Mary Fylypowycz

Mary Fylypowycz, MA, SEP, LMFT

Somatic Therapy

Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a powerful body-oriented approach for the resolution of trauma symptoms and chronic stress. According to SE, when the physical body gets stressed as a result of a perceived threat, the survival instincts take over in the form of a “fight” or “flight” response. If the body is not able to express this fight or flight energy, the nervous system can enter a state of “freeze,” with the body’s survival energy becoming locked or frozen in the nervous system. This locked energy results in nervous system dysregulation, causing the brain to send messages of danger/fear (fight or flight response), or helplessness/hopelessness (freeze response). The nervous system becomes stuck in either a state of hypervigilance or a frozen “numbed out” state or it can oscillates stormily between the two. SE works slowly with a person’s body awareness to increase their capacity to tolerate strong sensation and emotion through somatic resourcing, gently allowing the client to allow stuck energy to move through the body and stabilize the nervous system. It is a profound way of safely helping client’s access their body’s innate capacity towards self-regulation, wholeness, and healing. 

For more information about Somatic Experiencing, please visit www.somaticexperiencing.com.

Somatic Resilience and Regulation (SRR)/Co-Regulating Touch Therapy

Also known as Co-Regulating Touch therapy, Somatic Resilience and Regulation (SRR) is a particular approach to working with trauma that incorporates touch, relational connection, and presence as a means to support co-regulation. Co-regulation through touch is a part of what happens in healthy human development. Infants through touch and support from their primary attachment figures begin to build their own neural pathways around regulation. SRR offers a system of support through a specialized protocol that offers clients an opportunity to begin to build an inner sense of trust and safety within.

For more information about Somatic Resilience and Regulation please visit https://coregulatingtouch.com/

Resource:

Two Experiments on the Psychological and Physiological Effects of Touching — Effect of Touching on the HPA axis-Related part of the Body on Both Healthy and Traumatized Experiments Participants: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/8/10/95