Somatic Experiencing® International

Nurses Helping Nurses – And Their Patients

SEI Communications — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:52:34 +0000

Kathy Allan, RN, SEP has left bedside nursing twice – the first time because she was burned out and the second time because she wanted to help other nurses with burnout. Her first detour from nursing, in the late 1980s, took her to Hollywood, where she worked in theater and in films. Her best work, she says, ended up on the cutting room floor. (Kathy also does stand-up comedy and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild.) While in Hollywood, Kathy took a course in Healing Touch and thought it would augment her weekend work as a hospital nurse while also working in theater.

“It was incredible to be able to put my hands on somebody and watch them change and get better,” says Kathy. She ended her theater career. Kathy then worked to get Healing Touch accepted in her hospital and eventually became a Healing Touch instructor. But the environment in hospital nursing turned, and not for the better, in Kathy’s opinion. “With managed care, the ‘business’ aspect of medicine took over. I began to feel there were unethical and unsafe practices going on in hospitals. So I left bedside nursing again, something I had always loved even though it was stressful.”

Not long after, Kathy heard about Peter Levine and Somatic Experiencing®. She knew that was what she needed to study next. She took and completed the SEP training as well as a two-year program with Kathy Kain, PhD, SEP, on using touch for trauma healing, and also took two programs for healing developmental trauma – NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) and NeuroAffective Touch (NAT). “But it occurred to me that all of these programs were for psychotherapists who have an hour to spend in a quiet office with a patient who has experienced trauma in the past. Nurses don’t have that luxury and they, and their patients, are being traumatized in the present. That’s when I decided to develop something for nurses, because I’m a nurse first and foremost.”

Nursing has always had a certain level of stress and trauma. The hospital environment, in particular, puts nurses at risk for triggers and traumas of post-traumatic stress – they see people die, they resuscitate patients, they have end-of-life discussions, they try to control debilitating pain, they remove life support. None of this is new; what is new is the added, even extreme, stress for many nurses taking care of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, with its crushing patient loads, shortages of proper equipment, and often ineffective treatment. In some cases, nurses have been verbally or physically abused by patients or family members. Nurses across many care settings are vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In some settings, the risk may be higher than in others. A study in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation recently found that up to 48% of nurses in a critical care unit meet the criteria for PTSD. And PTSD and burnout lead to a high rate of nurse turnover. Based on region, the rate of nurse turnover in the US varies from 13% to 21%.

A Goal to Transform Nurses and Nursing

When Kathy decided to develop Trauma-Free Nursing, she wanted to develop a comprehensive program to do two things: teach nurses how to recognize and interrupt the felt sense of trauma in themselves and give them tools to address the traumatization of patients, encouraging them to develop new procedures to reduce trauma in patients. The goal is to enrich the individual nurse and transform the way that nursing is practiced.

“The healthcare system is almost inherently traumatizing for patients – multiple specialists, a serious diagnosis, surgery, the insurance process, a hospital stay with in many cases no one to speak for you, a long list of strange medications. We’ve all heard of people being told to ‘mark the right place on your body for surgery.’ Is it any wonder patients feel traumatized and overwhelmed?”

Nurses are also often overwhelmed, in part due to nursing shortages in many areas, a situation Kathy believes to be cost-driven. According to the American Nurses Association, nurses have been an easy target for reduced hours and other cutbacks precisely because they are the largest staff group in a hospital, at almost 40% of operating costs. As of March 2022, California and Massachusetts are the only states with “safe staffing” laws – mandated nurse-to-patient ratios – although 16 other states address nurse staffing in hospitals in various other ways.² During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital systems could request a waiver on expected staff-to-patient ratios. This is tantamount to abuse of nurses and patients, says Kathy. “As I was developing Trauma-Free Nursing, I kept thinking, ‘What’s it like for patients to have a burned out and exhausted nurse taking care of them?’”

What it’s like in the broader context is an environment of excessive medical errors. Recent studies have estimated errors may account for as many as 251,000 deaths annually in the US, making medical errors the third leading cause of death. Error rates are significantly higher in the U.S. than in other developed countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the UK. At the same time, less than 10 percent of medical errors are reported.³ A study done by Johns Hopkins University says that medical errors surpass the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) third leading cause of death — respiratory disease, which kills close to 150,000 people per year (pre-COVID).⁴

“I strongly believe that many of these medical errors would not be happening if nurses were well-rested, well supported, and free of traumatic stress,” says Kathy.

