Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapy in Milwaukee, WI is a gentle way to heal trauma, stress, or overwhelm stored within the body. SE therapy was created by Peter Levine. You can read more about Peter Levine by following this link here. SE can help you heal not only from trauma and stress but also from grief and loss, integrating the stress or trauma after surgery, processing anxiety, and other uncomfortable internal sensations experienced in life.
What is Somatic Experiencing (SE) Therapy?
Somatic experiencing therapy is well known as being a powerful trauma therapy.  That’s because it is a body-based therapy that facilitates healing from the body up. Most cognitive therapies are top-down, meaning they start with the brain and move their way downward. SE, however, starts with the body first. By starting first in the body, a person first begins to notice tiny sensations, emotions, and shifts within their body. As these tiny experiences begin to be tracked, one’s negative thought patterns, critical thought patterns, and tunnel vision begin to shift for the better.
Understanding Trauma – Body vs. Mind
The human body responds to trauma in different ways than the mind does. However, the body tends to store incomplete trauma responses which then contribute to mental health symptoms later in life. The fight, flight, or freeze response is regulated by the nervous system. When the nervous system becomes dysregulated due to trauma or stress, you can experience a wide range of mental health and medical symptoms. This is why trauma healing via SE therapy near you is so important.
The Science Behind SE Therapy
Our world moves quickly. Because of this, the mind-body connection often becomes disconnected or not paid attention to. This can lead to challenges in noticing emotions and sensations throughout life. Furthermore, somatic therapy science details how the nervous system has evolved to sense threats, preserve life, and react to cues of threat when needed.
However, neuroscience research also shows that the brain and nervous system change after trauma and stress. A person’s age, history of stress and trauma, and ability to cope all play into the effects of trauma on the body. When an individual experiences trauma, large amounts of cortisol and adrenaline are pumped into the body so that we can respond to the threat adequately. This can lead to chronic health conditions later in life if not addressed.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy Techniques
Somatic experiencing therapy has many different techniques to support the body’s processing and integration of trauma or stress. One powerful skill is grounding techniques. This isn’t about just feeling the ground but sensing how your body becomes more stable and resourced when certain aspects of life are noticed. We’ll then work to increase your ability to sense, feel, and track sensations, emotions, urges, and images as they appear in sessions. SE works by slowing the gentle pendulation into and out of activation and deactivation within the nervous. This allows for the integration of past painful experiences. Another SE mechanism is that of titration. Think of this as breaking larger, more painful life experiences down into smaller more digestible components. By doing this, we can protect the body from moving into dissociation or overactivation.
Benefits of Somatic Experiencing Therapy for Men
Because of the stress, pain, and nature of this busy life, men can experience a chronic level of stress. This becomes more complicated if a man has a history of trauma, childhood and attachment trauma, and the profession you work in is overly stressful. SE can help to bring a sense of relief, decrease in internal stress, positive shifts in self-esteem and confidence, and a general peace to the body. It’s important to note that these positive shifts do not occur overnight. It takes time to heal the body and mind.
Best Somatic Experiencing Therapist Near Me
Daniel Gospodarek is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is an intermediate-level somatic experiencing therapist. He is slated to complete his somatic experiencing training later in 2025. He currently uses SE therapy to help men heal from past traumatic relationships, improve their relationships, manage chronic illnesses, and face the future with calmness.
If you or someone you know may benefit from somatic experiencing therapy reach out now. We are currently accepting new self-pay clients. We offer in-person therapy services on Saturdays and Sundays for those living near Southern Wisconsin and online therapy services throughout both Wisconsin and Colorado. Give us a call at 720.295.6703 or reach out online here.
