What Is Somatic Experiencing®? A Body-Based Approach to Trauma, Anxiety, and Chronic Stress
If you've ever wondered why you still feel anxious, tense, or overwhelmed despite understanding your experiences, you're not alone. Many people find that insight helps them make sense of what they've been through, but their body continues to react as though the danger is still present.
Somatic Experiencing® is a body-based approach to therapy that helps address those lingering patterns by working with your nervous system rather than focusing only on thoughts or emotions. Instead of asking, "What's wrong with you?" it asks, "How has your body learned to protect you?"
In this article, I'll explain what Somatic Experiencing is, how it works, what sessions are like, and why many people find it helpful for trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, and other experiences that continue to affect both mind and body.
Who I Am and Why This Work Matters to Me
I'm Amy Hagerstrom, a licensed therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). Early in graduate school, I realized I wanted to build my practice around a mind-body approach to therapy. Bringing my body into my own therapeutic process had made such a meaningful difference in my life that I knew I wanted to help others experience that, too.
As I trained in Somatic Experiencing, it gave me a framework for something I had already begun to recognize: insight is important, but it isn't always enough. We can understand why we feel anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck, yet our bodies may continue responding as though the threat is still present.
That understanding continues to shape how I practice today. While I integrate other approaches when they're appropriate, Somatic Experiencing remains the foundation of my work because it helps bridge the gap between what we understand intellectually and what our bodies are still experiencing.
Understanding Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine. Rather than focusing primarily on thoughts or memories, Somatic Experiencing also pays close attention to what's happening in the body moment by moment.
Unlike approaches that rely mainly on talking, Somatic Experiencing pays close attention to physical sensations, movement, breath, and other subtle cues from the body. Sometimes that means slowing down and noticing what's happening in the present moment. Other times, it may involve returning to a difficult experience when it naturally arises, while staying connected to what's happening in the body so the nervous system isn't overwhelmed.
Somatic Experiencing is based on the understanding that experiences that were too much, too fast, or too soon can leave lasting patterns in the nervous system. By working with these protective responses gradually and at a pace your nervous system can tolerate, Somatic Experiencing helps your body become more flexible, resilient, and able to return to a sense of ease.
How Somatic Experiencing Developed
Somatic Experiencing was developed by Dr. Peter Levine after years of studying stress, biology, and how trauma affects the body. Early in his career, an experience with a client led him to wonder whether the body sometimes needs to complete protective responses that were interrupted during overwhelming experiences.
That question shaped decades of research and clinical observation. Levine also studied why wild animals regularly survive life-threatening events yet don't appear to remain stuck in defensive states. Those observations, together with neuroscience, stress physiology, and years of clinical practice, became the foundation of Somatic Experiencing.
Today, Somatic Experiencing has been studied as an approach for trauma, PTSD, and chronic stress. While research is still growing, studies suggest it can help reduce trauma symptoms, improve emotional regulation, and support recovery for many people.
How Your Body Holds Onto Stress
When something overwhelming happens, your body automatically shifts into survival mode. These protective responses, often called fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown, are intelligent adaptations designed to help keep you safe.
For many people, the nervous system naturally settles once the threat has passed. But when an experience feels too overwhelming, happens repeatedly, or there isn't enough support to fully recover, your nervous system may continue responding as though the danger is still present.
Freeze is one example of this. It can feel like your body wants to take action while another part of you shuts everything down. You might feel tense and exhausted at the same time, find yourself unable to think clearly or speak up, or notice yourself feeling numb or disconnected when you're under stress.
Over time, these protective patterns can show up in ways that don't always seem connected to the original experience, such as:
Muscle tension that doesn't fully let go
Feeling restless, on edge, or chronically exhausted
Digestive discomfort or changes in sleep
Emotional reactions that feel bigger than the situation
Feeling numb, disconnected, or shutting down during stress
These responses don't mean there's something wrong with you. They often reflect a nervous system that has learned to protect you in the best way it knows how.
Somatic Experiencing works with these protective patterns rather than against them. Instead of trying to force your body to relax or move on, it helps your nervous system gradually discover that the threat has passed. Over time, this can create more flexibility, resilience, and capacity to meet life's challenges without staying stuck in survival mode.
Why Talking Alone Sometimes Isn't Enough
Talk therapy can be incredibly valuable. It helps us understand our experiences, recognize patterns, and make sense of how the past continues to shape the present. For many people, that understanding is an important part of the therapeutic process.
At the same time, you may have noticed that insight doesn't always lead to change. You can understand why you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck and still find your body reacting as though the danger is happening right now. Your heart races, your shoulders tighten, your breathing becomes shallow, or you feel numb or disconnected before you've even had a chance to think.
That's because many stress responses happen automatically through the nervous system. They're designed to protect you, not because you're choosing them, but because your body has learned that's what it needs to do to stay safe.
Somatic Experiencing takes a different approach. Rather than working only with thoughts and emotions, we also pay attention to what's happening in your body. By noticing sensations, movement, breath, and other subtle shifts, we can begin working with the nervous system directly, helping it gradually discover that the threat has passed.
This doesn't replace insight. It builds on it.
When your mind and body begin working together, understanding is no longer something you simply know intellectually. It becomes something your nervous system can experience. Over time, many people find they can stay present with difficult emotions, recover from stress more easily, and respond to life's challenges with greater flexibility instead of automatically slipping into survival mode.
How Somatic Experiencing Works
Somatic Experiencing is a gentle, collaborative approach. Rather than following a set agenda, I pay close attention to how your body responds from moment to moment, and together we work at a pace that feels manageable. Depending on what's happening in the session, we may draw from several principles that guide Somatic Experiencing.
