What is the Origin of Somatic Experiencing?

The method was developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine, based on the observation that animals in the wild rarely become traumatized despite constant threat, as they utilize innate mechanisms to literally "shake off" and complete the stress response. The term emphasizes the experience of the body as the primary vehicle for healing, shifting the focus away from purely cognitive processing of traumatic events.

What is the Mechanism of Somatic Experiencing?

The mechanism involves tracking and gently facilitating the "pendulation" between the activated, hyper-aroused state and the settled, hypo-aroused state within the nervous system. By encouraging the conscious, incremental release of the survival energy—manifested as physical sensations like trembling or heat—the technique helps the nervous system down-regulate. This discharge leads to a more flexible and resilient ANS, reducing the chronic alarm state that drives excessive cortisol secretion and endocrine fatigue.

Somatic Experiencing ∞ Area

Somatic Experiencing

Meaning

Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented therapeutic approach designed to resolve symptoms of trauma and chronic stress by focusing on the client’s felt bodily sensations, known as the soma. This technique is highly relevant to hormonal health as it aims to complete the body’s natural, biological response to threat, thereby discharging residual energy trapped in the nervous system and mitigating chronic sympathetic nervous system activation. By restoring autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation, it indirectly supports HPA axis normalization.