Traumatic experiences are not memories to take lightly. The devastating symptoms of trauma can have a hold over you for weeks, months, or even years.
You could be experiencing flashbacks and nightmares. Both make it hard for you to stay in the present moment.
You may also be feeling like danger lurks at every corner, causing you to freeze when you feel you do not have a chance to escape.
Luckily, Somatic Experiencing (SE) treatment is about noticing bodily sensations triggered by mental health issues and working through the pain. Here are some key benefits that will help keep you grounded.
You Will Recognize Your Bodily Sensations Better
First, you will be able to recognize how your body sensations are linked to your trauma. You may be noticing sensations that you have never taken the time to notice before such as:
Your posture
Natural heart rate
The location of your tension
External or internal calming elements
External triggers
Once you are aware of how your body responds to sensations and your physical symptoms, your therapist will help increase that awareness.
You Will Gain Resources to Feel Safe
Your Somatic Experiencing therapist will help you create resources to feel safe while working on your trauma. Think of it as picking through a mental box of positive memories that will make you feel good about a place, person, or object you love when a trigger occurs.
Resourcing will help you stay calm in the present moment if you were to confront any trauma sensations or traumatic memories. You will discover a sense of peace, strength, and resilience that you did not know you had.
You Will Come to Terms With the Trauma
Once you have your mental box of resources with you, you will be in a better place to slowly revisit the trauma. Titration will expose you to a small amount of distress at a time to build a tolerance. The trauma will feel like it is played in slow motion to get a better handle on it.
Titration is all about tracking your responses and bodily sensations while revisiting the trauma. It can mean taking notice of the way your breathing changes, how your hands feel, or a change of vocal tone. Revisiting the trauma can gradually make you less affected by it.
You Will Have Better Control of Your Mental State
Instead of being frozen in a traumatized state, you will have the ability by the end of therapy to have control over your body's responses. Pendulation is moving back and forth between alertness and action without getting stuck at either extreme.
You will be confident in the ability to move between mental states like a wave. Being able to move from an aroused state to a calming state will come more naturally to you. While no one asks for these traumatic events to shape our lives, taking back control is the best way to fight off these triggers.
Seeking Somatic Experiencing Therapy
If you are tired of being stuck in a frozen state and are ready to embrace your trauma, it is worth it to give Somatic Experiencing a try.
Revisiting trauma can be a difficult experience. While the idea of re-experiencing traumatic events can be frightening, staying grounded will prevent trauma from interfering with your life.
Consulting with the right therapist can make all the difference in the world. Once you feel comfortable with your therapist and the elements of Somatic Experiencing, it will be easier to share painful feelings or memories that occur.
When you are ready to confront your trauma, do not hesitate to reach out to us. Find out today how trauma therapy can benefit your life.
