Psychotherapy: Interweaving Somatic Experiencing into Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Approaches

What is it about?

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a bio-psychological therapeutic approach developed for treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other psychological syndromes involving states of profound dysregulation of the psychological, somatic, and autonomic nervous systems. The author interweaves SE into contemporary psychoanalytic (or psychodynamic) approaches to psychotherapy.

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Why is it important?

Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic (or psychodynamic) psychotherapy, in both their traditional and more contemporary styles, are rich and effective forms of psychotherapy. However, the psychoanalytic/psychodynamic field has not drawn upon the wealth of understanding from theorists and practitioners in the traumatology field (such as Somatic Experiencing). For patients prone to severe dysregulation of their psychic, somatic, and autonomic nervous systems, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic techniques and forms of therapeutic response are sometimes not sufficient. This paper aims to develop the synergy between the fields of psychoanalysis and traumatology.