GR
Somatic
Therapy
What is Somatic Experiencing Therapy?
Somatic Experiencing Therapy is under the umbrella term ‘somatic therapies’. The root word of somatic is ‘soma’, Latin for “of the body”. All somatic therapies include the body and have a focus on the body as leader in healing mental, emotional, and sometimes even physical wounds.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based and bottom-up approach to treating trauma, stress, and related mental health disorders. But what does this actually mean? Let’s compare two opposite approaches to working with mental health.
Top-Down Vs. Bottom-Up Processing in Treatment
Top-down approaches in mental health are often what you imagine when you think of traditional talk therapy. In top-down approaches, we use the brain (the top), the way we think & perceive, to change the body’s (the down) experience. For example, in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, if we change the way we think, we can change the way we feel & behave. A simple depiction of this is the cognitive triangle (see below), where thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all interact with each other. In top-down approaches, the focus is most often on how restructuring the way we think influences other aspects of our experience (feelings & behaviors).
In contrast, bottom-up approaches use the body (the bottom) to influence the working’s of the brain (the up). Bottom-up approaches suggest if the body can learn it is okay and safe to relax, the brain will follow. Bottom-up approaches often work because of the natural wirings of the human body. As humans, 80% of the communication between the brain and the body are from body to brain via the vagus nerve, the largest nerve in the body (1, Howland, 2014). There are more communicative networks going bottom-up rather than top-down. Utilizing the body’s wisdom, approaches, like Somatic Experiencing, are often more integrated and impactful.
Somatic Experiencing is a bottom-up approach, primarily working with the natural pathways of our body (the vagus nerve) to renegotiate stress responses. The use of SE for stress, trauma, and mental health purposes is supported by Polyvagal Theory, developed by neuroscientist Stephen Porges. Polyvagal Theory suggests there is a complex system of stress responses that happen automatically when a person is under threat, involving the vagus nerve and related pathways (2, Porges, 2009).
thoughts
feelings
behaviors
In our physiology, we have nerves that fire according to different stress states. When we are calm, we are under primarily Ventral Vagal (the front of the vagus nerve’s) influence, which lends itself to ease in relationships, function of organs and body systems, and optimized health and wellness. When we are stressed, we are primarily influenced by the Sympathetic nervous system, or fight or flight. Prolonged states of fight or flight in our bodies can have detrimental impacts for our mental and physical health. When we are overwhelmed, we are under Dorsal Vagal (back of the vagus nerve’s) influence, leading to shut-down, freeze, or fawn patterns in the nervous system. SE’s goal is to restore optimal nervous system functioning, where ventral is where we go to rest, yet we have access to the whole spectrum of nervous system responses depending on our circumstances.
nfhttps://corkpsychotherapyandtraumacentre.ie/trauma/polyvagal-theory/
What does SE look like in practice?
Somatic Experiencing’s focus is to restore regulation in the body and in the nervous system. In restoring regulation, clients reclaim their life energy and increase presence in the face of inevitable stress. Our goal is not to become ‘picture perfect’ calm. Rather, the goal is to have a flexible nervous system that can show up for stress with ease and appropriate responses. In other words, we want your body and brain to feel calm when the environment is suited for calm and we want your nervous system to turn on (sympathetic) appropriately when the environment is suited for stress.
In practice, SE is sometimes referred to as “play therapy for adults”. SE requires an openness, curiosity, and willingness to play. Play, in an SE session, can mean different things. Sometimes, it includes incorporating props that lend themselves to the ultimate goal of regulation. For example, I have rope in my office that symbolizes a boundary. At times, we incorporate this prop or other similar props to communicate security, safety or connectedness to the body. Another tool I use in my practice for incorporating play is a sand tray. Utilizing these tools and other tools like them allow for the body to be included in therapy. Play is often a bridge to the unspoken language of the body.
Although “talk” is not off limits in SE sessions, the primary focus is the body. We will always bring the body back into the picture even when engaging in what might look like more traditional talk therapy. For example, if someone is telling me about a joyful or difficult moment they may have had, I may ask, “Where is the experience of that held in the body?” When we incorporate brain and body wisdom, healing is felt at a deeper level.
SE is also often a slower pace than traditional talk therapy. As a somatic trained clinician, I intend to meet my clients where they are at. When I first start working with people, their natural pace is often fast due to stuck stress energy in the body. Over time, we slow the pace. At first, we might spend a lot of time in the cognitive, focusing on psychoeducation and making sense of the stress patterns. Overtime, we will work to be in the body to support resolve of stuck stress patterns. The slower pace of SE supports the nervous system to have smooth increases in energy and smooth decreases in energy.
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In conclusion, Somatic Experiencing is a therapy that emphasizes the role of the body in healing. It is a nervous system therapy that aids in the restructuring of stress patterns in the body. SE is informed by Polyvagal Theory, a theory that explains the complexity of our stress response system. In practice, SE is a playful, slow-paced, yet effective model to rewire stress responses, plus resolve trauma and other mental health disorders. Outcomes of SE include greater capacity to face stress, increased access to life energy, and increased presence and experience of joy.
REFERENCES
- Howland RH. Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep. 2014 Jun;1(2):64-73. doi: 10.1007/s40473-014-0010-5. PMID: 24834378; PMCID: PMC4017164.
- Porges SW. The polyvagal theory: new insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system. Cleve Clin J Med. 2009 Apr;76 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S86-90. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.76.s2.17. PMID: 19376991; PMCID: PMC3108032.
GR
Somatic
Therapy
5242 Plainfield Ave NE | Grand Rapids MI 49525 | Schedule Online
Phone: 616-209-8757 | Email: emily@grsomatictherapy.com