What is Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Coaching?

Nervous system coaching and Somatic Experiencing can be incredibly helpful for people facing a number of physical or emotional challenges, yet many don’t really know what they are or how they work.

Somatic Experiencing is a way to learn about your body and nervous system from the inside out. It is a way to work with your physical body to support yourself through the challenging life experiences we all go through. When we have a stressful or traumatic experience, our body (through our autonomic nervous system) should move through a natural and automatic process that allows our physical body to process the experience.

For a variety of reasons, this process doesn’t always happen as it should and some of this nervous system energy can get “stuck” in our bodies. Then, if we’ve experienced repeated stresses, this can build up and create stronger patterns that can impact how we respond to stressful situations. This stuck — or dysregulated — nervous system energy can show up in our physical body as symptoms. Anxiety, chronic pain, fatigue, trouble sleeping, difficulty in relationships, digestive issues and depression can all have roots in nervous system dysregulation.

The good news about this is that you can support your nervous system in becoming more regulated! More nervous system regulation means more ease in your physical body and fewer symptoms. Understanding how the nervous system works and your nervous system’s unique patterns are the best ways to understand yourself better and to support more health and ease in your life.

Nervous system coaching sessions are part educational to understand how the nervous system works and part experiential, where we use gentle practices to support more body awareness and noticing of your nervous system. If this sounds interesting and you’re curious about learning more, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I love to share about the gentle and impactful way this work can support you in feeling your best in your body and in your life.