Changing Behavior Can Change the System

Part of Kathy’s program is Healing Our Presence, a module that focuses on how adaptation to early childhood wounding affects the nurse’s ability to be a healing presence for themselves and for others. Additional moral wounding caused by unrelenting professional demands and exploitation is also explored. “Adaptive” behaviors to cope with developmental trauma can result in healthcare professionals exploiting themselves – and leaving themselves open for exploitation by others. Part of the exploitation comes from the healthcare system. "But it helps nobody if we look at it as an ‘us-vs-them’ situation,” says Kathy. “It’s not that nurses are good and the system is bad. We’re all a part of the system and we keep it going. But nurses have to take responsibility for their part. The Stepping Up Our Game module includes the 12 Steps of Healing Care, a spiritual approach to changing our own behavior, which in turn can change the system.”

Kathy likens it to chemical dependency in addicts – and she should know because she spent 20+ years working in locked and open psychiatric units, as well as in chemical dependency units. “Think about the family of the addict, who is consuming everybody's energy. The family can be codependent – they have lost themselves trying to placate the addiction and the addict. The healthy family, when they get into recovery, will take responsibility for their own behavior, and see this codependent behavior. And with the help of a group dynamic, such as with Al-Anon or Co-Dependents Anonymous, they learn to recognize what they're doing, they take responsibility, and they stop doing it. But the first step of the 12 Steps of Healing Care is that we recognize that we work in a field of trauma. It’s important to acknowledge that. When we allow for spiritual help to change ourselves, we can change our behavior in the system. It’s also important to acknowledge that nurses work in an environment where people often are praying for some spiritual power to help nurses, doctors, patients, and family members. It can be powerful.”

Some of the nurses who have attended Kathy’s presentations don’t work in the high-stress ER or ICU. A key takeaway was that once they learned to de-stress themselves, they wanted to volunteer to help their colleagues in the more high-stress units – nurses helping other nurses. Eventually, Kathy would like to offer a program to hospitals. Trauma-Free Nursing also welcomes traumatized physicians who would like to practice trauma-free medical care. “Doctors also are very traumatized,” says Kathy, “especially these last two years during COVID, and too many are leaving the profession.” In fact, the American Medical Association says that about 5,000 physicians quit every two years due to burnout, with an annual cost of $4.6 billion, including lost revenue from vacancies and recruitment expenses.⁵

Kathy has been an Assistant in the SEP training program for 20 years. Because of her own SE training and what she’s seen in assisting, she knows the power of how our bodies talk to us. “We need to be very curious about what the body is trying to say, even to just ‘hang out with’ the sensations. Once you start doing that, the body says, ‘Ah, somebody noticed.’”

Kathy was one of the panelists for an April 2021 SE Community Conversation on mental health care for medical professionals. To watch the CC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZoe6IhRXyQ&t=7s

To view all of our past CCs: https://traumahealing.org/conversations/

1. Advisory.com, Why 1 in 4 nurses suffers from PTSD, 05.15.2019

2. Advocating for Safe Staffing, American Nurses Association

3. Your Health Care May Kill You, National Library of Medicine, 2017

4. Study suggests medical errors now third leading cause of death in the U.S., hopkinsmedicine.org, 05.03.2016

5. Each COVID-19 surge poses a risk for healthcare workers: PTSD, reuters.com, 09.05.2021

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Global Culture Committee: Help Shape the Future of SE™ Around the World

SEI Communications — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:08:32 +0000

Are you passionate about strengthening the global SE™ community?

The Global Culture Committee of Somatic Experiencing® International (SEI) is inviting applications for a two-year membership term (2026–2028).

The committee partners with the SEI Board of Directors to help cultivate a more globally connected, culturally responsive, and collaborative organization. Together, organizers, assistants, faculty, staff, board members, and community leaders work to strengthen SEI's impact worldwide.

Today, our committee includes members with lived experience from Kenya, South Korea, Colombia, Nigeria, the United States, and Aotearoa (New Zealand). Together, we've helped advance initiatives such as:

✔ Language & Translation — Piloting multilingual programs and expanding translated training resources.

✔ Global Access — Improving the accessibility and affordability of SE resources while supporting communities during times of crisis.

✔ Growing New SE Communities — Supporting emerging regions and helping organizers introduce Somatic Experiencing® to new communities.

