MEADOWS: Releasing Somatic Stress from COVID-19

Somatic Experiencing®(SE™), developed by Dr. Levine, is a body-oriented therapeutic approach to the treatment of trauma and other stress related disorders. Trauma can come from many things like war and abuse, but it can also come from a difficult birth, a snowboarding accident, or even an invisible threat, like Covid-19.

The trauma response is a set of defensive bodily reactions (fight, flight, freeze) that we initially mobilize in order to protect ourselves both physically and emotionally, but sometimes this protective mechanism gets stuck and we can become frozen in the past, unable to be fully present in the here and now, and unable to move forward in life with joy; detached from history but intruding into the present. This pandemic presents us with unique challenges. With Covid-19, we are working with the nervous system while it is still under an invisible perceived threat from something we are still learning about. Human evolution has prepared us to respond to threats that we can see, identify, and then respond to, as in fight or flight. However, we are now confronted with a potentially lethal pathogen that we do not have an evolutionarily prepared active response. In addition, people may also feel trapped and lonely, worried about a sick loved one, experiencing loss, or in an unsafe environment as they are sheltering in place. For some, the presence of Covid-19 may lead to or exasperate chronic fear, helplessness, anxiety, anger, rebellion, collapse, and depression, as well as various physical symptoms, like chronic pain, IBS, etc.

During this program, Dr. Levine will guide us in how the SE approach gently facilitates the release of thwarted survival energy bound in the body, thus addressing the root cause of trauma symptoms, allowing us to better manage stressful times without overload, burnout, or regretful transgressions.