How We Treat
Body-based trauma therapy with licensed clinicians, in person in San Pedro and virtually across California.
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to healing trauma, developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It rests on a simple observation: when something overwhelming happens, the body mobilizes a great deal of survival energy, and that energy can stay stuck in the nervous system long after the event is over. Somatic Experiencing helps you gently notice the physical sensations connected to that stress and allows the nervous system to settle and complete what it could not finish at the time.
This approach is especially useful when distress lives in the body as much as the mind.
Trauma that lingers as physical tension, bracing, or shutdown.
PTSD and post-traumatic stress symptoms that talking alone does not seem to reach.
Chronic stress, tension, and the feeling of being constantly on guard.
Anxiety that shows up in the body, such as a racing heart or tightness.
Sessions are slow and collaborative, and the pace is deliberately gentle so you stay within a range you can handle.
Your therapist helps you turn attention to what you notice in your body.
You stay with a sensation, a movement, or a shift in breath.
You follow how that sensation changes moment to moment, without forcing it.
The nervous system learns that it is safe to settle and discharge stuck energy.
Over time, the physical grip of past stress begins to loosen.
Coastwise clinicians with somatic training often combine Somatic Experiencing with EMDR and talk therapy, depending on what you need. When you reach out, we match you to a therapist whose training fits your goals.
Somatic Experiencing works well both in the room and over secure video. See us in San Pedro or work with a clinician anywhere in California.
Somatic Experiencing is a body-based approach to trauma developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It works with the physical sensations that accompany distress, helping the nervous system gradually release the survival energy that can stay stuck after an overwhelming event. The focus is on what you notice in your body, not only on retelling the story.
Traditional talk therapy works mainly through language and thoughts. Somatic Experiencing adds attention to body sensation, breath, and the nervous system. Many people find this helpful when trauma shows up as tension, numbness, or anxiety that talking alone does not seem to reach.
No. Somatic Experiencing is designed to avoid overwhelming you. Your therapist works slowly and in small steps, helping you stay within a window you can tolerate so you process the experience without being flooded by it.
Yes. The work translates well to secure video. Your therapist guides you to notice body sensations from wherever you are. We offer it in person in San Pedro and virtually across California.
Somatic Experiencing has a growing body of research supporting its use for trauma and PTSD symptoms. It is often used alongside approaches like EMDR and talk therapy as part of a fuller plan.
Call us for a free consultation and we will match you to a clinician trained in Somatic Experiencing.
Call (424) 536-3002 Get Started