✔ International Connection — Strengthening communication and collaboration across SEI's global network.

As SEI continues to grow, we're excited to welcome new perspectives, experiences, and ideas.

If you're ready to help shape the future of our global community, we encourage you to apply today.

————————————————–

SEI Global Culture Committee Details

The Global Culture Committee meets monthly on Zoom to provide international and culturally informed perspectives that help shape SEI's global initiatives.

Meeting Schedule

Current Meeting: Second Tuesday of each month
Time: 11:00 AM–12:00 PM MDT / 17:00–18:00 UTC
We are exploring additional meeting times to better accommodate members across global time zones.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome applications from all regions and especially encourage individuals with lived experience or active participation in SEI communities in:

Emerging SEI regions
The Middle East
Europe
Indigenous communities

We're looking for people who:

Are passionate about expanding the reach of Somatic Experiencing® worldwide.
Bring diverse cultural and lived perspectives.
Have experience building or supporting communities.
Value collaboration and global connection.
Can actively participate in monthly meetings and committee initiatives.

Membership Commitment

Two-year term (2026–2028)
Opportunity to renew for up to four years total
Monthly meeting attendance is expected. If you're unable to attend occasionally, you may watch the recording and participate asynchronously (up to three times during your term).

Apply by Friday, July 10, 2026.

Questions? Contact SEI's Cultural and Operational Growth Manager. Daniela Leposa Soracá at dpsoraca@traumahealing.org.

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Holding the Work Together: Introducing SEI’s New Board Co-Chair

SEI Communications — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:40:29 +0000

There are moments in the life of a community when the most important question is not who will lead, but how we will carry the work together.

As Somatic Experiencing® International continues through a meaningful season of growth and transformation, we are pleased to share that Karin Ritchie and Prashant Goel will be serving as Co-Chairs of the Board of Directors.

This transition reflects something that has already been taking shape within SEI: a growing commitment to shared leadership, collective responsibility, and the understanding that the most important work is rarely carried by one person alone.

SEI is more than an organization. It is a global community united by a shared devotion to healing. It is a body of work that has been shaped by countless teachers, practitioners, students, staff, assistants, coordinators, and community members around the world. Each person has contributed a thread to a fabric larger than themselves.

Over the years, this community has celebrated meaningful successes, navigated challenges, and continued to evolve. Through it all, one truth has remained clear: we are strongest when we carry the work together.

The move to a Board of Directors Co-Chair structure grows from that understanding. It reflects a belief that leadership is not about standing above others, but about standing alongside one another in service of something we all care about deeply.

In that same spirit, Prashant has agreed to serve as Co-Chair through mid-November, helping to steward this period of transition before concluding his service on the Board. His time-bound commitment reflects a broader process already underway as the Board thoughtfully reviews and re-envisions its own composition, structure, and role in supporting SEI's future. We look forward to sharing more about that work with the community in the months ahead.

Honoring Sangeeta

As we welcome this new chapter, we also pause to honor Sangeeta and her service as Board Chair.

Leading during a period of significant change is rarely simple. It asks for steadiness when the path is uncertain, courage when difficult decisions arise, and commitment when the work becomes demanding.

Sangeeta brought all of these qualities to her leadership.

During her tenure, SEI strengthened its organizational foundations, developed new leadership structures, and continued moving toward greater clarity and coherence. Her dedication helped create conditions for growth, collaboration, and stability during an important chapter in the organization's life.

More than anything, we wish to honor the care with which she served this community.

On behalf of the Board and the wider SEI community, we offer our sincere gratitude for her leadership and the lasting contributions she has made to this work.

Looking Forward

SE began as a pioneering vision and has grown into a global field of healing, education, and transformation.

Today, the world is increasingly recognizing the importance of trauma healing, nervous system health, and human connection. In many ways, the wider culture is beginning to ask questions that this community has been exploring for decades.

And the need for this work remains profound.

As Karin and Prashant step into these roles, they do so with humility and a deep sense of responsibility. Their intention is to help steward this work with care, to support its integrity, to strengthen the organization that serves it, and to help it reach the people and communities who are calling for it.

Moving Forward Together

One of the deepest lessons within SE is that healing becomes possible when connection is restored.

Organizations are not so different.

When we remain in relationship with one another, when we meet challenges with honesty and care, and when we trust in our collective capacity to learn and grow, something remarkable becomes possible.

