Three types of trauma therapy
The last few decades have seen a tremendous increase in our understanding of how trauma forms and is maintained in the nervous system. One of the core insights that has changed the field of trauma treatment is that trauma is as much a somatic phenomenon as it is psychological, as captured in the title of Bessel Van Der Kolk’s now classic book "The Body Keeps the Score.” Three of the most popular and successful approaches to treating trauma today - Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and EMDR - have in common a strong focus on the experiential and embodied aspects of trauma in the therapy process. Each approach adds something valuable to the conversation, yet it can be quite difficult to understand the differences between them. Below we offer a brief explanation of each of these three to help you navigate the range of offerings out there.
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Developed by Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing works with the ways in which trauma or stress responses may be stuck or stored in our bodies. When we sense a life-threatening danger, our bodies are designed to get highly activated, so as to enable us to run or fight. When trauma gets stuck in our system, it’s because we froze and were unable to complete either one of those safety-maneuvers in the terrifying moment. Practitioners of SE work mindfully with clients to help them increase their ability to unfreeze and move the body and breath through difficult sensations and bodily states associated with trauma, to complete the body’s natural defense process and release the stuck energy and adrenaline. Somatic Experiencing allows people to process their trauma by retraining their nervous systems and increasing their capacity for resilience.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Developed by Dr. Pat Ogden, Somatic Psychotherapy provides space to safely revisit one’s traumas, work with what comes up in the body, and complete experiences that did not get to complete previously. This emphasis on facilitating the completion of the body’s natural defenses make it similar to Somatic Experiencing. Sensorimotor therapists are also trained to work with attachment patterns and personality styles, distinguishing between “shock trauma” resulting from an assault or dangerous accident, versus “developmental trauma”, which refers to the effects of abusive or harmful relationships in early life that shape our personality and core beliefs. Being able to make this differentiation allows the therapist to shift and tailor their approach to individual client’s needs.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a somatic approach that provides a pathway to healing trauma utilizing a unique technique called bilateral stimulation. Inspired by the finding that the back-and-forth movement of the eyes in REM sleep is associated with emotional processing, Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. developed a way to bring back-and-forth stimulation into the therapy process to enable faster processing of traumatic material. While originally using eye movement, bilateral stimulation today is often achieved today simply by tapping on one’s hands, arms, or shoulders. EMDR therapists help clients identify a list of specific disturbing memories, events, or feelings to focus on in the sessions. Together, the therapist helps the client access negative beliefs, feelings, and associations from the target memory and reprocess the event, allowing new, adaptive beliefs, feelings, and associations to emerge. To integrate this new experience, EMDR therapists help clients plan for how they can work with their traumatic triggers as they go through life.
The clinicians at Brooklyn Somatic Therapy integrate these powerful modalities to create a treatment approach that is customized for each client and their unique needs. We’d be happy to consult with you on what style of treatment might be best fit for you.