Somatic Experiencing Therapy for Adults in NJ, PA, FL and TX
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and second-year student at Somatic Experiencing International, offering Somatic Experiencing therapy online to adults in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas. I work with adults whose trauma, anxiety, burnout, or chronic stress responses are held in the body and have not shifted through talk therapy alone.
What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented approach to trauma resolution and stress recovery developed by Dr. Peter Levine over more than four decades of clinical practice and multidisciplinary research drawing on stress physiology, neuroscience, biology, and ethology. Where most therapeutic approaches work top-down, beginning with thoughts and language, SE works bottom-up: it begins with the body's sensations rather than with cognitive or narrative content. The core insight underlying SE is that trauma is not held primarily in the story of what happened. It is held in the nervous system as incomplete survival responses: activation, bracing, collapse, and freeze states that did not have the opportunity to complete their natural cycle after a threatening experience. Animals resolve threatening encounters through physiological discharge. Humans, whose cognitive and social capacities often override these responses, frequently remain stuck in incomplete activation. SE works by restoring the nervous system's capacity to complete those responses gradually and safely, without requiring narrative re-exposure to traumatic material. In short, Somatic Experiencing is a body-first approach to trauma that works by completing what the nervous system could not finish at the time of the original experience.
What Somatic Experiencing sessions look like
Somatic Experiencing sessions differ structurally from most therapy. There is no requirement to describe or re-tell a traumatic event. The work begins with the present-moment experience of the body rather than with narrative history. In a typical session, I invite you to slow down and notice what you are experiencing physically: sensations, impulses, areas of tension or heaviness, breath quality, temperature. I am tracking the same signals through careful observation. From there, the work moves through titration, meaning we engage with small, manageable amounts of activation rather than pushing the system into the full intensity of traumatic memory. This prevents retraumatization and builds the nervous system's capacity to process incrementally. Pendulation is another core process: moving between sensations of activation and sensations of relative ease, allowing the nervous system to experience its natural rhythm between contraction and expansion. Over time, this builds tolerance and eventually resolution of stored activation. In short, a Somatic Experiencing session asks you to pay attention to what your body is doing right now, not what your mind remembers about what happened then.
What Somatic Experiencing treats
SE is primarily indicated for trauma-related presentations, including complex PTSD, developmental trauma, single-incident trauma, and the chronic nervous system dysregulation that follows prolonged exposure to threatening conditions. It is particularly effective where trauma is held somatically: where the person already understands their trauma intellectually but still experiences hypervigilance, intrusion, dissociation, chronic physical tension, or an inability to feel settled in the body. Beyond trauma, SE is clinically useful for anxiety driven by chronic nervous system activation, burnout with significant physiological depletion, and substance use patterns maintained at least in part by the need to regulate an otherwise unmanageable internal state. Research on SE is growing. A 2017 randomized controlled trial found significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression among adults who received SE compared to a waitlist control, representing one of the first high-quality studies of its effectiveness. In short, SE is indicated wherever the body is carrying what the mind has not been able to resolve through understanding alone.
Why I use Somatic Experiencing
I chose to train in Somatic Experiencing because of a clinical gap I encountered repeatedly: clients who understood their trauma, had completed significant cognitive work, and still could not shift the physiological experience of it. The understanding was present. The relief was not. SE is designed precisely for that gap. I am a second-year student at Somatic Experiencing International, the training organization founded by Dr. Peter Levine. The SEI program spans three years and requires ongoing clinical application, peer supervision, and personal SE work as part of the educational process. It is among the most rigorous professional trainings in trauma treatment available. I integrate SE with Internal Family Systems and psychodynamic therapy rather than using it as a standalone protocol. SE addresses the physiological layer of what IFS addresses relationally and through parts work. Parts that have been identified and understood through IFS can be discharged somatically through SE, accelerating resolution that either approach reaches more slowly on its own. In short, I use Somatic Experiencing because trauma lives in the body, and a treatment that does not work with the body cannot fully resolve what the body is holding.
Fees and insurance
Alchemy Psychotherapy is a private-pay, out-of-network practice. The biopsychosocial assessment is $300. Standard 45-minute sessions are $250. A 30-minute session is $185 when clinically indicated. In limited circumstances, a reduced fee is available based on financial need and current caseload availability. I do not bill insurance directly, but I provide a Superbill on the first of each month for clients with out-of-network mental health benefits. Under the No Surprises Act, you have the right to a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before treatment begins. In short, private-pay therapy removes insurance company involvement from clinical decisions about session frequency, treatment duration, and modality choice.
How to get started
Beginning therapy involves three steps, handled entirely online. First, a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation where we discuss what brings you in and determine fit. Second, intake paperwork through a secure client portal. Third, the biopsychosocial assessment session of 60 to 90 minutes.
If we agree the practice is a good fit during the consultation, you typically begin treatment within one to two weeks. I am currently accepting new clients in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas.
Currently accepting new clients for Somatic Experiencing therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Somatic Experiencing Therapy
What is Somatic Experiencing therapy?
Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to trauma resolution developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It works by restoring the nervous system's capacity to complete incomplete survival responses stored in the body after threatening experiences. Unlike talk therapy, it does not require narrative re-telling of traumatic events. Instead, it works with present-moment physical sensations to gradually release stored activation.
What is the difference between Somatic Experiencing and EMDR?
Both address trauma physiologically but work differently. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to reprocess specific traumatic memories. Somatic Experiencing works with present-moment bodily sensations and does not require direct engagement with traumatic memories. SE is generally slower and more titrated. Both are evidence-informed approaches and some clients benefit more from one than the other depending on their specific presentation.
Do I have to talk about my trauma in Somatic Experiencing?
No. One of SE's distinguishing features is that it does not require you to narrate or re-tell the traumatic event. The work focuses on present-moment sensation rather than memory content. Many clients find this a significant relief, particularly those who have experienced retraumatization through approaches that required direct and repeated engagement with the details of traumatic material.
Is Somatic Experiencing evidence-based?
SE has a growing research base. A 2017 randomized controlled trial found significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression following SE treatment compared to a waitlist control. SE is practiced by trained clinicians in 54 countries through Somatic Experiencing International. The evidence base is newer and smaller than EMDR or CPT but is building steadily within peer-reviewed trauma literature.
Can Somatic Experiencing be done online?
Yes. Because SE works primarily through verbal guidance and the client's own internal attention to sensation rather than through touch, it adapts well to online delivery. All sessions are conducted via secure HIPAA-compliant video. Many clients find that working from a familiar private space supports the sense of safety and body-ease that Somatic Experiencing sessions require.
How long does Somatic Experiencing therapy take?
Treatment length depends on the complexity and duration of the presenting trauma and what the client's nervous system can access at each stage. Some clients notice meaningful shifts within the first several sessions. Those with complex or developmental trauma histories typically benefit from longer work. SE is not a fixed-session protocol. It is paced by what the client's system can process at each stage.