S.E. Is a body centered approach to healing trauma and stress disorders.
It is the life’s work of Dr. Peter Levine, developed from over 45 years of his multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, psychology, ethnology, biology, neuroscience and medical biophysics. He observed that animals in the wild have innate capacity to rebound and recover from threat and near death experiences on a regular basis. This inherent biological mechanism brings the animal back to calm and balance in a way that many humans in our culture have lost.
Dr. Levine realized that all humans still have this capacity, but due to “complex factors unique to human experience -including the evolutionary development of the rational brain (neo-cortex), inhibitive social norms, and fear conditioning-these survival responses are often not completed and become locked in a chronic freeze response. The incomplete survival responses, and unresolved, stuck high energy states can lead to disruption in the brain and nervous system”. – Brad Kammer, S.E. practitioner and colleague
These maladaptive patterns cause a host of symptoms that range from mildly uncomfortable to severely debilitating. There is a list of these on my symptoms page.
In S.E. Therapy we gently guide our clients nervous system/brain to find and focus on what is healthy and pleasant more so then what is wrong. Kind of like downloading the useful computer programs rather then the viruses (One of my most esteemed therapists started his journey with his fingernails being the only pain free place in his body.)
Tending to the physical body sensations gives clients access to the deep, unconscious somatic patterns that create thoughts, emotions, and memories. We are literally changing our brains!
“S.E. Does not rely on analyzing, interpreting, or medically treating the client.”
It is a somatic approach that can be the much needed compliment to more traditional therapies, and frequently is the missing piece to finding comfort, ease, greater balance and joy.
I also give tools to empower my clients to build the skills to continue the work when they leave my office and return to regular life.
If this sounds interesting please contact me for a free phone consultation.
Namaste,
Colleen
