🌿 Somatic Experiencing® Therapy: Healing Trauma Through the Body
North Phoenix & Anthem, AZ — Your Inner Pathways Counseling
Learn how Somatic Experiencing® Therapy works, what makes it different from traditional talk therapy, and how it can help your nervous system recover from trauma, chronic stress, and emotional overwhelm.
💡 Introduction: What Is Somatic Experiencing® Therapy?
• Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) is a body-based, trauma-healing approach developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine. It focuses on the nervous system’s natural ability to restore balance after overwhelming experiences — rather than retelling or reliving trauma.
• SE helps release “stuck” survival energy (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses) that can keep you feeling anxious, disconnected, or on edge.
At Your Inner Pathways Counseling, our SE-informed clinicians help clients gently reconnect with their bodies, regulate the nervous system, and rebuild safety, strength, and resilience.
🧠 How Does Somatic Experiencing Work?
• Trauma lives not only in our memories but also in our bodies.
• When the nervous system is overwhelmed, it may stay “stuck” in patterns of high alert or shutdown.
• SE sessions help clients notice subtle sensations — tension, tingling, warmth, movement — and guide those sensations toward completion and calm.
• This process helps discharge stored energy and restores the body’s natural rhythm of activation and relaxation.
👉 SE focuses on felt experience rather than analysis, allowing healing to occur from the inside out.
🌱 What to Expect in SE-Informed Therapy
• Gentle pacing: Your therapist guides you to notice sensations safely and slowly.
• Titration: We work in small, manageable pieces rather than diving straight into trauma content.
• Pendulation: You’ll move between moments of activation and rest to help your body release energy gradually.
• Co-regulation: The therapist provides a calm, grounded presence to help your nervous system find safety.
• Integration: Over time, your body learns to complete protective responses, fostering long-term resilience.
💬 Common Signs Somatic Experiencing May Help
SE therapy can be beneficial if you experience:
• Chronic anxiety, tension, or startle response
• Emotional numbness, disconnection, or “freeze” states
• Difficulty relaxing or sleeping
• Feeling constantly “on edge” or overwhelmed
• Physical symptoms with no clear medical cause (somatic pain, fatigue, tightness)
• A history of trauma, loss, or prolonged stress
🌿 Benefits of Somatic Experiencing® Therapy
• Improved nervous-system regulation and stress tolerance
• Reduced symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and dissociation
• Decreased body tension and psychosomatic pain
• Increased grounding, safety, and emotional capacity
• Better relationships through improved regulation and communication
• Renewed sense of vitality and presence
🎨 Integrating SE With Other Modalities at Your Inner Pathways Counseling
Our trauma-informed clinicians often combine SE with:
✅ EMDR Therapy
— for processing traumatic memories
✅ Expressive Arts Therapy
— for creative self-expression and emotional release
✅ Mindfulness & Regulation Skills — for ongoing nervous-system balance
This integrative approach allows for deep healing on both the emotional and physiological levels.
🌻 Who Provides Somatic Experiencing at Your Inner Pathways Counseling?
Our team includes therapists trained or informed in Somatic Experiencing principles. We tailor each session to meet your unique needs and pace.
👉 Learn more on our Clinicians page
✨ Take the First Step Toward Healing
If you’re ready to reconnect with your body, calm your nervous system, and release the effects of trauma, Somatic Experiencing® may be right for you.
Your Inner Pathways Counseling provides SE-informed trauma therapy in North Phoenix, Anthem, and online throughout Arizona.
to schedule a consultation and begin your healing journey.
At Your Inner Pathways Counseling, our licensed therapists specialize in trauma-informed approaches such as EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and Expressive Arts Therapy. We help adults and teens manage anxiety, depression, grief, and life transitions through compassionate, evidence-based care. Whether you visit us in person in Anthem / North Phoenix or prefer secure tele-health sessions across Arizona, our goal is to help you reconnect with resilience, balance, and creativity.
Serving North Phoenix, Anthem, Tramonto, Peoria, Glendale, Surprise, Cave Creek, Deer Valley, Desert Ridge, Norterra, Scottsdale. Remote and virtual appointments are also available