As we begin this next chapter, we do so with gratitude for those who have brought us here, trust in the strength of this community, and hope for what can continue to emerge through our shared commitment to healing.

Thank you for being part of this work.

Thank you for helping carry it forward.

With gratitude,

The SEI Board of Directors

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Somatic Experiencing® International Receives NBCC Approval

SEI Communications — Sat, 30 May 2026 16:51:51 +0000

Somatic Experiencing® International Receives NBCC Approval

We are pleased to announce that Somatic Experiencing® International (SEI) has once again been approved as a continuing education provider through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).

This milestone allows SEI to once again offer NBCC continuing education credits for select Somatic Experiencing training modules, expanding access to professional development opportunities for counselors and helping practitioners meet continuing education requirements while deepening trauma-informed clinical skills.

We are proud to continue supporting professionals worldwide through high-quality training grounded in the principles of Somatic Experiencing® and dedicated to advancing excellence in trauma healing.

Participants are encouraged to review each training CE Information page to confirm NBCC and ASWB ACE eligibility, as continuing education credits are only available for select approved modules.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our students, faculty, consultants, coordinators, and community members whose ongoing dedication and support made this achievement possible. Your commitment to professional growth and ethical, trauma-informed education continues to inspire our work every day.

We look forward to continuing to grow and serve professionals seeking meaningful learning experiences.

Counselors and Social Workers residing in the United States and Canada who attend trainings eligible for NBCC or ASWB ACE credit through SEI may be able to:

Use employer-provided continuing education funds to help cover tuition costs.

Apply their Certificate of Completion toward professional license renewal requirements, where accepted by their licensing board.

Continue Your Learning Journey

Explore SEI trainings currently eligible for NBCC and ASWB ACE credit and discover upcoming opportunities for professional growth.

View Eligible Trainings

Explore Upcoming NBCC Offerings

Learn More About Continuing Education Credits

Eligible Training Modules

The following modules are eligible for both NBCC and ASWB ACE credit (please note abbreviated titles):

SETM Professional Training Basics

SETM Professional Training: BIPOC Basics

SETM Professional Training Beg. I

SETM Professional Training Beg. II

SETM Professional Training Int. I

SETM Professional Training Int. II

SETM Professional Training Adv. I

Please note that SEI will only offer ACE & NBCC credit for specific trainings. Be sure to review each training CE Information page for confirmation of ACE & NBCC eligibility.

Additionally, SEI will not provide ACE & NBCC credit for modules using the fully spelled-out naming conventions, including:

Beginning I

Beginning II

Beginning III

Intermediate I

Intermediate II

Intermediate III

Advanced I

Advanced II

For example, ACE & NBCC credit will not be offered for:

Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training Beginning I

If you have any questions regarding CE eligibility for a specific training, please visit our Contact Us page and select “CE and Evaluations.”

Current NBCC Offerings

2026

Golden, CO – SE® Professional Training Adv I – June 4-9, 2026

New Orleans, LA – SE™ Professional Training Basics – June 12, 2026

Montclair, NJ Online – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – June 12-15, 2026

Silver Spring, MD – SE Professional Training Int. I – June 12-15, 2026 Eng.& ASL

Idyllwild, CA – SE® Professional Training Adv I – June 12-17, 2026

Tulsa, OK Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – June 19-22, 2026

Santa Fe, NM – SE Professional Training Int. I – July 10-13, 2026

Cheyenne, WY Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – July 10-13, 2026

Roanoke, VA Online – SE Professional Training: Beg. I – July 17-20, 2026

St. Louis, MO – SE® Professional Training Int I – July 24-27, 2026

Austin, TX – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – August 7-10, 2026

Wichita, KS Online – SE™ Professional Training: Beg. I – August 14-17, 2026

San Diego, CA – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – August 14-17, 2026

SE Professional Training: BIPOC Basics- August 15-16, 2026

Columbia, SC Online – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – August 21-24, 2026

Louisville, KY – SE Professional Training Int. I – September 25-28, 2026

Atlanta, GA – SE Professional Training Int. I – September 25-28, 2026

Kansas City, MO – SE® Professional Training Adv I – October 1-6, 2026

New Orleans, LA Online – SE Professional Training: Beg. I – October 2-5, 2026

Pittsburgh, PA – SE® Professional Training: Beg. I – Oct 9-12, 2026

Portland, OR – SE Professional Training Int. I – October 9-12, 2026

Manhattan, NY – SE Professional Training Int. I – October 16-19, 2026

Golden, CO – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – October 23-26, 2026

