Somatic Experiencing
Practical Strategies for Trauma Healing
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented therapeutic approach used to resolve symptoms of trauma and chronic stress. Developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine, SE operates on the principle that trauma is not stored in the event itself but in the nervous system and body. The goal is to help individuals release trapped trauma energy and restore balance to the nervous system.
Core Concepts
- The freeze response: When faced with a life-threatening situation and unable to fight or flee, both humans and animals may freeze. For animals in the wild, this “playing dead” response is temporary, and they can discharge the excess energy through trembling and shaking once the threat passes. Humans, however, often interrupt this natural release, trapping the survival energy in the body.
- Trapped energy: This undischarged energy can lead to a dysregulated nervous system and a variety of symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Bottom-up processing: Unlike traditional “talk therapy,” which uses a “top-down” approach focused on cognitive and emotional experiences, SE is a “bottom-up” therapy. It starts with a person’s physical sensations to help process the underlying emotional issues.
How Somatic Experiencing Works
SE therapy focuses on gently guiding a client to process and release traumatic energy without becoming overwhelmed or re-traumatized. A session typically involves a trained therapist who helps the client develop a greater awareness of their bodily sensations and emotional responses.
Key techniques used in SE include:
- Resourcing: The therapist helps the client access their internal and external resources for resilience and calm. This might involve focusing on a pleasant memory, a positive place, or a comforting object to feel safe and grounded.
- Titration: The therapist guides the client to revisit small, manageable “doses” of the traumatic memory or sensation. This slow approach prevents the nervous system from becoming overloaded.
- Pendulation: The client is guided to gently move their awareness between the distressing feelings associated with the trauma and the feelings of safety from their resources. This helps the nervous system naturally oscillate and restore balance.
- Discharge: As the client processes the stored traumatic energy, the body may release it through involuntary physical movements such as shaking, trembling, crying, or experiencing a sense of warmth.
Conditions Treated with Somatic Experiencing
While primarily known for treating trauma and PTSD, SE can also be effective for a range of other issues where unresolved stress is held in the body, including:
- Anxiety
- Chronic pain
- Depression
- Grief
- Phobias and panic attacks
The SIBAM Model
The SIBAM model is a framework used in Somatic Experiencing (SE) to understand and process a complete human experience, particularly in the context of trauma. The acronym stands for Sensation, Image, Behavior, Affect, and Meaning, representing the five channels through which we process and make sense of life.
In the wake of a traumatic event, the body and nervous system can become overwhelmed, causing a person to “freeze” and fragment their experience into disconnected SIBAM channels. An SE therapist uses the SIBAM model to help a client gently reconnect and reintegrate these separated aspects, which facilitates the natural completion of the body’s self-protective survival responses.
The SIBAM Model Explained
- Sensation: This is the most foundational channel in SE, referring to the raw physical feelings in the body, such as warmth, tingling, tightness, or a racing heartbeat. In therapy, a client is guided to simply notice and observe these physical sensations without judgment, building a more grounded connection to their body.
- Image: This involves the mental pictures that arise in a person’s mind, which can range from specific memories of the trauma to abstract or symbolic visualizations. Images can reveal subconscious material and help bridge the gap between the body’s physical sensations and the mind’s interpretation.
- Behavior: This refers to physical movements and impulses that were inhibited or incomplete during the traumatic event, such as a desire to fight or flee. The therapist observes the client’s body language and gestures, and may guide the client to complete these previously frozen actions in a safe, controlled way, which helps to discharge trapped energy.
- Affect: Affect refers to the emotions and feelings that accompany an experience, such as fear, anger, sadness, or joy. By paying attention to the link between bodily sensations and emotions, a client can safely express and regulate their feelings, moving toward a more balanced state.
- Meaning: This is the cognitive aspect of the model, the narrative or interpretation a person creates around their experience. After working through the Sensation, Image, Behavior, and Affect channels, the client can re-examine and reframe the beliefs they formed about the traumatic event in a more empowering way.
How SIBAM Model is Used in Therapy
In practice, an SE therapist helps a client track and integrate the SIBAM channels in real-time, often using techniques like titration and pendulation.
For example, a therapist might guide a client who feels a sense of tightness in their chest (Sensation) while recalling a traumatic event. The therapist would not rush to process the event cognitively, but instead would ask questions to help the client explore the other channels in small doses:
- “As you feel that tightness, what images come to mind?” (Image)
- “Do you notice any impulse to move or shift your body?” (Behavior)
- “What emotions are connected to that sensation?” (Affect)
- “What is the story or belief you have associated with this feeling?” (Meaning)
By exploring all five channels simultaneously and gently, the SIBAM model helps the client restore the coherence of their experience, allowing the nervous system to release trapped survival energy and return to a natural, regulated state.
The Outcome
By working through the SIBAM channels in this gentle, titrated way, the client’s nervous system is able to process and release the trapped survival energy from the event. Rather than staying locked in a state of hypervigilance, the client begins to build a new, less fearful, and more grounded relationship with their body and the memory of the trauma. Over several sessions, this process can lead to a significant reduction in anxiety and a restored sense of safety and self-regulation.