About Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing® is a therapy that helps to relieve and resolve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental and physical trauma-related health problems by focusing on the client’s perceived body sensations (or Somatic Experiences).

Somatic Experiencing was introduced in 1997 by Dr. Peter Levine in his groundbreaking book “Waking the Tiger.” In it, he discusses at length his observations of animals in the wild, and how they deal with and recover from life-threatening situations. Dr. Levine concludes that animal behavior gives us “an insight into the biological healing process” and that “the key to healing traumatic symptoms in humans lies in our being able to mirror the fluid adaption of wild animals” as they avoid traumatization in reacting to life-threatening situations.

For over 20 years Catalina Ureta has continued to refine Somatic Experiencing and is credited with developing The Points Holding Process™ and founding the Somatic Institute™. Her incredible knowledge of the body’s subtle energies and neurological system make her work both penetrating and powerful.

In Somatic Experiencing, PTSD symptoms are not seen as a pathology that must be “managed” but as normal responses to an overwhelming life event. “Trauma is a fact of life, and most of us have been exposed to it. Trauma, however, does not have to be a life sentence.” (Peter Levine)