Original Research: Factors that inform the client experience of Somatic Experiencing

Read the full research article here: https://shorturl.at/qnjCK ABSTRACT Background: While current Somatic Experiencing studies have produced impressive outcomes and biological rationales for treatment, there is a lack of client-centered research attending to the lived experience of those attending the therapy. Learning from clients about their therapeutic experience can illuminate a multitude of factors that help and hinder therapeutic outcomes in order to conceive of or reform interventions, advance our understanding of therapeutic change, and gain insight into clients’ hidden processes. These might include unexpressed fear, dissatisfaction, and avoidance, as well as what they most value about the therapy. Method: Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to process the data. The sample size was necessarily small to align with IPA guidelines. Findings: Two superordinate themes were abstracted: communication and pacing. Subordinate themes: Intake assessment, expectation, and psychoeducation are situated under the superordinate theme of communication. Conclusion: Hidden processes illuminated in qualitative research of this kind can greatly benefit Somatic Experiencing Practitioners (SEPs) in better understanding how their therapeutic approach is experienced by their clients. SE is considered to be a complimentary modality, with many ways to interweave the wisdom of the nervous system, be it through psychotherapy, dance therapy, life coaching or teaching, for example (Blakeslee, 2023). This study has shown the importance of listening to and acting upon the hidden processes present in the client experience of SE, regardless of the modality within which it is practiced. We cannot change what we are not aware of, and so this research, and others that attend to the client perspective of SE, will hopefully help inform best practice, creating, over time, a strong foundation upon which an already proven-effective modality can rely