Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapy - observations
Jun 6, 2018 2:11:58 GMT
tnr9, anne12, and 1 more like this
Post by flic on Jun 6, 2018 2:11:58 GMT
There's been a few posts on here about SE therapy (read some of anne12 posts) and I've just started doing it so thought I would post about it.
I've only had a few sessions and I can honestly say it's already having an impact which is great.
As opposed to talk therapy, SE therapy is all about becoming much more in tune with one's body, and the sensations and emotions that come up in different situations, and much less talking about things going on in one's life. The bodily responses to perceived threats happen before the brain, and therefore before the emotion, so being more aware of the body can help cut off the response that happens when one is triggered.
There's a great diagram here that explains how the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activate when the 'fight or flight' response is triggered:
irelandse.org/SomaticExperiencing/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GraphTraumaticL.jpg
For people who have experienced trauma or developmental issues (including attachment trauma) they quite often have massive shifts into the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system even when there is no real danger present. Then they get stuck and it can then be very difficult to bring this back down into equilibrium - the normal range - hence you may get an AP acting out, throwing a tantrum or becoming overly emotional, or an Avoidant freezing up or shutting down or running away.
In SE therapy, the therapist seeks to build a good relationship with the client, and help them re-wire their brain to be able to better self regulate back to the normal range between the systems when triggered.
For example, they may get you to lie down and do a body map, noticing different sensations. They may then ask you to talk about something, or simply tap into a part of the body where there is a positive or negative sensation. As you describe each sensation and feeling, you are asked to look at what else comes up, in which part of the body. Then you describe this, and then see what comes up next. And so on. You may also talk about the emotions you feel at each moment, and the words that come to mind (for example "I feel guilty", " I'm sorry", "I feel ashamed". The therapist will work with you to keep bringing you back to parts of the body that feel supported, grounded or safe, after you tap into a sensation or part of the body that does not feel good, or after an emotion comes up caused by a trigger. You will also notice things like twitching, saliva in the mouth etc when you are brought back to normal range. Colours and shapes you see behind your eyes also indicate which mode you are in. In this way, they are gently creating the rhythm of going from the normal range to the parasympathetic or the sympathetic, and back again.
The idea is that doing this repeatedly, in a safe space, will over time 're-wire' your brain to be able to look to the body automatically, and in turn, limit the uncontrollable acting out or shutting down. It also integrates once you leave the session. There's also a whole other part about just being more aware of what your body does when you are in different situations, and learning to notice and release.
Anyway, as my therapist told me, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but having tried other types of therapy before and never getting to the bottom of my emotional and anger issues, I am finding that it feels very useful. Already I'm noticing certain bodily reactions when different things come up - when I'm doing certain things or seeing certain people, and the awareness is allowing me to try and release the emotion before i internalise it in my mind.
There are exercises you can do online and lots of reading if your country doesn't do mental health rebates.
I might keep posting about this, it takes time but I'm really interested to see what changes occur in my awareness, my ability to control emotions, and my relationships.
I've only had a few sessions and I can honestly say it's already having an impact which is great.
As opposed to talk therapy, SE therapy is all about becoming much more in tune with one's body, and the sensations and emotions that come up in different situations, and much less talking about things going on in one's life. The bodily responses to perceived threats happen before the brain, and therefore before the emotion, so being more aware of the body can help cut off the response that happens when one is triggered.
There's a great diagram here that explains how the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activate when the 'fight or flight' response is triggered:
irelandse.org/SomaticExperiencing/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GraphTraumaticL.jpg
For people who have experienced trauma or developmental issues (including attachment trauma) they quite often have massive shifts into the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system even when there is no real danger present. Then they get stuck and it can then be very difficult to bring this back down into equilibrium - the normal range - hence you may get an AP acting out, throwing a tantrum or becoming overly emotional, or an Avoidant freezing up or shutting down or running away.
In SE therapy, the therapist seeks to build a good relationship with the client, and help them re-wire their brain to be able to better self regulate back to the normal range between the systems when triggered.
For example, they may get you to lie down and do a body map, noticing different sensations. They may then ask you to talk about something, or simply tap into a part of the body where there is a positive or negative sensation. As you describe each sensation and feeling, you are asked to look at what else comes up, in which part of the body. Then you describe this, and then see what comes up next. And so on. You may also talk about the emotions you feel at each moment, and the words that come to mind (for example "I feel guilty", " I'm sorry", "I feel ashamed". The therapist will work with you to keep bringing you back to parts of the body that feel supported, grounded or safe, after you tap into a sensation or part of the body that does not feel good, or after an emotion comes up caused by a trigger. You will also notice things like twitching, saliva in the mouth etc when you are brought back to normal range. Colours and shapes you see behind your eyes also indicate which mode you are in. In this way, they are gently creating the rhythm of going from the normal range to the parasympathetic or the sympathetic, and back again.
The idea is that doing this repeatedly, in a safe space, will over time 're-wire' your brain to be able to look to the body automatically, and in turn, limit the uncontrollable acting out or shutting down. It also integrates once you leave the session. There's also a whole other part about just being more aware of what your body does when you are in different situations, and learning to notice and release.
Anyway, as my therapist told me, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but having tried other types of therapy before and never getting to the bottom of my emotional and anger issues, I am finding that it feels very useful. Already I'm noticing certain bodily reactions when different things come up - when I'm doing certain things or seeing certain people, and the awareness is allowing me to try and release the emotion before i internalise it in my mind.
There are exercises you can do online and lots of reading if your country doesn't do mental health rebates.
I might keep posting about this, it takes time but I'm really interested to see what changes occur in my awareness, my ability to control emotions, and my relationships.