The Impact of Trauma on the Brain and Body
Trauma can have a profound impact on both the brain and the body. When an individual experiences a traumatic event, the body’s natural stress response is activated, releasing a flood of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. This response prepares the body for fight, flight, or freeze, enabling the individual to respond to the perceived threat.
However, when the traumatic event is overwhelming or prolonged, the stress response can become dysregulated, leading to a range of physiological and psychological symptoms. The body may become stuck in a state of hyperarousal, constantly on alert for danger, or in a state of hypoarousal, shutting down and disconnecting from the environment.
Trauma also impacts the brain, particularly the limbic system, which is responsible for processing emotions and memories. The amygdala, a key structure in the limbic system, becomes hyperactive in response to trauma, leading to heightened fear and anxiety responses. The hippocampus, which is involved in memory consolidation, can become impaired, leading to fragmented or intrusive memories of the traumatic event.
We have a Somatic Experiencing Therapist @ Taproot Therapy Collective. Click here to schedule.
Somatic Experiencing Series:
Understanding the Window of Tolerance
The window of tolerance refers to the optimal zone of arousal where an individual can function effectively and cope with challenges. When within the window of tolerance, an individual can think clearly, process emotions, and engage in social interactions.
However, trauma can narrow an individual’s window of tolerance, making them more susceptible to becoming overwhelmed by stressors that would not have been problematic before. When outside the window of tolerance, an individual may experience either hyperarousal (e.g., panic, rage, hypervigilance) or hypoarousal (e.g., numbness, dissociation, collapse).
Somatic Experiencing works to expand an individual’s window of tolerance by helping them to develop greater body awareness, self-regulation skills, and the capacity to pendulate between challenging sensations and resources.
Regulation of the Nervous System Through Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing aims to regulate the nervous system by working with the body’s innate healing mechanisms. By guiding individuals to track their bodily sensations and experiences in the present moment, SE helps to discharge stored traumatic energy and restore the body’s natural equilibrium.
SE places a strong emphasis on developing body awareness, or interoception, which is the sense of the internal state of the body. By learning to notice and differentiate between various physical sensations, individuals can gain insight into their autonomic nervous system activation and develop greater self-regulation capacity.
Through the process of titration, or the gradual, step-by-step approach to processing traumatic activation, SE helps individuals to gently navigate challenging sensations without becoming overwhelmed. This is achieved by pendulating between activation and resources, allowing the nervous system to discharge excess energy in a manageable way.
Somatic Experiencing Techniques for Healing Trauma
The Importance of Titration and Pendulation in Somatic Experiencing
Titration and pendulation are two key principles in Somatic Experiencing that help to promote nervous system regulation and the processing of traumatic experiences.
Titration refers to the process of gradually approaching and working with traumatic activation in small, manageable steps. This helps to prevent overwhelming the individual and triggering a flood of traumatic memories or sensations. By slowly and safely approaching the traumatic material, individuals can build their capacity to tolerate and integrate the experience.
Pendulation involves alternating between challenging sensations or experiences and resources or positive sensations. This helps to prevent overwhelm and allows the nervous system to discharge excess energy in a regulated way. By guiding individuals to pendulate between activation and resource, SE helps to build resilience and expand the window of tolerance.
Grounding and Centering Techniques
Grounding and centering techniques are foundational practices in Somatic Experiencing that help individuals to feel more present, stable, and resourced in the body. These techniques are often used at the beginning of an SE session to promote nervous system regulation and a sense of safety.
Grounding involves bringing awareness to the body’s contact with a surface, such as the feet on the floor or the sit bones on a chair. This can help to create a sense of stability and connection to the present moment. Grounding exercises might include feeling the weight of the body pressing into the surface, noticing the texture or temperature of the surface, or gently pressing or rubbing the feet or hands against the surface.
Centering involves bringing awareness to the central axis of the body, often the spine or the area around the navel. This can help to create a sense of balance, alignment, and inner strength. Centering exercises might include visualizing a string gently pulling the top of the head upward, lengthening the spine, or imagining a sphere of light or warmth in the center of the body.
Tracking Sensations in the Body
Tracking sensations in the body is a key practice in Somatic Experiencing that helps individuals to develop greater body awareness, or interoception. By learning to notice and differentiate between various physical sensations, individuals can gain insight into their autonomic nervous system activation and develop greater self-regulation capacity.
In SE, the therapist may guide the individual to notice sensations such as tightness, tension, warmth, coolness, tingling, pulsing, or vibration in different parts of the body. The therapist may also ask the individual to describe the sensations in detail, using descriptive language such as the size, shape, color, or texture of the sensation.
Tracking sensations can help individuals to become more attuned to their body’s signals and needs, and to develop a greater sense of embodiment and presence. It can also help to identify areas of the body that may be holding tension or traumatic activation, which can then be gently addressed through titration and pendulation.
