TESTIMONIALS FOR SE
My first introduction to the therapeutic intervention known as Somatic Experience or Somatic Healing, has, and continues to be, one of my most fascinating encounters with the healing strengths of the body and how this translates to both psychological and spiritual re-alignment. In an era where mind, body and soul are the key elements in holistic healing, the therapeutic tenets of Somatic Experience healing, rooted in scientific fact, have been an amazing inclusion in my eclectic toolbox of therapeutic interventions. This approach is not only a powerful approach in the field of trauma intervention but also has a strong 'ecosystemic flavour' wherein both the therapist and the client are reciprocally impacted in a wonderful encounter of human experiences. I highly recommend this training to all psychologists who seek to maximise not only their own growth and potential as therapists but also who are zealous to promote healing and wellness within the community that they serve.
Julie E'silva
Clinical Psychologist and Logotherapist
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SE had changed my professional as well as my personal life. Since I started using SE in my practice, I am able to help my clients to process trauma on multi-levels. SE is an excellent therapeutic tool that can address trauma on a body level in a way that most of the conventional therapies can’t do. By including the body in therapy, it fast tracks the processing of trauma for my clients. It is also very easy to integrate SE with other therapeutic modalities. I feel that SE was the tool in my therapeutic toolbox I have been searching for years and that I can’t operate without it anymore.
Part of the SE training is to experience SE for yourself in personal sessions. I thought I had worked through a big accident in my life, until SE showed me that my body was still holding onto it. Letting go of that freeze response in my body, also helped me to let go in other levels of my life. I am convinced through my professional and personal results with SE that we can’t leave the body out of therapy anymore and that every psychologist needs this tool in their therapeutic toolbox.
Kind regards
Heleen Loubser
(Clinical Psychologist)
Cape Town, South Africa
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I am an Educational Psychologist and has completed the Beginning Level of Somatic Experiencing (SE). Our schools and school communities are tormented by trauma, traumatic experiences, inter- and intra-generational trauma (trauma transferred from one generation to another generation, between family generations). Stabbings, violence, drug abuse, sexual abuse and so many other abuses are possible indicators of intra- and inter-generational trauma. In this way trauma repeats itself. The trauma that victims undergo is inexplicable. By resolving trauma in the lives of victims we can break the cycle of generational trauma and the effects of trauma in the lives of victims.
We need to distinct clearly what trauma debriefing is from what trauma psychotherapy is. Research has shown that trauma debriefing has no effect on PTSD and will not prevent developing PTSD/C-PTSD (Trauma) after a traumatic experience. Debriefing can actually re-traumatise a person.
In psychotherapy and especially in SE we tritrate, renegotiate and integrate the traumatic experience - bringing the separated/fragmented parts of the biological senses together and reintegrate it into wholeness. Remember that traumatic memory is fragmented and the body remembers (freezes) the fragmented sensory pieces of a traumatic experience. It is also true that some people are more resilient to trauma than others. It is also true that what may seem to be resiliency could be an indication of dissociation (freeze response - traumatic response).
I have benefitted tremendously by this Beginning Level of training in Somatic Experiencing. My own well-being has been restored and improved through the personal sessions during training. My therapeutic and counseling skills have benefitted by adding a new skill(s) to my repertoire of therapeutic skills. I have also learned a new way in managing pain naturalistic.
In integrating SE in my trauma work and interventions I have found a tool/approach that is less invasive and intrusive by tritrating the intervention and allowing the client to find own resources to unshackle a traumatic experience in a naturalistic way through the bodily senses. Through SE the biological Flight-Fight-Freeze response is restored. SE changes DNA.
In our violent society every Psychologist should be skilled in SE to effectively treat Trauma.
Willie Engelbrecht
Educational Psychologist
Gauteng, South Africa
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I’ve come all the way from Austria to do the SE training in South Africa. I discovered a very experienced team of highly skilled psychotherapists aiming to fulfil the needs of the individuals as well as the group. SE for me is the “missing link”. I was able to use it with my patients directly after the training. My personal experiences with SE after completing the Beginners training are more than I probably had in my three years of personal analytic therapy. I am very thankful to have the training in SE and can recommend it to every colleague working in trauma related fields.
Eva Ferstl
Psychotherapist
Vienna, Austria
www.eva-ferstl.at
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I have travelled all the way from Switzerland to South Africa to get the opportunity to learn SE from Maggie Phillips (Ph.D). Since seeing the first demonstration of this powerful trauma-therapy-approach, I was convinced of how important it is to work with the body in psychotherapy in order to resolve trauma thoroughly! What a privilege for me to get the opportunity of learning amongst highly skilled therapists and trauma experts in this beautiful country where, unfortunately there is a huge amount of trauma! SE has changed and enriched my work as well as me personally. My therapy has become much more effective since integrating SE. Therefore, I would like to highly recommend the training in Somatic Experiencing!!
Silvia Zanotta (Dr.Phil.)
Zurich, Switzerland
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"I have always been of the belief that therapy should involve a strong focus on body, mind and soul. The Somatic Experiencing workshop was nothing I expected it to be, but it sure proved to be the key to unlocking the body in any kind of trauma work. It seems so simple and yet it is very complicated. It changed my way of being with my clients as a therapist."
Dr Anita Fourie
Psychologist, Australia