Some experiences remain present not only in memories or emotions, but also in patterns of tension, activation, numbness, or disconnection.
The Somatic Experiencing® approach is a gentle, body-based method for working with trauma and stress. It attends to bodily sensations and nervous system responses to support greater regulation, flexibility, and connection.
Sessions are available in English, French, Spanish, and Italian, both in person in Nice and online.
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The Somatic Experiencing® approach may help when responses associated with stress or overwhelming experiences remain present as recurring patterns of activation, tension, shutdown, or disconnection.
You may recognise some of these experiences:
Feeling restless, easily startled, constantly on alert, or unable to fully relax and settle.
Feeling depleted, distant, switched off, or disconnected from sensations, emotions, surroundings, or your sense of presence.
Experiences in which safety, choice, bodily integrity, or the possibility of escape were compromised.
Tightness, bracing, clenching, restricted breathing, or other persistent patterns of bodily tension.
Finding it difficult to say no, communicate your limits, navigate conflict, or respond when something feels intrusive or uncomfortable.
Bereavement, separation, migration, disasters, war, forced displacement or other major disruptions that exceeded the support and resources available at the time.
Freezing, going blank, or finding yourself unable to speak, move, or act as you would wish in situations such as conflict, pressure, or speaking in public.
Falls, road accidents, injuries, surgery, hospitalisation, difficult medical procedures, illness, or experiences surrounding birth.
The cumulative effects of adverse childhood experiences, neglect, abuse, relational insecurity, instability, or chronic stress.
Whether these patterns are connected to a specific event or have developed gradually over time, the Somatic Experiencing® approach offers a way of attending to the ways these effects are experienced in the present.
Somatic Experiencing® (SE™), developed by Dr Peter A. Levine, is a body-oriented approach grounded in the understanding that the nervous system plays a central role in how we respond to stress and trauma. When an experience is overwhelming, the body may activate protective responses – such as fight, flight, or freeze. Sometimes these responses remain active even after the experience has ended, contributing to recurring patterns of tension, alertness, or shutdown.
The Somatic Experiencing® approach offers a gentle and gradual way of working with these patterns through awareness of bodily sensations and responses. By attending to what is happening in the present, the work supports the body and nervous system in moving through protective responses that may have been interrupted or remained unresolved, while gradually developing a greater sense of safety and stability.
As the nervous system becomes better able to move between activation and settling, its natural capacity for regulation can become more available. Over time, people may notice tension softening, a greater ability to remain present, and more flexibility and resilience in responding to stress.
Sessions do not follow a rigid sequence. The work unfolds collaboratively, guided by your responses and what feels manageable at each moment.
We notice what helps you feel safe enough to turn gently towards bodily experience: orienting to the room, feeling the ground, or noticing breathing, movement, steadiness, or comfort.
From this sense of safety, we explore accessible sensations without forcing awareness, while staying connected to the room, the therapeutic relationship, and the present moment.
Attention moves between sensations of greater activation and areas of support, approaching difficulty in small, manageable steps.
Protective impulses may emerge through movement, shifts in breathing or tension, or a greater sense of strength and choice, supporting the release and regulation of activation without becoming overwhelming.
We notice what has shifted and allow the experience to settle, becoming familiar with any greater sense of balance or regulation that may have emerged in the body.
The session closes by bringing attention more fully to the surroundings and supporting a gradual transition back into daily life.
Talk therapy often explores experiences through words, emotions, meanings, and relational patterns. EMDR follows a structured process to support the reprocessing of distressing memories, using bilateral stimulation alongside careful preparation and attention to present experience.
The Somatic Experiencing® approach places particular emphasis on staying present with bodily sensations, protective impulses, movements, and shifts in nervous system activation. The work can begin with what you are noticing in the present, without requiring a detailed account of what happened or asking you to relive the experience. By working gradually with manageable levels of activation, SE™ aims to support processing and integration without repeatedly overwhelming the nervous system.
These are differences in emphasis rather than rigid boundaries. Talk therapy and EMDR can also attend to bodily experience, while Somatic Experiencing may include words, emotions, memories, and meaning. Within an integrative practice, these approaches can complement one another, with the focus shifting according to what you are experiencing, what feels manageable, and what may best support the work at each stage.
For many people living outside their home country, working in the language closest to their inner experience can make it easier to notice and describe subtle bodily sensations. Guidance can land without the added effort of translation, making it easier to stay with the body rather than search for the right words.
Sofia offers individual therapy integrating Somatic Experiencing® techniques in English, French, Spanish, and Italian. Sessions take place in person in Nice, and online for people living in Monaco, along the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur), elsewhere in France, or internationally.
Yes. Somatic Experiencing® techniques can be integrated into online sessions when this is clinically appropriate and the setting is suitable. From a private, quiet space without interruptions, we can attend gently to bodily sensations, movement, breathing, and nervous system responses through guided attention, while working at a pace that feels manageable for you.
Individual therapy sessions integrating Somatic Experiencing® techniques can take place at the practice in Nice or online, depending on what is appropriate and accessible for you.
6 Place Cigalusa, 06300 Nice
50 minutes
English, French, Spanish, and Italian
You do not need to know whether a body-oriented approach is right for you before booking an initial consultation.
If you are considering starting therapy, an initial consultation can give us space to discuss what brings you here, explore what you are hoping for, answer your questions, and consider whether a somatic approach, or another therapeutic approach, feels appropriate for your needs.
Find common questions, clear answers, and guidance on online therapy, EMDR, and multilingual support.