— UNDERSTANDING SINGLE EVENT TRAUMA
Sometimes a single overwhelming experience can leave a lasting imprint on the nervous system.
This might be a road traffic accident, a fall, an assault, a medical procedure, a sudden loss, an injury, or another frightening or unexpected event. Even when the event itself is over, you may notice that your body continues to respond as though some part of the experience has not fully passed.
You might understand logically that you are no longer in that situation, yet still experience anxiety, tension, heightened alertness, numbness, disturbed sleep, intrusive memories or strong reactions to reminders of what happened.
Recognising Symptoms in the Body
Everyone responds differently, and experiencing a frightening event does not necessarily mean that you will become traumatised. When effects do persist, they can include:
Feeling anxious, tense or constantly on alert
Being easily startled or unusually sensitive to sounds or movement
Avoiding places, activities or situations associated with the event
Intrusive memories, images or dreams
Feeling disconnected, numb or emotionally distant
Physical tension, trembling or unexplained bodily sensations
Difficulty sleeping or relaxing
Feeling overwhelmed when reminded of what happened
A sense that you haven't quite felt like yourself since the event
Sometimes the connection is obvious. At other times, people only begin to recognise these changes weeks, months or even years later.
How Somatic Experiencing Helps
Rather than requiring you to repeatedly recount everything that happened, SE pays particular attention to what is happening in your nervous system in the present moment.
During a session, we might gently explore physical sensations, breathing, movement, emotions, impulses or changes in tension and relaxation. This can help you develop greater awareness of the signals your body gives you and increase your capacity to remain present with them without becoming overwhelmed.
Over time, this can help the nervous system develop greater flexibility and allow responses associated with the original event to become less dominant.
You don’t have to work through it alone
If a past event still feels present in your body, your reactions or the way you experience everyday life, Somatic Experiencing may offer a gentle way to begin working with what remains.
We can start with a conversation about what you are experiencing and what you would like to change. You don't need to tell me everything that happened, and there is no expectation to go anywhere you are not ready to go.
Book a consultation and we can explore whether Somatic Experiencing feels right for you.