Somatic Experiencing® is a body-oriented therapeutic model for healing trauma and other stress disorders. Somatic is a Latin word for body. This type of therapy session involves the introduction of small amounts of traumatic material and the observation of a client’s physical responses to that material, such as shallow breathing or a shift in posture. The clinician will help the client find places of safety, whether that be a place in the body that is not activated by the trauma, or a physical place to retreat to in one’s mind. Experiencing the sensations related to the traumatic event in a safe way allows a person to fully process the trauma, to move out of a collapse and back into self-protective responses with the goal of returning to balance in the body. Clients also achieve improved awareness of their physical responses, which serve them in everyday life.®