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Somatic      Experiencing      is      a      body- oriented       trauma       therapy       method developed   by   Peter   Levine   (USA,   1942). His   first   book   (" Waking   the   Tiger ")   was published in 1997. How Somatic Experiencing was developed The     biophysicist     and     psychologist     Peter     Levine     has wondered     why     wild     animals     that     experience     life- threatening      events      on      a      daily      basis      are      hardly traumatized.     He     has     found     that     in     such     survival situations,    large    energies    are    activated    in    the    body    to ensure   survival   through   fight   or   flight.   However,   when these   fight   or   flight   responses   are   not   possible   or   cannot be     completed,     the     energy     remains     trapped     in     the nervous    system    and    (trauma)    symptoms    develop:    The nervous    system    then    gets    stuck    either    in    the    highly activated     fight     or     flight     mode/sympathetic     nervous system    (symptoms    such    as    hypervigilance,    flashbacks, nightmares)    or    in    the    “ playing    possum    reflex’ /dorsal parasympathetic    nervous    system    (symptoms    such    as emotional      numbing,      dissociation      or      hopelessness). Animals   have   an   advantage   over   humans   in   that   they   can discharge   this   unused   mobilization   energy   in   a   natural way,   e.g.   by   trembling.   Through   this   process,   the   nervous system   can   return   to   a   healthy   balance.   In   SE   therapy,   the first   step   is   to   increase   the   processing   and   containment capacity    of    our    nervous    system,    so    that    we    can    then process    and    integrate    this    blocked    trauma    energy    in small pieces at a time. What is a trauma? according to Somatic Experiencing   Trauma   is   the   inhibited   response   of   the   nervous   system, not     the     external     event.     Trauma     occurs     when     the organism   is   overwhelmed   in   its   ability   to   regulate   states of   arousal.   The   traumatized   nervous   system   breaks   down and   cannot   rebalance   itself   on   its   own.   This   manifests itself   in   a   thorough   fixation,   a   fundamental   loss   of   the rhythmic   ability   to   self-regulate   arousal   states,   to   orient oneself,   to   be   in   the   present   moment,   and   to   participate fully in relationships and in life. The role of the nervous system In   SE,   the   nervous   system   takes   on   a   central   role.   This understanding   is   based   on   the   belief   that   most   of   our actions,   experiences   and   thoughts   are   determined   and influenced   by   the   states   of   the   nervous   system   (bottom- up).    These    states    are    not    necessarily    conscious    but implicit.   Trauma   also   resides   in   the   implicit   part   of   our memory   or   in   the   body,   as   trauma   researcher   Bessel   van der   Kolk   says   (" The   body   keeps   the   score ").   Therefore, the    therapeutic    approach    aims    at    working    with    the implicit    memory    in    the    nervous    system    rather    than cognitive   restructuring.   The   therapist   always   keeps   the client’s   nervous   system   in   focus,   because   it   reveals   more than   the   story   told   (although   the   story   is   important   too, of    course):    the    nervous    system    indicates    whether    the person   is   feeling   safe   and   connected,   anxiously   scanning the    area    for    danger,    or    absently    and    seemingly    calm floating away in dissociation. Every     nervous     system     is     continuously     scanning     the environment   for   danger,   and   is   adapting   to   the   perceived conditions    without    a    conscious    awareness    of    it.    This process   is   called   neuroception    and   has   been   introduced by   Stephen   Porges.   The   therapist   helps   the   patient   to develop   an   awareness   of   his/her   neuroception   and   the states   of   the   nervous   system.   This   is   the   basis   for   self- regulation    of    one's    nervous    system.    The    goal    of    each individual   SE   session   is   to   support   the   patient   being   able to   hold   the   emerging   activation   energy   (emotions,   body sensations,   etc.)   and   to   return   to   a   more   balanced   state. In   the   long   term,   these   experiences   of   calming   and   co- regulation   lead   to   an   increase   in   resilience,   i.e.   the   ability to    vibrate    and    regulate,    reduce    the    fear    of    intense emotions, and increase trust in one's own body. SE and the Polyvagal Theory Originally,   Peter   Levine   and   Stephen   Porges,   the   founder of       polyvagal       theory,       developed       their       concepts independently.   But   when   they   discovered   the   similarities of   their   theories   in   the   1970’s,   they   also   began   to   work together.   The   polyvagal   theory   provides   a   very   suitable theoretical   foundation   for   Somatic   Experiencing   and   vice- versa:    Somatic    Experiencing    is    the    consistent    transfer and   application   of   the   polyvagal   theory   into   practice.   In brief,   the   PVT   postulates   that   the   state   of   our   nervous system     affects     our     experiencing,     feeling,     perceiving, thinking,   and   our   autonomic,   autonomic   body   responses (blood    pressure,    heart    rate,    perspiration,    etc.).    Porges conducted     research     on     the     vagus     nerve,     which     is responsible   for   the   parasympathetic   state,   and   -   simply put    -    distinguished    between    'connected'    relaxation    in safety    (ventral    vagus)    and    'disconnected'    relaxation    in danger   of   life   (dorsal   vagus).   The   latter   corresponds   to freeze    state,    dissociation,    or,    in    animals,    the    ‘playing possum   reflex ’.   Moreover,   he   identified   social   contact   as a   regulatory   mechanism   for   our   nervous   system   and   thus a    biological    necessity    for    healthy    regulation    and    thus human     survival.     Porges     defines     trauma     as     follows: "Trauma   impairs   our   capacity   for   interpersonal   contact by    replacing    patterns    of    connection    with    patterns    of protection." SE and Spirituality Somatic   Experiencing   does   not   claim   to   be   spiritual   or religious,   and   neither   do   I.   Nevertheless,   I   would   like   to point   out   the   compatibility   of   these   approaches   of   life. The   philosophy   of   SE   -   just   like   that   of   NARM   or   Gestalt therapy   -   corresponds   to   a   humanistic   view   of   man:   we all   have   autonomy   and   responsibility   for   our   actions,   and already    possess    within    ourselves    everything    we    are looking   for   and   need   for   healing.   In   other   words,   it   is about      rediscovering      the      natural      self-healing      and regulatory   capacity   that   is   inherent   in   all   of   us.   And   it   is about     accepting     oneself     the     way     we     are     in     every moment.   Only   like   that   can   we   realize   that   we   already   are who   we   want   to   become   and   that   it   is   therefore   more about   letting   go   of   resistance   than   about   "working   out" an   ability   or   efforting.   As   much   as   I   understand   about ZEN   Buddhism   -   and   I   am   not   an   expert   -   it   is   also   about learning   to   accept   everything   as   it   is   and   letting   it   pass through   you.   In   polyvagal   terms,   that   would   mean:   In   a ventral-vagal     state,     I     am     in     the     present     moment, connected   to   myself   with   the   ability   to   flexibly   regulate and   openly   adaptively   respond   to   the   world   and   meet other people. Links • SE - Zentrum für Innere Ökologie, Zürich • My blog article about the polyvagal theory (German) • Video: Peter Levine gives an introduction into SE (27 min) • Video: Peter Levine explains the principle of pendulation (3.36 min) Book Recommendations & Links • Peter   Levine:   "In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness” Order book • Peter Levine: "Trauma and Memory: Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Working with Traumatic Memory" Order book  • Peter Levine: "Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma" Order book  • Peter Levine: "Healing Trauma - A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body" Order book • SE research and articles • SE Youtube channel