it is a tool not just any therapist has in their bag of tricks. Although Peter Levine started developing this work over 20 years ago, it can still be hard to find a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) in your community. This is true in Orange County as well.
4. Have You Experienced Trauma?
First and foremost, Somatic Experiencing is a trauma therapy. It's not a relaxation technique, although it will most often leave you feeling profoundly relaxed. If you have a history of trauma, even one that has received a lot of talk and insight oriented therapy, if you haven't addressed the nervous system piece there is almost always more healing work to do.
Our bodies hold our experiences. All of them. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Given the right strategic support and care, your body is capable of metabolizing and releasing stored residual trauma. Your body houses your ability to be in contact with your own inborn and innate sense of well-being and wholeness and can become your most effective tool in healing. Nowhere is this more important than in addressing traumas of all kinds and PTSD. Somatic psychotherapy is fast becoming the Gold Standard for supporting these difficult life experiences.
Our bodies hold our experiences. All of them. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Given the right strategic support and care, your body is capable of metabolizing and releasing stored residual trauma. Your body houses your ability to be in contact with your own inborn and innate sense of well-being and wholeness and can become your most effective tool in healing. Nowhere is this more important than in addressing traumas of all kinds and PTSD. Somatic psychotherapy is fast becoming the Gold Standard for supporting these difficult life experiences.
5. Have You Had A Lot Of Therapy And Feel Like There Is Still Work Left To Do?
I love Talk Therapy. My training as a therapist has been in insight oriented, depth oriented approaches. Understanding why something is going on in your life is important. Getting a handle on your distinct family system is great work to do. Very juicy. Very meaningful. The thing is, insight isn't going to change everything. In fact, some say insight changes nothing unless we act on it. Good, solid insight-oriented therapy is a healing agent. There are places Talk Therapy may not go, however. SE can be fully integrated with talk therapy, or be the focus of your therapy. I employ SE to one degree or another in almost all my work, including work with couples. Somatic Experiencing can even be utilized as a second adjunct support therapy for existing psychotherapy work. We can utilize Somatic Experiencing to go in and clean up what hasn't transformed with your good work up to now.
Really, some of the great buzz around SE is exactly about this point. We sometimes get the credit for solving an issue, when the reality is we came in as the Somatic Cleaning Crew and wiped up the last bits of stubborn residual experience.
Really, some of the great buzz around SE is exactly about this point. We sometimes get the credit for solving an issue, when the reality is we came in as the Somatic Cleaning Crew and wiped up the last bits of stubborn residual experience.
6. Is "Personal Growth And Evolvement Over The Course Of My Lifetime" One Of Your Tenets?
Some individuals seek growth of all kinds over the course of their lives. For this tribe, therapy isn't about needing to heal or transform any one thing. It's more about stimulating and continuing personal growth, self-knowledge, and self-awareness. Therapy and personal work is just one of the things we do to create rich and fulfilling lives. Really, this is a lot of what therapy was about before managed care got involved and distilled it all down to "there is a diagnosis (and a drug) for every experience you are having." Somatic Experiencing can be an important tool for revealing unconsciously held belief systems and shaking loose the next layer of personal growth.
7. You're SE-Curious.
More than a few people have shown up in my practice out of simple curiosity about Somatic Experiencing, only to discover its many benefits for their body/mind connection. They've read Peter's books and are wondering if Somatic Experiencing is the next thing for them. If you're SE-Curious, this is the place for you.
This Is The Part We Call "The Call To Action."
If you're interested in knowing more about Somatic Experiencing, please give me a call at 714-914-5565. I'm happy to chat with you for a few minutes and answer your questions about whether SE might be a fit for you.
You know my bias.
Somatic Experiencing is a healing balm for bodies with nervous systems. You have one. Consider supporting your body in a way that is nourishing, effective, and safe.
You know my bias.
Somatic Experiencing is a healing balm for bodies with nervous systems. You have one. Consider supporting your body in a way that is nourishing, effective, and safe.
SOMATIC. IT’S A BIG WORD THAT MEANS “BODY.” YOU HAVE ONE. WE CAN USE IT TO CREATE A HAPPIER MORE CONNECTED LIFE FOR YOU
VICTORIA WALLACE SCHLICHT, MA, LMFT, SEP
2030 East 4rth Street, Ste. 111
Santa Ana, CA 92705
In the beautiful Cabrillo Park area
[email protected]
SIGN UP HERE FOR MY EZINE, THRIVING NEWS
714.914.5565
"I help people who feel bad feel better."
2030 East 4rth Street, Ste. 111
Santa Ana, CA 92705
In the beautiful Cabrillo Park area
[email protected]
SIGN UP HERE FOR MY EZINE, THRIVING NEWS
714.914.5565
"I help people who feel bad feel better."
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