Somatic Experiencing vs. Other Trauma Therapies
Comparing Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems
In therapeutic practices addressing trauma and supporting your healing journey, somatic modalities have become much more prominent in recent years for their focus on the mind-body connection.
Today I’m going to explore a few of these: Somatic Experiencing (SE), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Each offers a distinct approach rooted in somatic awareness but differ in their mechanisms and therapeutic processes.
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Developed by Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing centres on the body’s inner capacity to heal trauma through regulating the nervous system. SE encourages you to track the physical sensations that come up when you’re triggered or experiencing stress. It then helps you resolve this dysregulation.
SE encourages you to gently access and complete defensive responses that were frozen during traumatic events. Allowing for a releasing of the trapped memory, restoring autonomic balance. So for example, if you were verbally attacked and you body wanted to push the person away, but you ended up frozen to the spot instead, SE would support you to make that pushing action.
What it does…
Focuses on nervous system regulation and bodily sensations as primary tools.
Prioritises “titration” which is where you are supported to approach traumatic memories gradually to avoid emotional flooding
Works by allowing the completion of instinctual survival responses linked to fight, flight, or freeze.
Is understood that trauma is primarily a physiological experience, not just psychological.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR, created by Francine Shapiro, combines cognitive therapy with bilateral sensory input (such as guided eye movements or tapping the sides of the legs alternately with the fingertips) to reprocess traumatic memories. The bilateral stimulation is believed to facilitate a neurological integration process of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This helps the brain to reframe distressing experiences as emotions and logic are brought together so they lose their emotional charge.
What it does…
Uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or tones) as the key therapeutic tool.
Focuses on reprocessing specific distressing memories rather than bodily sensations directly
Follows a standardised protocol with eight phases, including history taking, desensitisation, and installation.
Often effective for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or acute trauma by targeting cognitive and emotional aspects of trauma
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems, developed by Richard Schwartz, is a psychotherapeutic model that views the mind as composed of multiple “parts”, each with its own perspectives and feelings. IFS therapy aims to harmonise these internal parts with the Self, bringing about a beautiful relation between Self and parts, healing through compassion and gratitude.
IFS incorporates bodily awareness to identify and interact with the different parts, such as where they are situated in the body, and the sensations that come up when they are experienced.
What it does…
Emphasises recognising and talking with internal “parts” that were created at moments of trauma or wounding in our past
The Self is central as a compassionate leader that brings healing among parts.
Uses somatic awareness to connect with internal states and trauma held in the body.
Integrates psychological insight with somatic experience, addressing both mind and body.
Conclusion
All three modalities recognise the deep integration of mind and body in healing trauma, with unique approaches that offer complementary pathways.
Somatic Experiencing honours the body's physiological wisdom to discharge trauma and restore nervous system balance. EMDR targets the cognitive and emotional restructuring of memories via bilateral stimulation. Internal Family Systems provides a rich internal psychological framework, with somatic awareness enhancing connection with internal parts.
I encourage you to find out more about each type of therapy and speak to a practitioner to ask questions and understand if it would work for you. Each of us is different and different approaches will work more effectively with how we see ourselves, the type of trauma we’ve experienced, and how our brain works. Your journey towards wholeness is uniquely yours. So use an approach that works for you.
If you’d like to speak with me about how I blend trauma informed somatic coaching with IFS and other somatic healing techniques, book a free consultation to have a chat.