Chicago, IL – SE Professional Training Int. I – November 6-9, 2026

St. Pete Beach, FL – SE Professional Training Int. I – November 6-9, 2026

Boulder, CO Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – November 6-9, 2026

Wichita, KS Online – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – November 13-16, 2026

Providence, RI Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – November 13-16, 2026

Augusta, ME Online – SE Professional Training: Beg. I – November 16-19, 2026

Roanoke, VA Online – SE Professional Training Beg. II – December 11-14 2026

Philadelphia, PA – SE Professional Training Int. I – Dec 11-14, 2026

2027

New Orleans, LA Online – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – Jan. 22-25, 2027

Pittsburgh, PA – SE Professional Training Beg. II – January 22-25, 2027

Asheville, NC – SE Professional Training: Beg. I – February 5-8, 2027

Augusta, ME Online – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – February 15-18, 2027

Richmond, VA Online – SE Professional Training: Beg. I – Feb 19-22, 2027

Philadelphia, PA – SE Professional Training Int. II – Feb 26-Mar 1, 2027

Columbia, SC Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – March 5-8, 2027

San Francisco, CA – SE® Professional Training Adv I – March 11-16, 2027

New York, NY – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – March 12-15, 2027

Montclair, NJ Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – March 19-22, 2027

Idyllwild, CA – SE Professional Training Adv. I – May 12-17, 2027

Anchorage, AK – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – May 21-24, 2027

Richmond, VA Online – SE Professional Training Beg. II – May 21-24, 2027

Asheville, NC – SE® Professional Training Beg. II – June 4-7, 2027

Scottsdale, AZ – SE Professional Training Adv. I – June 7-12, 2027

New Orleans, LA Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – July 16-19, 2027

St. Louis, MO – SE Professional Training Adv. I – July 29-August 3, 2027

New York, NY – SE Professional Training Adv. I – August 15-20, 2027

Birmingham, AL – SE Professional Training Int. I – Sept 10-13, 2027

Pittsburgh, PA – SE Professional Training Int. I – September 24-27, 2027

New York, NY – SE Professional Training Int. I – November 12-15, 2027

Augusta, ME Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – Nov 29-Dec 2, 2027

2028

Asheville, NC – SE Professional Training Int. I – January 7-10, 2028

Pittsburgh, PA – SE® Professional Training: Int II – Jan 28-31, 2028

Richmond, VA Online – SE Professional Training Int. I – February 4-7, 2028

Anchorage, AK – SE Professional Training Int. I – February 25-28, 2028

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Marketing Disclosure

Somatic Experiencing® International (SEI) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 8032. Somatic Experiencing® International (SEI) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

SETM Professional Training Basics — 3 Credits

SETM Professional Training: BIPOC Basics — 9 Credits

SETM Professional Training Beg. I — 24 Credits

SETM Professional Training Beg. II — 24 Credits

SETM Professional Training Int. I — 24 Credits

SETM Professional Training Int. II — 24 Credits

SETM Professional Training Adv. I — 36 Credits

ASWB ACE Marketing Disclosure

SETM Professional Training Basics

Somatic Experiencing International, Provider #145, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/16/29. Social workers completing this course receive 3 total credits, including 0 clinical and 3 general continuing education credits.

SETM Professional Training: BIPOC Basics

Somatic Experiencing International, Provider #145, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/16/29. Social workers completing this course receive 9 total credits, including 0 clinical and 9 general continuing education credits.

SETM Professional Training Beg. I

Somatic Experiencing International, Provider #145, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/16/29. Social workers completing this course receive 24 total credits, including 10 clinical and 14 general continuing education credits.

SETM Professional Training Beg. II

Somatic Experiencing International, Provider #145, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/16/29. Social workers completing this course receive 24 total credits, including 10 clinical and 14 general continuing education credits.

SETM Professional Training Int. I

Somatic Experiencing International, Provider #145, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/16/29. Social workers completing this course receive 24 total credits, including 10 clinical and 14 general continuing education credits.

SETM Professional Training Int. II

Somatic Experiencing International, Provider #145, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/16/29. Social workers completing this course receive 24 total credits, including 10 clinical and 14 general continuing education credits.

