Trauma leaves deep scars – not only on the mind, but also on the body. Many people living with trauma find that even after years of healing, they still feel anxious, agitated, or disconnected from themselves.
This it’s because trauma doesn’t just live in our memories—it lives in our nervous system. A powerful approach that addresses this is called Bodily Experience. It offers a gentle, body-centered way to heal trauma at its root.
Body Experience (SE) it is a form of therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It depends to the idea that trauma overwhelms the nervous system, trapping energy in the body. Instead of focusing primarily on talking about traumatic events, SE helps people listen to their body, they release trapped survival energyand restore a sense of safety and wholeness.
Instead of reliving the trauma with words, Somatic Experiencing works with it felt sensation— the inner awareness of bodily sensations, movements and emotions.
When we experience a threatening event, our body automatically reacts through the fight flight, or freeze answer. In healthy situations, once the threat has passed, the nervous system returns to a calm state.
However, during overwhelming trauma—such as abuse, accidents, or war—the body’s natural repair process can get stuckMr. Stress energy remains trapped in the nervous system, leading to symptoms such as:
– Anxiety
– Hypervigilance
– Numbness
– Chronic pain
– Emotional breakdown
Research published in Frontiers in Psychology shows that unresolved trauma dysregulates the autonomic nervous system, keeping people in a state of chronic stress or shutdown (Payne, Levine, & Crane-Godreau, 2015).
Somatic Experience gently helps complete the body’s natural response cycle, allowing trapped energy to discharge and the nervous system to reset.
🌿 1. Building safety and trust
Healing trauma starts with feeling safe. In Body Experience, therapists create a slow, supportive environment where customers feel in control at all times. There is no pushing, no forcing painful memories to the surface.
Instead, the focus is on developing an inner sense of safety—something trauma survivors often lose.
🌱 2. Tuning in the senses of the body
Rather than jump into the story of what happened, SE invites customers to observe:
– Tightness in the chest
– Tingling in hands
– Warmth in the stomach
– Trembling on the feet
Staying with these small, manageable sensationspeople learn to monitor their body’s reactions without straining. This practice teaches the nervous system that it is safe to feel again.
🌼 3. Completion of Survival Response
In nature, animals instinctively shake, run or freeze after a threatening event to escape survival energy. People often suppress these natural responses due to social pressures or fear.
Physical experience helps the body complete unfinished actions—like feeling the urge to run, fight, or curl up—and release stuck energy. This discharge often occurs through:
– Gentle shaking
– Spontaneous deep breaths
– Warmth or lightness that spreads through body
When this happens, people often feel a deep sense of relief, relaxation and renewed energy.
🌞 4. Rebuilding a sense of empowerment
Trauma often leaves people feeling weak and trapped. Through SE, individuals reconnect with themselves natural instincts and resilience. They realize that their body they are not broken-these they have one inner wisdom who knows how to heal.
This empowerment lays the foundation for greater self-confidence, emotional regulation, and deeper relationships with others.
Traditional talk therapy can be very helpful for spiritual understanding of trauma. However, it often does not reach the body’s stored memories and survival answers.
Somatic Experiencing works directly with the nervous system, helping people process trauma in a way that words alone cannot. When combined, talk and bodywork can create a more complete healing experience.
A study published in Traumatology found that physical therapies significantly reduced PTSD symptoms compared to standard cognitive therapies alone (Andersen et al., 2017).
Physical experience can help people dealing with:
– Childhood trauma
– Traffic accidents
– Assault or abuse
– Natural disasters
– Medical trauma
– Chronic stress and burnout
– Anxiety and depressiondisease associated with trauma
Because SE moves at the pace of the customer, it is particularly useful for those who feel overwhelmed by strong emotions or find traditional therapy too energizing.
Starting with the Bodily Experience
If you’re interested in trying SE, here’s what to look for:
– Certified Doctors: Make sure your therapist is trained and certified in Bodily Experience.
– Trauma-informed approach: Choose someone who understands the delicate nature of trauma work.
– A sense of connection: It is essential to feel safe and supported with your doctor.
Sessions usually include gentle conversation, body awareness exercises and careful monitoring of sensations. Remain fully clothed and sit or lie comfortably duringg the project.
Trauma isn’t just in your mind—it’s in your body, too. Bodily experience offers a kind, natural and strong way to aid your body fill it out healing journey.
By tuning into the body’s wisdom, you can release the past, restore a sense of security, and reconnect with life in a deeper, more alive way.
Healing is possible—and sometimes it starts with just noticing a breath, a feeling, or a moment of peace within yourself.
Sources
– Payne, P., Levine, PA, & Crane-Godreau, MA (2015). Bodily experience: Using introspection and proprioception as key components of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93.
– Andersen, TE, Lahav, Y., Ellegaard, H., & Manniche, C. (2017). Improvement of patients with chronic pain after physical experience therapy: A randomized controlled trial. Traumatology, 23(2), 127-135.
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