Somatic Experience and Non-Duality

For many of us, the "self" that has been created and developed since birth and over the years has been at least partially shaped in response to traumas. This "self" functions as a defense, a barrier through which pain and confusion can be contained and through which we can cope with what has happened and continue to function.

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Suppressing or seeing through this "self," and the underlying feeling of a "self," can therefore allow unresolved trauma to surface. If this is the case, somatic exploration tools can be of great help in reintegrating traumatic energy.

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Furthermore, this defense becomes the point of reference for several erroneous beliefs about the body from which we interpret the world and interact with others.

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These beliefs are part of the foundational stones of the individual self-structure. They are so ingrained in the mind, the social environment, and our civilization that it may seem absurd to question their truthfulness. For this reason, exploring these beliefs can create real earthquakes within us. This challenges what we consider to be "real," our sense of identity, and the nature of the world.

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For these reasons, it is dangerous to undertake these explorations if our system is already overwhelmed by unintegrated traumatic energies. This is where SE tools find fabulous functionality. Through SE, it is possible to discharge these energies in order to regain a functional and healthy balance in relation to our body, others, and the world.

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Before exploring fundamental beliefs, it is more reasonable to resolve traumatic energies. Failing to resolve "everything," having the ability and tools to face them. Learning to navigate our sensations with ease. Regaining the pleasure of bodily sensation. It is also essential to develop the ability to be present with the full range of emotions without being overwhelmed. SE tools excel in this area.

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The mind thus acquires availability for exploration of more essential layers such as the nature of the self and beliefs concerning the body. These explorations are an inevitable step in the process of Revelation. It is possible to undertake it in the midst of a cyclone or in a peaceful rice field. Who can know which of the two is best suited to your needs?

You will take the path that is right for you because there is no other. The proof is you are already there.

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David Bonny

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What is Somatic Experiencing®?

Somatic Experiencing (SE™) aims to resolve symptoms of stress, shock, and trauma that accumulate in our bodies. When we are caught in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze, SE helps us release, recover, and become more resilient. It is a body-focused therapeutic model applied in many professions and professional contexts such as psychotherapy, medicine, coaching, education, and physiotherapy for healing trauma and other stress-related disorders. It is based on a multidisciplinary intersection of physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics and has been clinically applied for over four decades. It is the fruit of the life of Dr. Peter A. Levine.

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The SE approach releases traumatic shock, which is essential for transforming PTSD and injuries from emotional trauma and attachment in early development. It offers a framework for assessing where a person is "stuck" in fight, flight, or freeze responses and provides clinical tools to resolve these frozen physiological states. SE offers effective skills tailored to various healthcare professions, including mental health, medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, body therapies, addiction treatment, first aid, education, and more.

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The science

Trauma can begin with acute stress resulting from a perceived life threat or be the end product of cumulative stress. Both types of stress can seriously impair a person's ability to function with resilience and ease. Trauma can result from various stressors such as accidents, invasive medical procedures, sexual or physical assaults, emotional abuse, neglect, war, natural disasters, losses, birth-related trauma, or corrosive stressors of constant fear and conflict.

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How it works

The Somatic Experiencing approach facilitates the completion of motor responses of self-protection and the release of thwarted survival energy trapped in the body, thus addressing the root cause of trauma symptoms. This is done by gently guiding clients to develop increasing tolerance for difficult bodily sensations and repressed emotions.

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Dr. Levine was inspired to study stress on the nervous system of animals when he realized that animals are constantly threatened with death but show no trauma symptoms. What he discovered is that trauma has to do with the third survival response to a perceived life threat, which is immobilization. When fight and flight are not options, we freeze and immobilize, as if "playing dead." This makes us less vulnerable. However, this reaction is time-sensitive, in other words, it must run its course, and the massive energy prepared for fight or flight is released, through shakes and tremors. If the immobilization phase does not end, this charge remains trapped, and from the body's point of view, it is still in danger. The Somatic Experiencing method works to release this trapped energy and extinguish this warning of threat that causes severe dysregulation and dissociation. SE helps people understand this bodily response to trauma and work through a "body first" approach to healing.

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Text from the website official website