Liz Imparato

If you notice times when your heart starts racing and you feel fear even though part of you knows you are safe, or it feels like you can’t get a deep breath, these are just a few signs of trauma and neglect. Other things you might notice are a consistent drive toward perfectionism that leads to exhaustion or feeling disorganized and disconnected. When we’ve lived through a situation that was too much, and went too fast, too soon, the memory of that event gets stored in our body.

If this sounds like you, and you’ve tried talk therapy but didn’t end up feeling better, Somatic Experiencingä may hold some answers for you. Somatic Experiencing therapy focuses on restoring balance to one’s nervous system. When your body is no longer reacting to situations and thoughts like the trauma was happening all over again, you find it quicker to relax and easier to cope with current situations with a clear and balanced mind.

When I learned about Somatic Experiencing, I realized what I had been missing in all the work I had done with clients previously. Trauma is a memory that is held in the body, not just the mind. When the body can feel supported in feeling free and successful, the mind becomes eased and freer. The end result is that you can experience lasting change and freedom from behaviors that may have worked when you were younger but no longer are effective in getting you what you need in your relationships.