Trauma is often thought of in terms of the mind: the thoughts, memories, and experiences that shape our emotional state. However, what many people don’t realize is that trauma doesn't only live in the mind—it also resides in the body. Somatic trauma is the concept that emotional and psychological pain can be stored in the body, creating physical tension, discomfort, and symptoms that may persist long after the traumatic event has passed. As a somatic trauma therapist, I’ve se

While most people will experience challenges and hardship in their life, some people experience trauma. We’re beginning to understand trauma better now and have recognized that trauma is actually a physiological process that impacts our psychological and emotional wellbeing. When trauma is suppressed, it often leads to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and even PTSD. While talk therapy can be effective at treating certain emotional and mental health issues, it

Low self-esteem is a common mental health issue among people of all ages. It is usually the result of childhood trauma. When we experience emotional injuries at an early age, we tend to disown parts of ourselves as a defense mechanism. By only displaying those aspects of our personhood that are likely to be rewarded by our caretakers, we begin a practice of alienating ourselves from ourselves. While this coping strategy is effective during childhood, it does a great disservic

Traumatic events such as war, rape, and severe accidents can lead people to suffer from symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). What we have recently discovered is that any event that is experienced as threatening can generate PTSD-like symptoms and negatively affect a person’s quality of life. Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) was developed by psychologist Peter A. Levine to address the effects of trauma. Levine developed this modality after noticing that prey animals,