Somatic Experiencing & Trauma: How the Body Stores and Releases Stress (Copy)
Trauma is not just a story the mind remembers—it’s an experience the body continues to carry long after the event is over. For many people, trauma shows up not only as intrusive thoughts or emotional distress, but also as tension, pain, numbness, restlessness, fatigue, or a constant feeling of being “on edge.”
This is why approaches like Somatic Experiencing (SE) have become so essential in modern trauma therapy. Created by Dr. Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing helps individuals gently release stress and trauma stored in the nervous system, allowing the body to complete survival responses that were interrupted during overwhelming events.
At Mosaic Therapy Group, somatic-based approaches are often woven into the healing process because they help clients reconnect with the body in a safe, supportive way—especially when talk therapy alone isn’t enough. In this article, we’ll explore what Somatic Experiencing is, why the body stores trauma, and how somatic work can transform the healing process.
What Is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based therapy designed to help the nervous system gradually release the physical, emotional, and energetic residue of traumatic or overwhelming experiences.
Instead of relying solely on talking about the trauma, SE helps clients:
Notice sensations in the body
Understand how their nervous system responds
Gently discharge stuck survival energy
Restore a sense of internal safety
Build resilience and regulation
The goal isn’t to relive trauma—it's to restore the body’s natural capacity to move out of fight, flight, freeze, or collapse, and back into grounded presence and connection.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, trauma and chronic stress can significantly impact the body’s physical systems, including the autonomic nervous system and immune function:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress
Somatic Experiencing works directly with this physiological impact, not just the cognitive or emotional aspects.
How the Body Stores Trauma
When something overwhelming happens—a threat, loss, accident, conflict, or even chronic emotional stress—the nervous system attempts to respond with its natural instincts:
Fight
Flight
Freeze
Fawn
Collapse or shutdown
If you can complete one of these survival responses, the body typically returns to balance. But if the event is too overwhelming, too fast, or too frightening, the system can become stuck in a loop.
What “stuck trauma energy” looks like
The body may hold onto:
Tension in the shoulders, jaw, or stomach
Racing heart or shallow breathing
Numbness or disconnection
Hypervigilance or exaggerated startle responses
Digestive issues
Chronic pain or fatigue
Difficulty feeling emotions
Feeling “frozen” or unable to act
These aren’t random symptoms—they are the nervous system’s attempt to finish unfinished survival responses.
Somatic Experiencing helps complete those cycles.
Why Talk Therapy Isn’t Always Enough
Talk therapy is deeply valuable—but trauma is stored non-verbally as well. Many trauma survivors say things like:
“I know I’m safe now, but my body doesn’t feel safe.”
“I’ve talked about my trauma for years, but my symptoms haven’t changed.”
“I freeze or panic even when I understand what’s happening.”
This happens because trauma memories aren’t just cognitive—they’re somatic, sensory, and physiological.
Somatic Experiencing helps bridge the gap between the thinking mind and the survival brain.
How Somatic Experiencing Helps Release Stress and Trauma
Somatic Experiencing uses gentle, step-by-step processes to help the body complete interrupted survival responses. This allows the nervous system to unwind patterns that have been stuck for years.
1. Building awareness of bodily sensations
Clients learn to recognize:
Tightness
Tingling
Warmth
Pressure
Restlessness
Numbness
Neutral or pleasant sensations
This awareness is the foundation for healing.
2. Working within the “Window of Tolerance”
The therapist helps clients stay within a manageable zone of nervous-system activation—never too overwhelmed or too shut down.
This makes the experience safe and sustainable.
3. Pendulation
A key SE technique: gently moving between distress and ease.
This gradual shift helps the body release stored stress without retraumatizing.
4. Completing survival responses
Clients may feel:
A natural urge to push
A release of energy
Trembling (a sign the body is discharging tension)
A spontaneous deep breath
Warmth or relaxation
Grounding
These sensations are signs of the nervous system re-regulating itself.
5. Rebuilding internal safety
As the body releases old patterns, clients experience:
Greater emotional clarity
Reduced anxiety
Less tension and pain
More grounded decision-making
Improved sleep
Stronger boundaries
A deeper sense of resilience
Somatic work truly helps the body remember that the danger is over.
Somatic Experiencing and Complex Trauma
For clients with chronic or developmental trauma, Somatic Experiencing can be especially transformative.
It supports:
Rebuilding a sense of safety
Strengthening internal boundaries
Softening chronic tension patterns
Reconnecting with emotions
Healing attachment wounds through embodied awareness
Because it works slowly and safely, SE is well suited for clients who:
Feel easily overwhelmed
Have difficulty staying present
Experience dissociation
Carry trauma from childhood
Have chronic health or pain conditions
The Role of the Nervous System in Trauma Healing
Somatic Experiencing is grounded in understanding the autonomic nervous system—the body’s automatic regulator.
SE helps bring balance to:
1. Sympathetic activation (fight/flight)
Clients may feel:
Restless
Anxious
Hypervigilant
Trapped in “overdrive”
2. Dorsal vagal shutdown (freeze/collapse)
Clients may feel:
Numb
Disconnected
Tired
Hopeless
3. Ventral vagal regulation (safety/social connection)
This is the state where healing occurs.
Somatic Experiencing helps restore this regulated state over time.
Benefits of Somatic Experiencing
Clients often experience:
Reduced anxiety
Improved sleep
Greater emotional balance
Decreased chronic pain
Fewer triggers
More trauma resilience
Increased presence and grounding
Better boundaries
A stronger sense of self
These changes don’t come from forcing the body, but from gently teaching it to release what it has held for too long.
How Somatic Experiencing Fits Into Integrative Therapy
At Mosaic Therapy Group, somatic work is part of a broader integrative, mind-body approach, which may also include:
EMDR
Attachment-based therapies
Parts work
Mindfulness
Cognitive tools
Trauma-informed talk therapy
Clients can explore the full list of services here:
https://themosaictherapygroup.com/services
This integration allows therapy to honor the full complexity of trauma—emotional, physical, relational, and neurological.
Who Can Benefit from Somatic Experiencing?
SE can support clients who struggle with:
Trauma
Anxiety
Chronic stress
Grief
Panic attacks
Chronic pain
Medical trauma
Dissociation
Relationship triggers
Childhood trauma
Feeling “stuck” in therapy
Because it works at the nervous system level, SE often helps people who haven’t responded fully to talk therapy alone.
What to Expect in a Somatic Experiencing Session
Every session is unique, but may include:
Gentle grounding exercises
Noticing sensations in the body
Exploring triggers safely
Processing past experiences without reliving them
Tracking changes in breath or muscle tension
Micro-movements or subtle gestures
Releasing stored energy slowly
Resting and integrating between moments of activation
The process is always client-led and never rushed.
Final Thoughts: The Body Remembers—And It Can Heal
Trauma doesn't just live in the mind. It lives in the muscles, breath, heartbeat, and nervous system. But with the right support, the body can learn to release what it has carried and reclaim a sense of ease, safety, and connection.
Somatic Experiencing helps clients gently unwind patterns that may have been present for years, offering a path toward deeper healing and a more grounded, embodied life.
If you’re interested in somatic or trauma-focused therapy, Mosaic Therapy Group offers a supportive, integrative approach to help you feel safe, connected, and fully present again.