How does online Somatic Experiencing therapy work?
Somatic Experiencing is the life work of Dr. Peter A. Levine that aims to support nervous system regulation and resolve symptoms of trauma that may live in our bodies. Somatic Experiencing helps clients attune to their bodies, slow down and gently build capacity and tolerance for difficult sensations and emotions. Doing online Somatic Experiencing virtually can be just as beneficial as in-person and may offer some additional benefits as well.
What are the benefits of doing Somatic Experiencing virtually?
- Convenience. The session can last one hour, saving time from commuting. It is not always easy to make appointments when you have a busy life. Online somatic experiencing sessions eliminate the need for commuting making it easier to fit your session into your day.
- Being at home can bring in resources during the session that aren’t as possible in the office. For example, doing somatic experience therapy with your beloved pet. Finding and connecting with resources that support regulation is a significant part of the work. For many people, getting to practice at home allows connection to these resources in a meaningful way. You can also have your session wherever you feel comfortable – your office, bedroom, or comfy chair. For many, this helps ease the anxiety of being vulnerable.
- One of the main components of SE is learning to track your own body sensations, emotions, and movement impulses. It requires learning to slow down. It invites us to be curious about our body’s responses and to learn to attend to our body. This can happen whether you are online or in-office. Our somatic experiencing practitioners are skilled at attuning to you even through the screen. We will support your embodied experience of feeling supported and not alone.
- The work is immediately applicable to your daily life. This is because you are supporting your nervous system to regulate in the spaces where you actually live. As opposed to doing work only in the safety bubble of your therapist’s office, you are practicing in your own space. You and your somatic experiencing practitioner have the ability to observe how your nervous system responds in your natural environment. What are the triggers and resources in your space at home? Your body is learning to regulate and find safety outside of a therapist’s office.
When is Somatic Experiencing online not a good idea?
Individuals who don’t have a safe and/or quiet environment for sessions at home may not benefit from online somatic experiencing. Also, individuals who are interested in SE Touch Therapy, a unique intervention where the therapist uses touch to more directly intervene with a client’s nervous system, may not benefit from online somatic experiencing as well. While self-touch can be an incredibly powerful tool in self-regulation and can be taught in virtual sessions, it is not the same as in-person intentional touch.
[Read: What is somatic experiencing? A brief introduction and Why choose embodied or somatic therapy for trauma? ]
Ready to start online Somatic Experiencing in Missouri?
At Emovere, we are a team of compassionate humans and skilled somatic experiencing practitioners who can support you heal the relationship with your body and nervous system. We serve clients throughout Missouri online. Contact us today to schedule a no-cost consultation with one of our somatic experiencing practitioners.
About the Author
Katie Bohn, LPC, SEP is the owner of Emovere. She provides supervision and consultation to a team of amazing therapists. She loves helping people heal their relationship with their body through Somatic Experiencing and offers online sessions to clients throughout Missouri.
