Somatic Experiencing (SE) in Chapel Hill, NC: A Body-Based Approach to Healing Trauma
Trauma isn’t just stored in the mind—it’s held in the body. Many individuals who have experienced distressing events struggle with chronic tension, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and physical discomfort.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a powerful, body-focused therapy that helps clients release stored trauma, restore nervous system balance, and build resilience. At Center for Embodied Resilience & Wellness, PLLC, we offer SE in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to support your journey toward healing.
What is Somatic Experiencing (SE)?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a gentle, body-centered therapy designed to help individuals process and release trauma by focusing on physical sensations rather than re-experiencing distressing memories. Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, SE works by guiding clients through slow, mindful awareness of their bodily responses, allowing trapped survival energy to be discharged safely.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily engages the cognitive mind, SE engages the nervous system to complete the body's natural trauma recovery process. This method can help individuals overcome emotional distress without feeling overwhelmed.
Learning The History of Somatic Experiencing (SE)
The History of Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented modality developed by Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. in the 1970’s to help treat symptoms of trauma and other stress-related disorders. He was able to use his multidisciplinary study of stress physiology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, psychology, and indigenous healing practices to develop SE.
Dr. Levine developed SE from observing how wild animals recover and are not traumatized despite being constantly under threat of death from predation. They experience a physical release of their fight-of-flight energy by either shaking, trembling, or sometimes, running. In contrast, he found that humans often interrupt the natural sequence of processing a threat response despite sharing a similar biological response to stress as other mammals.
After seeing one of his clients named Nancy, who was suffering from PTSD enact the same physical release of trauma energy that wild animals do when he asked her to imagine a tiger chasing her when she was reliving a traumatic childhood memory, SE as a therapy was formed.
When is Somatic Experiencing (SE) Implemented?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is an approach to help treat clients who have experienced a traumatic event or acute stress and are “stuck” in the fight, flight, or freeze responses. SE Practitioners (SEP) use clinical tools to help a client resolve these fixated physiological states by completing self-protective and defensive responses and releasing thwarted survival energy stored in the client’s body so that the nervous system can return to equilibrium.
Since SE is a “bottom-up” approach instead of a “top-down” approach (access memories or traumatic events using cognitive skills), clients are asked to track their bodily sensations and emotions. With time and space, clients can increase their tolerance of difficult bodily sensations and suppressed emotions related to the traumatic event.
How Somatic Experiencing (SE) Can Help?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) works by helping individuals tune into the physical sensations held in the body. Traumatic experiences often get “stuck” in the nervous system, leading to symptoms like anxiety, hypervigilance, tension, or numbness.
By gently guiding clients to notice and release these physical responses, SE supports the body’s natural ability to regulate and restore balance. Over time, this process helps individuals feel more grounded, present, and in control of their reactions.
This approach is effective for people of all ages and can be particularly helpful when trauma is stored in the body in ways that are hard to verbalize. At the Center for Embodied Resilience & Wellness, we integrate SE to help clients reconnect with their bodies, reclaim a sense of safety, and build lasting emotional resilience.
SE is effective for individuals who have experienced:
- ADHD
- Addiction
- Anxiety
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Birth or Prenatal Trauma
- Breathing Issues
- Chronic Pain
- Depression
- Developmental Trauma
- Digestive Issues
- Domestic Violence (DV)
- Eating Disorders
- Emotional Abuse
- Falls
- Grief/Loss
- Medical/Dental Surgeries or Experiences
- Military Trauma
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Natural Disasters
- Physical Abuse
- Physical Injuries (including concussions)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Racial Trauma
- Relational/Interpersonal Issues
- Sexual Abuse or Assault
- Sexual Issues
- Shock Trauma
- Stress
- Substance Abuse
- Transgenerational Trauma
By restoring nervous system balance, SE allows clients to develop a greater sense of safety, connection, and resilience in their daily lives.
The Benefits of Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Somatic Experiencing (SE) offers a gentle yet powerful way to heal from trauma, anxiety, and chronic stress. By focusing on the body’s physical sensations, this approach helps release stored tension and restore the nervous system’s natural balance. Clients often report feeling calmer, more present, and better able to handle everyday stressors.
SE can also reduce physical symptoms related to stress and enhance emotional resilience. Because it works with the body’s innate wisdom, this method supports deep, lasting healing. It’s especially helpful for those who struggle to express their experiences through words alone. Clients who engage in SE therapy in Chapel Hill, NC, often report:
- Feeling empowered
- Increased energy and vitality
- A general sense of security and safety
- Reduced physical and psychological discomfort
- Decreased physical pain, stress, emotional distress, and irritation
- Improved concentration, self-confidence, sleep, and physical wellbeing
- A higher sense of oneself
- Increased awareness and tolerance of bodily sensations and emotions
- Increased resilience and hope
- Self-regulation, self-direction, and self-determination
- Increased flexibility, fluidity, and mobility
- A greater connection to their wholeness, wellbeing, and autonomy
At Center for Embodied Resilience & Wellness, PLLC, our approach to SE is compassionate, client-centered, and designed to support your unique healing process.
Why Clients Turn to Our Therapy Practice
Clients turn to us when they’re seeking more than just symptom relief—they’re looking for deep, lasting healing. Many have experienced trauma, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm that talk therapy alone hasn’t resolved. They’re drawn to our integrative, body-centered approaches like Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TSY), which help process pain held in both mind and body.
Our clients value a safe, compassionate space where they can reconnect with themselves, build resilience, and reclaim a sense of agency. We honor each person’s journey and guide them toward meaningful, embodied transformation and emotional well-being.
Experience Somatic Healing in Chapel Hill, NC
If you feel stuck in patterns of stress or emotional overwhelm, Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapy can help you find relief and resilience. Let us support you in reconnecting with your body and rediscovering a sense of peace and well-being.
Contact Center for Embodied Resilience & Wellness, PLLC today to learn more about SE in Chapel Hill, NC, and begin your healing journey.