Do you ever feel like past events or bad experiences are holding you back, making it difficult to move forward? Maybe they create fears, anxieties, or a sense of ‘stuckness’ that prevents meaningful change or growth in your life.
Do you regularly feel something uncomfortable within yourself—something unpleasant enough that you try to detach from it? Maybe you suppress it, dissociate, or distract yourself through drinking, overspending, gambling, or even physically running away.
Or perhaps you’re very aware of a specific event that has made life harder. It’s affecting your health, your sleep, and how you feel day to day.
These, along with many other variations of long-term stress, trauma, big life events, and PTSD, can be navigated and helped through somatic therapy—also known as Somatic Experiencing (SE).
How Your Nervous System Responds to Experiences
Every single thing we experience throughout the day is felt through our soma—our internal awareness—which includes our nervous system. Whether an experience is good or bad, it is continually being processed. Our nervous system makes decisions based on these sensations, determining how to respond to keep us safe.
If we experience something positive, it may feel joyful, peaceful, exciting, or even ecstatic. When we encounter sights, smells, sounds, or situations that remind us of this positive experience, our nervous system reassures us that we are safe and encourages us to seek more of it.
On the other hand, if we go through something negative—whether a one-time event or prolonged stress—our nervous system collects signals warning us that we are not okay. This can manifest as:
• A churning stomach
• Tightness in the chest
• An urge to run, even when it’s not possible
• Sweaty palms, shortness of breath, or loss of appetite
• Jaw clenching, stomachaches, or tension in the body
• Panic attacks or an inability to regulate emotions
Over time, these signals become patterns that alert us to danger. But what happens if we ignore them?
When We Ignore the Signals
If we continue going to a job that burns us out, returning to a home that doesn’t feel safe, or maintaining relationships that cause distress, our nervous system will start shouting louder. The discomfort increases, pushing us to seek safety—whether by accident or on purpose.
The more we suppress or detach from these signals, the more our nervous system amplifies them. At this point, we have two choices:
1. Listen to our body’s signals.
2. Dissociate.
Dissociation might seem like an easier option, but it’s not a long-term solution. Many of us end up stuck in a paradox—going through the motions of life without fully experiencing it.
How Somatic Experiencing Helps
Somatic Experiencing helps you sit with uncomfortable sensations and uncover what they are trying to tell you. This is particularly useful when you can’t pinpoint the exact cause of your discomfort. Sometimes, we’ve been carrying stress for so long that we no longer recognize where it comes from.
By allowing ourselves to feel and track these sensations throughout the body, we can begin to release trapped emotions, survival responses, or stress patterns that have made us feel unsafe.
The Process of Healing
This process takes time. It’s a courageous act to sit with these feelings and unravel what’s going on inside. Healing can only happen when we develop the capacity to hold space for ourselves—to feel safe enough to work through what arises.
But with commitment, things start to shift.
• Panic and anxiety begin to ease.
• Coping becomes easier.
• Decision-making feels less overwhelming.
• Energy levels improve.
• Sleep becomes more restful.
• Digestion may even improve, easing aches and cramps.
• You start seeing your role in relationships more clearly—and deciding whether they truly serve you.
Most importantly, you gain a newfound respect for yourself—one that makes it far less likely for you to end up in the same patterns again.
Ready to Begin Your Somatic Healing Journey?
If this resonates with you, I’d love to chat more about how Somatic Experiencing can help. Let’s start your healing journey together.
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