Somatic Experiencing® at GWCIM
At the GWCIM, we are dedicated to your overall well-being, and that includes helping you heal from the lasting effects of trauma and stress.
Trauma isn’t just a memory; it’s a complex of unresolved survival responses that can deeply impact both your consciousness and biology. Similarly, chronic stress, prolonged illness, caregiving, and other difficult life stages can affect your well-being in the same way.
Our provider, Angela Gabriel, LAc, SEP, offers Initial Discovery Sessions at a special administrative rate of $100 for 60 minutes. During this session, you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about this approach and how it can support your health and well-being.
What Is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing is a prominent modality among several somatic therapies (EMDR, Hakomi, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, etc) being acknowledged for its focus on safe and organic healing of the autonomic nervous system. Read and watch videos about Somatic Experiencing® on the organization’s website: SE 101.
How Somatic Experiencing work?
- Safety and Support are the foundations
- Awareness and Tracking: You will be guided to notice the physical sensations in your body, emotions, images, memories, movements, and thoughts. This practice of “tracking” builds a bridge between mind and body, reconnecting you with your innate capacity for regulation and healing.
- Titration: This process involves touching upon difficult sensations in small, manageable amounts. This “titration” allows your nervous system to process and digest stored stress without feeling overwhelmed, ensuring the experience feels productive and safe.
- Building Resources: A core part of SE is identifying and strengthening what helps you feel grounded and stable. These “resources”—whether a breathing pattern, sensing body or the image of a safe place—become anchors you can return to at any time duting pendilations and in real syressful situation.
- Release and Integration: This gentle method allows your body to gradually release stored survival energy by processing it through movements, breathing, and in other safe ways. As this happens, survival responses can be completed and integrated, becoming part of your past instead of a trigger in your present. The result is an increased resilience and a greater capacity to navigate life’s stresses with ease.
Does Somatic Experience replace traditional psychotherapy?
Somatic Experiencing® is best understood as a powerful modality that works in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, traditional psychotherapy. Traditional psychotherapy often works “top-down” to address the thoughts and emotional narratives of trauma. SE accesses trauma with a “bottom-up” approach. It focuses on releasing the physiological imprint and stuck survival energy held in the nervous system.
This integrated healing can be structured in two effective ways: a patient may work with a single psychotherapist (or another mental health provider) who is also certified in SE. It is always recommended to have a mental health provider for individuals who have experienced significant trauma and mental health symptoms.
Alternatively, a patient can create a collaborative care team by working with their primary mental health provider and also seeing a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) with a medical or bodywork license (not mental health). This approach addresses both the mind’s narrative and the body’s stored experiences, supporting a more effective healing process.
Therefore, your SEP could be a physical therapist, craniosacral therapist, acupuncturist, massage therapist, or another licensed provider working under their respective scope of practice. They can bring their unique body-based expertise to the process.
At GWCIM, Somatic Experiencing sessions are provided by a bodyworker specialist. It is always recommended to have a mental health provider for individuals who have experienced significant trauma and mental health symptoms.
Who Can Benefit From Somatic Experiencing?
Because Somatic Experiencing works directly with the body’s nervous system, it can help whether you are suffering from a single overwhelming event or the cumulative toll of ongoing stress. It addresses the root physiological patterns that contribute to many different conditions.
We find this approach is particularly helpful for individuals experiencing:
Trauma and Stress-Related Conditions:
- Post-Traumatic Stress (PTSD) from any cause
- Anxiety, panic attacks, and overwhelming fear
- Burnout from high-stress jobs or caregiving
Chronic Physical Symptoms:
- Chronic pain, including fibromyalgia and migraines
- Symptoms associated with autoimmune conditions and chronic illness
- Digestive issues (IBS) and other physical symptoms of stress
Emotional and Relational Difficulties:
- Depression and feelings of hopelessness
- Complicated grief and loss
- Challenges with connection and feeling safe in relationships
Recovery from Specific Events:
- Accidents, injuries, and falls
- Medical trauma, including invasive procedures and difficult diagnoses
If you recognize your own experience in any of these areas, Somatic Experiencing offers a gentle, body-focused path toward renewed resilience and well-being.
Our providers:
Angela Gabriel is a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and a licensed acupuncturist (LAc). Her unique approach combines Somatic Experiencing with the complementary benefits of various types of bodywork and Chinese Medicine. Angela specializes in working with clients who are typically already engaged in psychotherapy. She brings her expertise in SE touch to enhance therapeutic and trauma work, which creates a significant impact on the healing process. For comprehensive trauma therapy services at GWCIM, please refer to our Integrative Mental Health services. Other specialists at GWCIM work with patients experienced traumatic events:
- Integrative Psychiatry: Dr. Misty Embrey, MD
- Psychotherapy: Dr. Sally Novak, LCSW
- Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy and Reiki: Yael Flusberg
- Spiritual guidance, Reiki, Coaching: Mara Benner
- Ketamin Assisted Psychotherapy Team