SETM Professional Training Adv. I

Somatic Experiencing International, Provider #145, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 5/16/29. Social workers completing this course receive 36 total credits, including 10 clinical and 24 general continuing education credits.

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Finding More Choice, More Presence, More Life

SEI Communications — Sat, 30 May 2026 16:37:24 +0000

Reflections on Capacity, Community, and Transformation with Kristen Cadwell

The final afternoon of Intermediate training in Miami carried a familiar feeling, one that often settles into the room at the close of a Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) training week. There was laughter lingering between conversations, nervous systems slowly unwinding after days of deep learning, and the quiet aliveness that emerges when people have spent time together in genuine presence.

It was in this atmosphere that I sat down with Kristen Cadwell, LPC, CMHC, LPCC, a SEP™, following her time assisting in Intermediate training, to reflect on what makes Somatic Experiencing® more than simply a professional training program. As Kristen spoke, the conversation moved beyond methodology and into something deeper: the ways healing reshapes our relationship to ourselves, to one another, and to the world around us.

Themes central to SEI’s mission emerged naturally throughout the conversation: compassion, support, curiosity, vitality, excellence, accessibility, and the profound human need for connection.

For Kristen, the transformation she witnesses inside SE training is not just professional. It is deeply human.

“The Training Transforms Them”

When asked what makes SE students unique, Kristen paused thoughtfully before answering.

“I’m not sure SE students are necessarily unique,” she shared. “There’s not just one type of person who comes through this training.”

What stands out to her is not who students are when they arrive, but who they become throughout the training process.

“You see all kinds of people come through the training, and the training transforms them.”

Kristen reflected on the privilege of watching students evolve from Beginning level through Intermediate III, often over the course of several years.

“They’re not the same person who first came through the doors of the training. There’s so much more capacity. There’s so much more graciousness for themselves and for other humans.”

Inside the training environment, she explained, something rare begins to emerge. People are given space not only to learn, but to exist more fully as themselves.

“There’s so much allowance to just be. And we don’t often get that day-to-day.”

That sense of allowance to slow down, become curious, build capacity, and reconnect with oneself and others is part of what continues to draw people into SEI’s learning communities around the world.

More Than a Modality, “It’s a Way of Being”

As somatic approaches continue gaining visibility across wellness and mental health spaces, Kristen spoke candidly about what distinguishes Somatic Experiencing® from broader uses of the word “somatic.”

“Somatic is the new sexy word,” she said with a laugh. “Everything is now somatic-based, movement, dance, yoga -but that’s not what SE is.”

For Kristen, SE is not simply a collection of techniques or interventions.

“SE is a way of being. It’s a way of seeing people and their nervous systems and understanding how trauma impacts us.”

She described how trauma shapes adaptive survival patterns within the nervous system. Patterns that often continue long after the original danger has passed.

“Our bodies adapt to traumatic environments, and those patterns continue even when we’re no longer in those situations. The body doesn’t always know the trauma is over.”

What continues to inspire her most is witnessing vitality slowly returning to people who have spent years disconnected from themselves.

Referencing the teachings of Peter A. Levine, PhD, Kristen reflected on how trauma can diminish a person’s life force and how healing can gradually restore it.

“To see that life force becomes more revitalized and vibrant again… It’s so beautiful to witness.”

Unlike approaches focused on rapid or performative transformation, Kristen emphasized that SEI’s multi-year training model allows growth to happen slowly enough for the nervous system to truly integrate change.

“You see more growth. More capacity. More vibrancy for life.”

That pace, she explained, matters.

Students move through the training over time; many begin to notice shifts not only within themselves but also in how they relate to others. With greater nervous system capacity often comes greater openness, curiosity, and connection.

“People want to connect more. And that’s because we now have capacity and curiosity about other humans.”

Building Capacity, Restoring Agency

Kristen’s clinical work focuses primarily on clients experiencing anxiety, depression, and developmental trauma. Throughout her career, she has worked in nonprofit mental health agencies, residential facilities for adjudicated youth, and both inner-city and suburban school systems. Her work is also informed by trauma-informed yoga therapy, yogic philosophy, and Reiki.

Much of her passion lies in increasing accessibility to trauma-informed care for marginalized populations who may not otherwise have access to specialty modalities like SE.

At the heart of Kristen’s work is the understanding that meaningful healing happens through a safe, attuned relationship to healing.

