About Somatic Experiencing®

About Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing® is a body-centred approach to healing trauma and stress-related disorders. SE works with the body’s natural ability to process and release stored survival energy. It is widely used across many fields, including psychotherapy, medicine, coaching, teaching, and physical therapy.

Developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine, SE is based on over 40 years of research and practice, drawing from physiology, psychology, neuroscience, and indigenous healing traditions.

SE recognises that trauma isn’t just about what happened – it’s about how the body, mind and nervous system respond to overwhelming events. As Dr Levine explains, “Trauma is not caused by the event itself, but rather by the failure of the body, mind, spirit and nervous system to process extreme adverse events.” (Peter Levine, In an Unspoken Voice, 2017)

By helping people move through fight, flight, or freeze states, SE supports deep healing from PTSD, emotional wounds, and developmental trauma. Practitioners use gentle techniques such as orienting, resourcing, and containment to restore a felt sense of safety and balance. These skills benefit a wide range of professions, including mental health, bodywork, addiction recovery, first responders and personal development.

At its heart, Somatic Experiencing is about reconnecting with the body’s natural wisdom—allowing people to heal, thrive, and regain a sense of ease in their lives.

Somatic Experiencing Professional Training will soon be opening for registration in Aotearoa | New Zealand.
Sign up here to be notified when final details are confirmed. 

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How SE can help

People often come to SE for support with:

  • Anxiety, overwhelm, or chronic stress
  • Feeling shut down, numb, stuck or disconnected
  • The effects of childhood adversity or relational trauma
  • Recovery from accidents, medical trauma, or surgery
  • Chronic tension, pain or fatigue
  • Burnout or emotional exhaustion
  • Difficulty setting boundaries or staying regulated in relationships


SE may also support greater resilience, improved boundaries and a sense of agency in daily life. Many people develop more capacity to meet life with presence, stability and greater self-trust.

Why train in SE?

SE helps practitioners to:

  • Understand the nervous system and survival responses
  • Work with trauma without reactivating overwhelm
  • Integrate body-based tools into existing modalities
  • Strengthen presence, boundaries and emotional capacity
  • Reduce the risk of burnout
  • Offer gentler support, especially for clients who may struggle with only talk-based methods


SE training is professionally enriching and personally transformative. It fosters a grounded, embodied approach to practice and helps practitioners develop a deeper capacity to support others with care and integrity.

About Somatic Experiencing Professional Training

Somatic Experiencing (SE) Professional Training equips professionals with the skills to help people resolve trauma and restore nervous system regulation.
 
Experiential Learning
 
The SE training is highly experiential, emphasising hands-on practice and personal integration. It includes a mix of lectures, demonstrations, and small-group practice, allowing students to apply SE principles in real time.
 
Faculty members approved by Somatic Experiencing International (SEI) deliver the training, supported by experienced assistants who have completed the programme.
 
The full training typically spans 2½ to 3 years, consisting of 36 in-class training days (12 per year). This structure allows participants to embody, integrate, and refine their learning over time.
 
Students also need to complete a minimum of 12 personal sessions and 18 case consults with approved providers. These sessions support students deepen their understanding of SE principles and their practical application.
 
Throughout the training, students learn how to:
 
  • Create safety and containment in sessions
  • Cultivate presence and attunement to support clients developing body awareness
  • Recognise and work with survival responses and nervous system dysregulation
  • Integrate SE principles with other therapeutic approaches
  • Maintain professional boundaries and stay within their scope of practice
Curriculum Overview
 
The first year provides the foundation for future learning. Students learn how to:
 
  • Understand trauma physiology and the natural rhythm of the nervous system
  • Work with the felt sense of the body
  • Track sensations and nervous system states
  • Titrate experiences to prevent overwhelm
  • Identify and build client resources that support regulation
  • Support the completion of incomplete survival responses (fight, flight, freeze).
 
The second year focuses on working with different categories of trauma, including:
 
  • High-impact trauma
  • Physical injury
  • Global high intensity activation
  • Inescapable attack
  • Horror
  • Natural disasters
 
In the third year, students refine their ability to work somatically with complex trauma, chronic pain, and syndromal patterns. Additional focus areas include:
 
  • Advanced nervous system regulation skills.
  • Integrating SE touch work to support deeper healing.
  • Navigating complex client presentations with sensitivity and attunement.

 

Find out more about the curriculum here.

Integrating Somatic Experiencing into your scope of practice

Somatic Experiencing® and the Feldenkrais Model

David Sullivan, SEP

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The Power of Touch: Using Somatic Experiencing® to Work with Trauma

Julie Teetsov, Ph.D., SEP, CST

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Reflections of a psychologist: integrating Somatic Experiencing® into my practice

Carien Lubbe-De Beer, Ph.D, SEP

READ MORE

Terms of Use for seaoteroa.co.nz Practitioner Directory

seatotearoa.co.nz offers a Practitioner Directory designed to help you find practitioners who include Somatic Experiencing in their therapeutic, coaching, or counselling services. All practitioners listed here have completed at least the first year of Somatic Experiencing training (Beginning year modules).

 
PLEASE NOTE:
The main purpose of this Practitioner Directory is to help you connect with Somatic Experiencing practitioners. All practitioners listed here have training in Somatic Experiencing. Many also bring other skills and approaches to their work, which they may choose to share in their listing. Each practitioner is responsible for the information they provide about their training, qualifications, certifications, and opinions, whether in their directory listing or on their website. We do not verify insurance, professional memberships, or qualifications in other modalities.
 
This directory is a paid listing service and does not include every SEP or SE student in Aotearoa, as participation is optional. It is intended as a helpful starting point for finding Somatic Experiencing practitioners.
 
The administrators of this website:
  • Do not endorse or recommend any particular practitioner or practice listed on this site.
  • Cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information practitioners provide in their listings, linked articles or on their websites.
  • Cannot guarantee that any practitioner will be the right match for your specific needs or expectations.
  • Are not responsible for any actions, decisions, or outcomes resulting from your work with a practitioner.
  • Cannot promise or guarantee any specific results from working with a practitioner.
 
Client-Practitioner Relationship
Any issues or disputes that arise between you and a practitioner are matters for you to resolve directly with them. The administrators cannot mediate, resolve or assist with complaints, disputes or claims. If you feel a practitioner isn’t the right fit, we encourage you to explore other options in the directory. By using this directory, you agree that seaotearoa.co.nz and its administrators are not liable for any issues that may arise from your interactions with a practitioner.
 
Use of Contact Information
The contact details provided in this directory are shared for professional referrals only. They must not be used for marketing, bulk emails or any other commercial purposes.
 
By continuing to use this website, you confirm that you have read and agree to these terms of use.
 
Last Updated: 8 September 2025
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