The key to healing trauma is not to relive the trauma, but to create new experiences in the body.
Peter Levine
Somatic Experiencing ®
Trauma is the most avoided, ignored, denied, misunderstood and untreated cause of human suffering.
Peter Levine
Somatic Experiencing® (SE), developed by internationally renowned trauma researcher Dr. Peter A. Levine, is a body-oriented approach to resolving traumatic stress and restoring inner balance. In a safe and respectful setting, you learn to consciously perceive your inner sensations and responses. SE helps you better understand and regulate your personal “stress traffic light” – the dynamic interplay of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.
Trauma is not a disease or disorder, but a natural bodily response to overwhelming experiences. It arises when an event exceeds an individual’s capacity to cope – such as surgeries, losses, neglect, prenatal stress, natural disasters, or even seemingly minor incidents like a fall. What matters is not the event itself, but how body and psyche respond to it.
SE aims to transform the stress patterns and symptoms resulting from trauma. People with traumatic experiences often react to neutral stimuli as if they were still in danger. Emotions, thoughts, and behaviors remain tied to the past. By activating resources and cultivating body awareness, SE supports a return to calm, joy, and inner stability.
Using techniques such as tracking, titration, and pendulation between challenging sensations and inner resources, SE facilitates the healing process. These methods help release stored energy, support the nervous system’s self-regulation, and allow trauma to be integrated without overwhelming reactivation. Once processed, traumatic memories can be recalled and reflected upon without triggering renewed stress. SE is easily integrated into everyday life and helps enhance body awareness. You will learn to consciously navigate between tension and relaxation and maintain your inner balance over time. In addition to resolving trauma, SE also supports stress prevention and strengthens resilience.
Somatic Experiencing® offers a holistic path to greater emotional and physical health. By activating your innate resources, you gain stability, improved quality of life, and the ability to live more fully and self-directed.
Youtube Video: Somatic Experiencing (SE)®
What is SE? What happens in a session? How does SE work and who is it for?
Find more information at: www.somatic-experiencing.de