Somatic Experiencing Therapy: Healing Trauma Through the Body
- Teena Mogler
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 27
At Balance Centre for Mental Health, we understand that trauma is not just a psychological experience—it lives in the body. Somatic Experiencing Therapy (SET) is a powerful, body-based approach to healing trauma and stress, designed to restore regulation in the nervous system and help individuals reconnect with a sense of internal safety. Whether you're recovering from a single traumatic event or the slow accumulation of stress over time, SET can help guide the body and mind back to balance.
What Is Somatic Experiencing Therapy?
Somatic Experiencing Therapy is a therapeutic model developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine. Rooted in a multidisciplinary blend of physiology, psychology, neuroscience, biology, and indigenous wisdom, SET helps release trauma held in the body by resolving the fight, flight, or freeze responses that often remain stuck after overwhelming experiences.
Rather than starting with the story or memory, this method begins with the body. Practitioners work with physical sensations, emotions, and the body’s natural impulses to guide clients toward safety, stability, and resilience. This approach acknowledges that trauma is not just about what happened, but how our nervous systems responded and got stuck there.
The Science Behind the Method
Trauma can originate from a wide range of experiences: medical procedures, abuse, accidents, loss, neglect, systemic harm, or chronic stress. When our bodies detect a threat and cannot escape or fight back, the survival response often results in a freeze state. This "playing dead" instinct is adaptive in the short term but becomes harmful if unresolved. The energy prepared for action stays locked in the nervous system.
Dr. Levine observed that wild animals, though constantly exposed to danger, don't suffer from trauma like humans do. The difference? Animals naturally discharge this frozen energy through trembling or shaking. Somatic Experiencing helps humans do the same—slowly and safely—by guiding the body to complete these protective responses and release the survival energy that's been trapped.
What to Expect in a SET Session
Unlike traditional talk therapy, SET does not require rehashing traumatic events in detail. Instead, the focus is on gently increasing your awareness of internal bodily sensations—interoception (internal sensations like heartbeat or breath), proprioception (awareness of your body's position), and kinesthesia (movement and muscle tension).
Therapists often use the SIBAM framework—Sensation, Imagery, Behaviour, Affect, and Meaning—to help clients track their internal experiences:
Sensation: What do you notice in your body?
Imagery: Are there sensory impressions like sounds, colours, or textures linked to the experience?
Behaviour: What physical reactions or postures show up?
Affect: What emotions arise, and how do you express them?
Meaning: How do you understand or interpret this now?
SET techniques can include breathwork, movement, resourcing (drawing on feelings of safety), titration (working with small pieces of the experience), and pendulation (moving gently between regulation and activation). It’s a delicate and empowering process that honours your body’s pace.
Why Somatic Experiencing Works
Many people come to us saying, "I know I'm safe now, but my body still feels like I'm in danger." This is exactly where SET shines. When we experience trauma, our logical brain may move on, but the body often doesn't. Somatic Experiencing bridges this gap, offering a way to calm the body’s survival responses and teach the nervous system that it’s safe again.
SET is especially effective for people living with:
Trauma or PTSD
Anxiety
Chronic stress or burnout
Grief
Chronic pain
Emotional dysregulation
Somatic Experiencing for Neurodivergent Individuals
For neurodivergent people, the world can feel especially overwhelming. Sensory processing differences can make emotions and bodily sensations more intense, and sometimes frightening. A racing heart, tight chest, or sudden rush of emotion can feel unbearable, not just uncomfortable. Traditional cognitive strategies may not always help if the body is still stuck in a reactive loop.
Somatic Experiencing offers a compassionate, body-first way to work through these challenges. By gently helping people tune into their bodies and process internal sensations safely, it supports better emotional regulation, body awareness, and nervous system stability.
This can be especially supportive for those with autism or ADHD who may feel stuck in cycles of sensory overload or stress. Through SET, clients learn how to pause, notice, and respond to what their body is telling them—building resilience, confidence, and a deeper sense of self-trust.
A New Path Toward Healing
Somatic Experiencing Therapy isn't just about reducing symptoms—it's about restoring wholeness. By bringing the body into the healing process, people often report a renewed sense of calm, clarity, and connection to themselves. It’s not about "fixing" what’s wrong—it’s about helping the nervous system do what it was always meant to do: protect, adapt, and heal.
At Balance Centre for Mental Health, we provide a safe, respectful, and neurodivergence-affirming space for you to explore this work. If your body still feels stuck in survival mode, even when your mind says you’re okay, Somatic Experiencing could offer the reset you’ve been seeking.
Get in touch to find out more or to book a session with our therapists.