Trauma lives in the body, not in the brain
Have you been in therapy for years and feel like nothing has changed? Do you find yourself triggered by the smallest things? Do you live with constant anxiety and stress? Do you suffer from aches, pains, chronic illness, autoimmune disorders, exhaustion, or lack of sleep?
Whether you’ve experienced small, micro traumas across the history of your life, or one big traumatic event, trauma fundamentally changes the body.
Trauma comes back as a reaction, not a memory
Every trauma, whether it occurs in a physiological, cognitive, emotional, or interpersonal form, affects the physical body. Our body has been with us through every moment throughout our entire life. It is the accurate history of our experiences; therefore, it is essential we include the body in the healing process.
After a traumatic event, the nervous system can get stuck in a perpetual state of fight/flight or survival mode. Stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol are continually released, leading to an increase in blood sugar, inflammation and blood pressure, along with a decrease in immune function, digestive health and so much more.
Trauma also causes a deep muscular contraction to take place within the body to prepare for whatever the ensuing trauma will be. The contraction in these muscles must be released to restore the body back to its relaxed state. In primal times, and in the animal world, these deep contractions were typically followed by shaking, jumping or running to release the onset of fight/flight or freeze hormones.
In today’s modern world, we aren’t actually being chased by a tiger or thrown into war where these hormones would be put to good use. Rather, our boss sends a triggering email, we are stressed about the current economic situation, we overwork, or suffer from an onslaught of chemicals from our food or environment. We aren’t then running, jumping or shaking to expel this deep seeded muscular contraction and rush of hormones from our body. Instead, they sit there, wreaking havoc on the body.
Trauma disconnects us from a sense of ourselves
When we experience trauma, it can lead to dysfunction in the nervous system, which can keep you from fully processing your experience.
This is why trauma is known as the great disconnecter. This inability to fully process our experience in trauma creates disconnection from our body, our sensations, our relationships, nature, and the divine. With that, it can be difficult to be present in the here and now.
Somatic therapy views the mind and body as intrinsically linked. Unlike traditional talk therapy which focuses on a neck up approach, somatics invites the whole body into the healing process.
In this form of therapy, it is believed trauma and other chronic negative emotions can get trapped inside our bodies and affect our mental health and physical bodies even further.
Somatic therapy is designed to help you heal on a cellular level
Trauma is in the nervous system, not in the event. Trauma is how our nervous system and body experience the event, and how it’s integrated afterwards, not in the event itself. This means, what might be a traumatic event for you, may not be traumatic to someone else, and vice versa. Trauma is subjective to the nervous system experiencing it.
This is not a one-size-fits-all approach, rather a healing modality designed to reconnect you with the innate language of your body. Through safety and regulation in the nervous system, you can gain access to stored trauma in the body and create space for it to come up and be released physically. In a somatic session, the body becomes the foundational point for healing, emphasizing the mind/body connection so prevalent in Eastern medicine.
What Does a Somatic Experiencing (SE) Session Look Like?
My work as a Somatic Practitioner adds a new dimension to traditional psychotherapy. Much like a traditional therapy or coaching session, an SE session is a very collaborative space that is designed to help you better understand yourself and your reactions/responses to events in your life.
SE recognizes that trauma symptoms are not solely psychological but also physiological (in the body) and that the nervous system plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of those symptoms.
SE is based on the premise that the body has an innate ability to heal itself and that trauma symptoms are often the result of incomplete or interrupted physiological responses to traumatic events. By focusing on physical sensations and bodily experiences, SE aims to help individuals complete those responses and restore their natural state of homeostasis.
During our sessions, which are all held over zoom, I will guide you through a process of exploring and releasing physical sensations and emotions related to past traumatic experiences. I will help you tune into your body's sensations and guide you through exercises to release any physical tension or emotional distress that may be stored in your body. The bones of this work look like a traditional therapy session, but with a deeper connection to sensation in the body.
I typically work with clients in a series of sessions. These sessions also include access to the Safe and Sound Protocol Program, a proprietary listening system designed to re-tune the nervous system to a state of better regulation.
If you’re interested in my work and ready to step into the best version of yourself, book a complimentary exploratory call with me!
Here’s what clients have to say about working with me:
“Working with Darby was like a key opening a door to understanding the language of my individual body’s needs and obstacles. I feel like I can hear my body speaking to me, and I can now give myself permission to listen to these cues.”
“After our work together noises that made me jump or would be agitating or distracting now seem to blend in more. Or if I do react, I often go back to a calm state much quicker. I used to speed around the house more, walk quickly outside, and think about my next move as opposed to the present. Now I notice flowers and leaves, I walk a little slower, and I’m more content being in the moment.”
“I’m able to stay in a calm state for longer periods of time and after the program, as things slowly continue to change, I’m noticing that positive thinking is not as much of a struggle. I’m less distracted and pulled down by both the little things that bug me (city noise, etc.) and the bigger concerns like health problems, even when they’re scary. Gathering the energy to do things that are good for me is always a little easier. Life in general feels less heavy.”
“This was a phenomenal way to get back on-track in many different areas of my life. Not only did this work prompt me to re-evaluate the food that I was putting in my body, it also gave me the opportunity to holistically examine and address certain behaviors that were detrimental to my overall wellness. I would highly recommend working with Darby!”
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