Come Home to Your Body
Somatic Experiencing® is a gentle, body-centered approach to healing trauma and stress. Instead of focusing solely on thoughts or memories, this method helps you tune into the natural language of your body—your sensations, impulses, and inner rhythms—to find relief, regulation, and resilience.
Reclaim Your Body with Somatic Experiencing®
How Somatic Experiencing® Works
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a gentle, body-based approach to healing trauma and chronic stress. Instead of diving into painful memories or stories, SE focuses on what your body is experiencing in the present moment—like sensations, movements, and feelings.
When we go through overwhelming events, our nervous system can get stuck in survival states like fight, flight, or freeze. This can leave us feeling anxious, disconnected, on edge, or exhausted—even long after the event has passed.
SE helps you slowly and safely tune into your body’s natural signals, allowing this stuck energy to release over time. You might notice warmth, a breath that comes more freely, or a sense of settling. These are signs that your nervous system is beginning to regulate and return to balance.
In sessions, we move at your pace. You don’t have to talk about everything that happened. We work together to build awareness, create safety, and follow your body’s own rhythm of healing. With support, your body can complete the responses it didn’t get to finish before—restoring a sense of calm, empowerment, and connection.
-
SE helps you become more aware of your body’s signals—like a racing heart or tight chest—so you can gently work with them, not against them. Over time, this builds your capacity to feel calm and grounded, even in stressful moments.
-
You don’t have to retell your story to heal. SE works by helping your body release the survival energy (fight, flight, freeze) that may still be stuck in your nervous system. This process supports a deep sense of safety, stability, and emotional freedom.
-
If you're constantly on edge or running on empty, SE can help your body shift out of “survival mode.” With support, you’ll begin to experience moments of ease, rest, and true regulation.
-
Feeling shut down or emotionally distant can be your body’s way of protecting you. SE offers a safe way to reconnect—gently exploring sensation and emotion without overwhelm.
-
When your nervous system is over-activated, rest doesn’t come easily. SE helps restore your body’s natural rhythms, making space for deeper sleep and true rest.
-
Even after physical recovery, your body may still hold the impact of accidents, surgeries, or medical procedures. SE supports the release of stored tension and helps you feel more at ease in your body.
-
During difficult seasons, SE offers a grounded space to move through strong emotions—without getting lost in them. It helps you stay connected to yourself, even when life feels uncertain.
What Somatic Experiencing® Can Help
Our Somatic Experiencing® Practitioners
-
Hiral Patel, OTR/L
(she/her)
SOMATIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Somatic Experiencing® Level 2, (In Progress), 2025
-
Ana Rodriguez, LPC
(she/her)
FOUNDER & CLINICAL THERAPIST
Somatic Experiencing® Level 1 Training, Somatic Experiencing® International, 2021
FAQs
-
In a typical session, we slow down and gently explore what’s happening in your body—like sensations, emotions, or subtle movements. You don’t need to retell your whole story. Instead, we work with what’s present now, helping your nervous system safely release stress or trauma that may still be held in the body.
-
No, not unless you want to. Somatic Experiencing doesn’t require you to revisit painful memories in detail. The focus is on what your body is experiencing in the present, and we work at your pace. Many people find this approach less overwhelming and more empowering.
-
Talk therapy often focuses on thoughts and emotions. Somatic Experiencing works with the body and nervous system—where trauma is often stored. It helps resolve the physical responses to stress (like tension, numbness, or overwhelm), creating lasting shifts in how you feel and function.
-
Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some people find relief in just a few sessions; others benefit from ongoing support. We’ll go at a pace that feels right for you, and we can regularly check in about your goals and progress.
-
Yes, many people experience significant relief and lasting change through Somatic Experiencing. It’s a well-established, research-supported method developed over decades to help the nervous system process and release trauma and stress. While everyone’s healing journey is unique, clients often report feeling more grounded, calm, connected, and resilient over time. The gentle, body-based nature of SE makes it especially effective for people who haven’t found full relief through talk therapy alone.