Resource Installation and Resourcing
Resources in Somatic Experiencing refer to any positive experience, sensation, memory, or image that creates a sense of safety, comfort, or nourishment for the individual. Resourcing is the practice of identifying, strengthening, and installing positive resources that can be accessed during the trauma healing process.
Resource installation involves guiding the individual to identify a positive resource and to fully embody the sensations, emotions, and images associated with that resource. This might involve recalling a cherished memory, visualizing a peaceful place in nature, or feeling the warmth and comfort of a loved one’s presence.
Once a resource is identified, the therapist guides the individual to deepen their experience of the resource by exploring the sensations, emotions, and images associated with it. The therapist may ask questions such as, “What do you notice in your body as you imagine this resource?” or “Can you describe the sensations of comfort and safety that you feel?”
By strengthening positive resources, individuals can build resilience and develop a greater capacity to navigate challenging experiences. Resources can be accessed during titration and pendulation to help regulate the nervous system and prevent overwhelm.
Completion of Survival Responses (Fight, Flight, Freeze)
In traumatic situations, the body’s natural survival responses of fight, flight, or freeze may be thwarted or incomplete, leading to a buildup of traumatic activation in the body. Somatic Experiencing works to release this stored energy by facilitating the completion of these survival responses in a safe and controlled way.
For example, if an individual experienced a freeze response during a traumatic event, they may feel a sense of paralysis, numbness, or dissociation. In SE, the therapist would help the individual to gently explore the sensations associated with the freeze response, such as heaviness, coldness, or a sense of collapse.
Through titration and pendulation, the therapist would then guide the individual to gradually allow the body to complete the freeze response, which might involve experiences of shaking, trembling, or a sense of warmth and aliveness returning to the body.
Similarly, if an individual experienced a thwarted fight or flight response, the therapist would work with the sensations of tension, aggression, or fear, helping the individual to slowly and safely release the stored energy through controlled movements or expressions.
By completing these survival responses, individuals can discharge the stored traumatic energy, restore the body’s natural equilibrium, and regain a sense of agency and empowerment.
Integrating Somatic Experiencing into Daily Life
While Somatic Experiencing is typically practiced with a trained therapist, there are many ways to integrate SE principles and practices into daily life to support ongoing healing and resilience.
One way is to practice regular grounding and centering exercises, such as feeling the feet on the ground or the sit bones on a chair, or bringing awareness to the central axis of the body. These practices can be done for a few minutes each day, or whenever one feels ungrounded or overwhelmed.
Another way is to cultivate body awareness by taking time each day to notice and track physical sensations, without judgment or analysis. This might involve a body scan practice, where one systematically brings attention to each part of the body, noticing any sensations of tension, relaxation, warmth, coolness, etc.
It can also be helpful to identify and strengthen positive resources in daily life, such as spending time in nature, engaging in enjoyable activities, or connecting with supportive people. By regularly accessing and embodying these resources, one can build resilience and a greater capacity for self-regulation.
Finally, integrating SE into daily life involves developing a compassionate and non-judgmental attitude towards one’s own experiences, sensations, and emotions. By learning to meet oneself with kindness and curiosity, rather than criticism or avoidance, one can create a safe and nurturing inner environment that supports ongoing healing and growth.
Somatic Experiencing and Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change and reorganize in response to experiences. Research has shown that trauma can lead to changes in brain structure and function, but these changes are not necessarily permanent.
Somatic Experiencing, by promoting nervous system regulation and the processing of traumatic experiences, can facilitate neural plasticity and the rewiring of the brain. As individuals learn to track their sensations, regulate their arousal, and integrate traumatic experiences, new neural pathways can be formed, leading to a greater sense of safety, resilience, and well-being.
SE also emphasizes the importance of positive experiences and resources in facilitating neural plasticity. By helping individuals to identify and strengthen positive sensations and experiences, SE can promote the growth of new neural connections associated with safety, connection, and vitality.
In summary, Somatic Experiencing works with the brain-body connection to heal trauma by regulating the nervous system, promoting body awareness, and facilitating the processing of traumatic experiences through titration and pendulation. By harnessing the brain’s capacity for neuroplasticity, SE can lead to lasting changes in both physiology and psychology, promoting greater resilience and well-being.
We have a Somatic Experiencing Therapist @ Taproot Therapy Collective. Click here to schedule.
Somatic Experiencing Series:
Bibliography
Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel-Porat, V., Ziv, Y., Lerner, K., & Ross, G. (2017). Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304-312.
Heller, D. P., & Heller, L. (2004). Somatic experiencing in the treatment of automobile accident trauma. U.S. Association for Body Psychotherapy Journal, 3(2), 42-52.
Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.
Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma: The innate capacity to transform overwhelming experiences. North Atlantic Books.
Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93.
Types of Therapy
0 Comments