Somatic Experiencing
Trauma and nervous system overwhelm
Trauma is defined as the experiencing of an event in which we perceive a real threat to life, our identity or our sense of self. It can also be traumatic to witness someone else experiencing this. Events that may result in trauma include car accidents, falls, violence, war, torture, physical and/or emotional abuse, childhood neglect, rape, but also surgery, anaesthesia, fever and major illnesses in both childhood and adulthood.
Trauma is experienced by the individual and is not inherent in the event. This means that an event can be traumatic for one person, and not for another. It depends on one’s history, previous traumatic experiences and the ability of the nervous system to re-regulate after an overwhelming event.
The physiology of our trauma and threat response is controlled by the survival brain and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS is responsible for regulating all the basic functions of our body like movement, our five senses, heart rate, breathing, digestion, excretion, hormones and immune system. When there is a threat, the ANS activates what is known as the stress cycle. This is an entirely unconscious response, hardwired into us to deal with physical threats. It is what makes us leap out of the way of a car if we try to cross the road without taking care. When all is well, the ANS activates the stress cycle, and then de-activates it, or completes it, when the event is over. When we are traumatised, the ANS cannot complete the cycle or de-activate the stress response. The survival brain thinks the danger is still present. This results in familiar symptoms of nervous system overwhelm and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
A key thing to remember about our ANS response is that it operates automatically and without our conscious control. This means we cannot just decide to “sort ourselves out” or “pull ourselves together”. We have to work with the unconscious survival brain and ANS first, and then the conscious mind, to let our survival brain understand that the danger has passed, and help the whole nervous system re-regulate healthily.
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) occurs when the body is unable to complete the stress cycle following a traumatic event and the normal re-regulatory mechanisms are interrupted in some way. It’s as if a part of us is locked into that traumatic time and is unable to let go. We find ourselves returning to a distraught/overwhelming place again and again, often without any warning at all. Our life becomes smaller and smaller in order for us to maintain a sense of being able to cope.
Overwhelming chronic stress:
Sometimes there is not one single traumatic event, but rather a drip-drip-drip of stressful circumstances. In these situations there is no time to recover and often lack of support to complete or de-activate the stress cycle. As a consequence the nervous system becomes dysregulated: we may become either hypersensitive and reactive to the most insignificant stimulus, or completely numb and unresponsive to our surroundings. We can get stuck in cycles that debilitate us and it can often seem as if there is no way to escape these patterns that have formed.
When this happens, although there was no one traumatic event, the body still needs support to complete the activation cycle, regulate itself again and in many cases realise that the danger has now passed. The higher up the stress cycle we are stuck, and the more overwhelming stress we have experienced, the more support an individual needs to regain balance and regulation. Sometimes we need help to feel safe again.
Common Symptoms of PTSD and nervous system overwhelm:
Many different experiences or symptoms can create a persistent disruption in our lives. These may be a result of trauma or nervous system overwhelm, and are common complaints. They include physical disturbances: sleep disturbances, insomnia, bad dreams, waking often and feeling tired in mornings, muscle tension and inability to relax, difficulty breathing, chronic pain, exhaustion, low energy, numbness, poor digestion or impaired immune system.
They can also be mental or emotional in nature: tendency towards panic attacks, racing thoughts, a sense of being on red alert all the time, rage or excessive worrying or depression, dissociation, lack of connection, low motivation and apathy.
All of these lead to a lack of confidence in ourselves and low self esteem and self worth. It becomes harder to pull ourselves up or calm ourselves down and continue normally in life. As this gets harder our ability to communicate and connect with others decreases and a sense of isolation and separation can occur.
To see how Joolz Flynn treats PTSD and nervous system overwhelm, please see ‘SE and Brainspotting’.
What might I feel or experience?
Many different experiences or symptoms can create a persistent disruption in our lives. These may be a result of trauma or nervous system overwhelm, and are common complaints. They include physical disturbances: sleep disturbances, insomnia, bad dreams, waking often and feeling tired in mornings, muscle tension and inability to relax, difficulty breathing, chronic pain, exhaustion, low energy, numbness, poor digestion or impaired immune system. They can also be mental or emotional in nature: tendency towards panic attacks, racing thoughts, a sense of being on red alert all the time, rage or excessive worrying or depression, dissociation, lack of connection, low motivation and apathy.
All of these lead to a lack of confidence in ourselves and low self esteem and self worth. It becomes harder to pull ourselves up or calm ourselves down and continue normally in life. As this gets harder our ability to communicate and connect with others lessens and a sense of isolation and separation can occur.
What happens in a session?
During a session clients are given a combination of information and practical exercises. Information about how our nervous system works in overwhelm or trauma is important, as it helps us to understand and recognise how we respond in a crisis or when we are overwhelmed, and empowers us to take appropriate action. To know how and why our body is reacting in a specific way allows us precious time. It makes it easier for us not to react but to step back to see the bigger picture. Practical exercises combined with this information are tailored to helping the nervous system complete the stress cycle, and de-activate the stress response.
The work for the client consists largely of tracking our bodies to enable us to discharge excess survival energy and allow our nervous system and the amygdala (the fear centre) to re-regulate healthily. To begin with we work with general nervous system repair, and when there is some stability we look at individual events or issues where appropriate.
The emphasis is on allowing the unconscious nervous system to regulate, not on recounting a narrative. Although what happened is important, in order to regulate the nervous system we work with the body not the story. It is not even necessary to know what has caused the symptoms to work effectively in reducing them. In trauma work we use the body and nervous system responses as a guide to let us know where in the stress cycle it may be stuck, whatever the cause. Then we take appropriate action through movement and touch, to help the nervous system re-regulate. As it gradually re-regulates, symptoms of dysregulation lessen in intensity or occur less frequently, until they either disappear or become manageable. At the same time, the individual is able to take on more in life and finds their responses to situations and events, other people, friends and family becoming healthy and normal.
What do we want to happen?
What we are looking to achieve in Somatic Experiencing is to get a reduction in the intensity or strength of symptoms, or in the length of time these episodes last; to see them occur less frequently; and to see a quicker recovery time when we do experience them. We aim to achieve this with as little stress to the system as possible. We also aim to see the good things in life increasing: being more able to feel good, have good times last longer and experience them more often. Any of these improvements contribute to an increase in confidence and a greater sense of empowerment. When this starts to happen then our strength and sense of self or self-worth increases and our ability to manage and recover quicker in stressful situations increases. In other words, our systems become more resilient and we have a greater ‘bounce-back-ability’.
In the end we are looking for an increased ability to lead a fuller and more engaged life, and be better able to connect with ourselves and others. Life will continually throw unexpected complications and challenges at us, but we want to be able to ride these difficulties and not become overwhelmed.
It is not uncommom that as clients become more empowered and resilient, many other symptoms disappear, reduce or lose their charge or sense of urgency, and do not need additional focused work.