Titration
We take things one small step at a time. If something feels emotionally or physically intense, I may slow the process down so your nervous system can stay present rather than becoming overwhelmed. Working in small pieces helps build capacity while allowing change to unfold gradually.
Pendulation
Rather than staying with one experience for too long, we gently move between different experiences. Sometimes that means shifting between an area of discomfort and another part of your body that feels steadier or more comfortable. Other times it may mean moving between something emotionally difficult and something that feels grounding or supportive. This natural back-and-forth helps your nervous system discover that it doesn't have to stay stuck and can move more flexibly between different states.
Grounding and Resourcing
Grounding and resourcing help your body find steadiness when things feel difficult. That might include noticing your feet on the floor, the support of the chair beneath you, or bringing attention to a person, place, or memory that helps you feel more settled. These experiences give your body somewhere to return when difficult sensations or emotions arise, making it easier to stay present without becoming overwhelmed.
Discharge and Completion
Sometimes protective responses weren't able to fully unfold during an overwhelming experience. As your nervous system begins finding more completion, you may notice natural responses such as a sigh, a yawn, tears, trembling, or a sense of warmth or relaxation. These are some of the ways your body releases tension and begins to settle.
Trust and Tuning In
Over time, many people develop a different relationship with their bodies. Instead of feeling frustrated by physical sensations or emotional reactions, they become more curious about what those experiences are communicating. That growing awareness often leads to greater trust in yourself and your ability to respond to life's challenges.
These principles aren't followed in a fixed order. Instead, they help guide the work based on what your body is communicating in the moment and what feels manageable for you.
What Actually Happens in a Session
Every session is different because every nervous system is different. Rather than following a set agenda, we pay attention to what's happening in the present moment and allow your body's responses to guide where we go. My role is to help you notice and make sense of what your nervous system is communicating while guiding the process in a way that feels manageable and supportive.
You might notice things like:
Tightness in your chest as we talk about a difficult experience
A flutter in your stomach or a lump in your throat
Heaviness or tension in your arms or legs
A sense of warmth, steadiness, or ease as your body begins to settle
As we notice these experiences together, I may invite you to stay with a sensation a little longer, shift your attention to a place that feels steadier, or experiment with a small movement that your body seems to need. That might look like pressing your feet into the floor, gently squeezing your hands together, changing your posture, or wrapping yourself in a blanket. These small adjustments can help your nervous system feel more supported and allow new experiences to emerge.
We'll also spend time talking about your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and life experiences. Bringing the mind and body into the process together often creates opportunities for new insight and lasting change.
Throughout our work, I offer a steady, grounded presence while helping you develop a different relationship with your nervous system. You are always in charge of the pace. Nothing is forced, and you never have to go further than feels manageable. We work together to create an experience that feels collaborative, responsive, and guided by what your nervous system is ready for.
Who This Work Helps
I work with adults throughout Florida (including Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach) and Illinois (including Chicago) who are ready to feel safer in their bodies, build more capacity, and create lasting change.
You may have tried to think your way through it, push through it, or simply keep going. But despite your insight and your efforts, something still feels stuck.
You might recognize yourself in some of these experiences:
The physical effects of stress
Chronic tension that never seems to fully release
Feeling tired even after a full night's sleep
Stomach knots, digestive discomfort, or frequent headaches
A sense that your body is always "on," even when you want to relax
Emotional patterns that feel difficult to shift
Anxiety that feels wired into your system
Shutting down or going numb when you want to stay connected
Emotional reactions that feel bigger than the situation
Feeling disconnected from yourself or the people you care about
The lasting effects of trauma or overwhelming experiences
Events that still carry a charge, even years later
Stress that's built up gradually over time
Feeling like you've had to hold it together instead of getting the support you needed
You may look grounded and capable on the outside. You've built a life, managed responsibilities, and found ways to keep going. But inside, it can feel like you're constantly managing tension, overwhelm, or exhaustion. The strategies that once helped you cope may not be working as well, and you're looking for an approach that creates deeper, lasting change.
Somatic Experiencing offers a different way of working. Together, we help your nervous system gradually experience more safety so you can recover from stress more easily, stay present during difficult moments, and respond to life's challenges with greater flexibility.
Over time, many people notice they can stay present during difficult moments without becoming overwhelmed. They recover more easily after stress, feel more connected to themselves and others, and experience a greater sense of ease in their daily lives. Your nervous system doesn't have to stay stuck in survival mode. It can learn to respond with more flexibility, so you can feel, connect, and live more fully.
A Different Way Forward
Your nervous system learned to protect you for good reasons. The patterns of tension, reactivity, or shutdown you experience aren't flaws. They're intelligent adaptations that once helped you get through difficult experiences.
When those same patterns begin to keep you from feeling present, connected, or at ease in your daily life, your nervous system may still be responding in the ways it learned to protect you. The good news is that these patterns aren't permanent. That's what Somatic Experiencing is designed to help with. Together, we help your nervous system learn new ways of responding so you can move through life with greater flexibility and ease.
Over time, you may notice yourself feeling more present in your relationships, more connected to your body, and less caught in patterns of anxiety, overwhelm, or shutdown. Difficult moments don't disappear, but they no longer have to define your experience. Instead, you develop the ability to move through them and find your way back to yourself.
Whether you're just beginning to explore Somatic Experiencing or considering therapy, I hope this article has given you a clearer understanding of how this work supports lasting change. If you'd like to learn more about my approach, you can explore the other resources on my website.