Kristen shared that discovering SE fundamentally changed how she works with clients.

“I got into this work because I was working with adolescents who were struggling to make lasting change.”

Traditional counseling models, she explained, often lacked frameworks for understanding the nervous system’s role in trauma and behavior.

SE offered something different.

Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, Kristen described helping clients gradually build capacity for everyday life while increasing awareness of how their nervous systems respond to stress, connection, and relational dynamics.

“It’s not a one-and-done process. People are learning how to build more capacity for everyday pressures.”

Over time, clients begin recognizing their patterns with greater awareness and compassion.

“They realize, ‘Oh, that’s not my stuff, that’s their stuff!’”

For Kristen, one of the most meaningful aspects of SE work is the restoration of agency.

“Before, many people felt hijacked by their nervous systems. They didn’t feel like they had agency.”

Now, she says, many clients feel more grounded, more oriented, and better able to navigate their lives with greater clarity.

That shift contains the potential to transform everything.

“To know where you are and why you got there instead of feeling disoriented and swirling down the eddy without knowing how to get yourself out.”

“You’re Worth It. Come.”

As the conversation came to a close, Kristen was asked what she would say to someone considering joining the SE training.

Her answer came without hesitation.

“Do it.”

Though she laughed lightheartedly, calling the experience “life-changing,” she acknowledged that for many people it truly is.

“If you’re yearning to have connection with other humans, either the kind you used to have or the kind you’ve dreamt of having. This training can help you understand yourself and how you show up in the world.”

For Kristen, the training is ultimately about understanding how nervous systems interact, how healing unfolds in relationships, and how greater awareness creates the possibility for meaningful change.

And perhaps most importantly, it is about remembering one’s worth.

“You’re deserving. And you’re worth it. Come.”

In many ways, Kristen’s reflections capture something essential about the spirit of SEI itself: that healing does not happen through performance or perfection, but through compassion, presence, curiosity, community, support, and the gradual restoration of vitality.

At a time when so many people are longing for deeper connection, to themselves, to others, and to the world around them, spaces that support embodied learning and authentic human relationships feel more important than ever.

And that is part of what makes SE training so transformative.

Not simply what people learn.

But who they become along the way.

About Kristen Cadwell

Kristen Cadwell is a licensed professional counselor in the states of Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Oklahoma. She has worked with a variety of clientele in nonprofit mental health agencies, adjudicated youth in residential facilities, and both inner-city and suburban school districts. Her specialty is working with clients who present with anxiety, depression, and developmental trauma. Her work is informed by Somatic Experiencing®, yogic philosophy, trauma-informed yoga therapy (TIYT), and Reiki (Level 2). Kristen is also working toward becoming a certified yoga therapist. She is passionate about supporting marginalized populations who may not otherwise have access to therapists with specialized training in SE and TIYT, and strongly believes that the therapeutic relationship is one of the greatest catalysts for healing and change. Kristen is approved to provide personal sessions at all levels in SE.

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Clarity, Connection, and a Shared Direction Forward

SEI Communications — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:53:22 +0000

Reflecting on our time together, what stands out most to me is the significance of a fully remote staff being able to gather in person for the first time in four years, alongside the board members meeting one another face-to-face for the first time. That alone feels like a meaningful milestone in the recent history of the organization.

Within that, I experienced three strong threads: clarity, connection, and healing.

On the clarity side, there was a real focus on aligning around direction and structure. Each department, and the organization as a whole, began clarifying its 10-year target, 3-year picture, and 1-year plan. From there, teams moved toward identifying quarterly priorities and creating the kinds of conversations and agreements needed to support accountability. What stood out to me was not just the content of these plans, but the shared effort to build clearer mechanisms for communication, coordination, and issue assessment moving forward.

The connection piece felt equally important. Being together in person allowed for a level of collaboration, nuance, and relational depth that is very different from a remote environment. People were also able to get to know each other more directly across roles and departments, which I think strengthened the relational fabric of the organization.

The third thread, from my perspective, was healing. It felt especially meaningful given the complexity of SEI’s history. There was space that was intentionally created for things to be acknowledged, felt, and metabolized in a way that supports moving forward. It also felt foundational and mutually supportive of the work. The balance between structured facilitation and moments of lightness and enjoyment helped create an environment where that kind of healing could naturally unfold.

