What to Know About Somatic Experiencing
In honour of the brilliance of our shared biology—the autonomic nervous system.
Somatic therapy tends to bring up a lot of questions, often about the pace of the work, what the nervous system is actually doing, and why the process can feel different from traditional talk therapy.
Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter A. Levine, is grounded in the idea that our bodies carry the impact of overwhelming experiences. Because of this, healing is not something we force— it is something we allow, gradually, through awareness.
One of the most important things to understand is that the goal is not to feel better right away, although many people come to therapy for that exact reason.
It also involves respecting that you’ve built impeccable protective responses, often spanning decades.
Instead, the work is about learning to notice more.
As we begin tracking sensations, shifts, and internal responses, the nervous system slowly comes back into connection. This happens through curious awareness and slowing down, not through pressure.
You may hear the phrase slower is faster in somatic work.
While it can feel counterintuitive, slower pacing often creates deeper and more lasting change. When the nervous system experiences safety in small, repeated ways, it has the opportunity to reorganize naturally. This is different from pushing through, overriding discomfort, or relying on large emotional releases.
Sometimes unexpected or strong responses happen during sessions.
This does not mean something is going wrong. Often, it means the body is encountering something new—perhaps a sense of choice, presence, or capacity that was not available before. Exploring how we interpret these moments becomes part of the healing itself.
Somatic healing is not about gaining control over emotions. It is about expanding capacity—capacity to feel, to stay present, and to trust yourself within those experiences.
It is also not about fixing anything.
Much of this work is about coming back into relationship with your nervous system and recognizing how brilliantly your body responded during moments of overwhelm. The body adapted in the ways it knew how. Over time, as awareness grows, many people begin to reconnect with that protective wisdom rather than working against it.
The body has its reasons.
And healing often begins when we become curious enough to listen.
With care,
Kimberly Castle, SEP®
Reclaiming presence, fostering resilience, and returning to our amazing biology that knows what to do when given time and space.
Kimberly Castle is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner® and a registered counsellor with a private practice in beautiful Kelowna, BC. She focuses on Kelowna Counselling Solutions to empower individuals in all areas of their life. In her practice, she and her team work with individuals on various topics, including trauma and self-esteem counselling.
