20/06/2024
FAQ FROM MY PRIVATE PRACTICE 1.
Question:
Can we work with a traumatic event, experience that I have no conscious memory of or I do not want to/ cannot talk about?
Answer:
Yes, we can - with the help of the Somatic Experiencing® modality.
In addition to speech and verbal storytelling, this method brings into play other “channels” too, so in addition to retelling what happened (which can often re-traumatise!) - or rather instead of it - we can also work making use of them.
Dr. Peter Levine, the developer of SE®, condensed these channels into the English acronym SIBAM, which covers:
S = Sensations in the body
I = Image - images, mental images
B = Behaviour. It can be anything the body would do - movement or something it would say, for example.
A = Affect, emotions
M = Meaning: how I interpret a sensation that I am currently experiencing, or how I interpret a certain event or series of events, a certain behaviour, etc..
Even if we do not have a conscious memory, mental image of the event/ events (using the SIBAM model above, the I is missing), our body and nervous system “remembers” and by inviting the other channels, the experience can be gradually reworked. The energy that was mobilised for survival or the least possible injury then and has been stuck in the body and the nervous system ever since, can be discharged.
In a similar fashion, if someone cannot or does not want to talk about a certain experience, instead of sharing the story verbally the experience can be processed with the help of the SIBAM channels and the trapped tension and activation can be gradually worked out from the body and the nervous system.
This is made possible by the fact that in connection with any life event or experience, the elements of SIBAM are present in us at the same time, they pop up in us in small “packages”.
Feel free to try it yourself:
as you recall something in your imagination - be it a pleasant or unpleasant experience, the associated feeling (or feelings) are also present, together with the memory and the image. Various body sensations are also present (e.g. my stomach clenches, my heart starts beating violently), there may be some behavioral impulse in my body - e.g. I would like to run away from the scene or shout something, and lastly, I somehow also interpret what happens or what happened - was it pleasant or unpleasant, the other person behaved this and that way in a certain situation and I interpret, “translate” that this and that way for myself.
Through an in-depth study of the physiology of stress and the body's innate ability to self-regulate, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioners gain unparalleled skills to compassionately support lasting healing, change, and the return of vitality in their clients' and their own lives.
Discover the transformative power of Somatic Experiencing®.
Resolve your nervous system dysregulation and embrace deep healing.
E-mail: aniko@youareenough.de
Homepage: https://www.youareenough.de
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