Looking ahead, I see this experience contributing to a renewed sense of forward momentum. There was a clear feeling of people beginning to face in the same direction with a sense of collective responsibility for the organization.

For me, a key takeaway is the emergence of global stewardship across both staff and board. There is a commitment to strengthening connection and creating accountability.

David Young
SEI Co-Executive Director

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Where Connection Deepens the Work

SEI Communications — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:46:55 +0000

For a week, the SEI staff and board of directors came together in person. Together, we found new clarity, new connections, and ongoing healing. As a relational organization, we understand deeply what happens when we come together in person—the resonance is palpable, and the collective nervous system finds new ways to connect, laugh, and work.

The time together was, in a word, rejuvenating. While it is impossible to capture every moment of insight, the overarching theme was one of profound clarity. Each department dedicated time to soul-searching questions: Who are we? To what are we aligned? By defining our organizational and departmental visions and values, we have emerged with a structured three-year picture and a concrete one-year plan for how to get there. This internal alignment ensures that SEI is moving forward with the stability and intention necessary to continue serving our global community.

We also spent some time working to address the issues that have arisen since the launch of the new online portal. Our time together provided the essential container to address these difficulties with transparency and heart. We didn’t just talk about the work; we did the work. We also made time to laugh and connect on deeper levels, leading to ongoing healing the organization continues to need.

SEI’s vision remains steadfast: to transform lives through healing trauma. As SE continues to grow in a world that needs it more than ever, we are bubbling with new ideas—from innovative programs to global structures for community engagement.

We returned to our desks a little bit behind on emails, perhaps, but infinitely richer in spirit. What we know for sure is that we are better together. Keep an eye out as these seeds of connection begin to bloom; we cannot wait to share what’s next with you.

Rebecca Stahl
SEI Co-Executive Director

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A New Chapter Taking Shape

SEI Communications — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:45:25 +0000

Being together in Boulder felt different from the start. There was a sense of arrival, not just physically, but in how we met each other. Conversations had weight to them. There was a willingness to slow down, to listen, and to stay with what was emerging rather than moving too quickly toward conclusions.

What arrived in our coming together was something that could only take shape by finally being in the same space. It came from being together, where something began to form through shared time and the way we found a rhythm with one another. From that, a clearer sense of direction began to emerge. There was a collective movement toward opening Somatic Experiencing beyond our professional circles and allowing it to reach people in a more direct and accessible way. We landed in something that now feels ready, even necessary for all of us to embrace.

At the same time, there was a real effort to bring that vision into the body of the organization. Not leaving it as inspiration, but shaping it into something we could actually hold, track, and nurture together. There was care in how this is beginning to live across departments, across roles, and in the shared responsibility of making it real.

What has stayed with me most is how we stayed with each other. There were moments that were not seamless, and that mattered. We didn’t move away from those places; we worked through them. Not as impediments, but as opportunities for repair. There was an openness that allowed for coming together and for movement, reflecting the very principles we are committed to bringing into the world, where repair becomes part of how we move forward together. From here, relationships were formed, and longstanding connections were strengthened in meaningful ways.

I left with a sense of possibility that didn’t feel abstract; it felt tangible, something already beginning to move. Our organization is growing with a sense of clarity, direction, and a deeper alignment with what it stands for.

There is something deeply meaningful about being part of a community that is not only committed to supporting change in others, but is willing to embody those same principles in how we come together and move forward. Somatic Experiencing is a gift to the world, and we are honored to be its stewards.

Sergio Ocampo
SEI Board Director

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The Moment I Raised My Hand: Working with Trauma, Grief, and Trust in SE™

SEI Communications — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 13:24:32 +0000

I almost didn’t raise my hand.

It was Intermediate — the second year of the three-year SE professional program. Abi Blakeslee was at the front of the room — sixty SE students seated behind her in the longest line of volunteers I had seen since starting the program. The invitation was open: who had a headline related to falls?

Something in me moved before my mind could negotiate with it. My hand went up.

By the time I reached the microphone, my heart was racing. My legs were unsteady. The room narrowed to that single line of faces watching me. I stated my headline: a traumatic fall from my mountain bike on the trails near my home in Hood River, Oregon. Multiple fractures. And something harder to name — a loss of trust in myself and others that had already been quietly present long before the fall, and was now worse.

I sat across from Abi, still shaking inside. Her presence was completely calm.

I don’t remember much of what happened next. I remember my feet on the floor, my seat in the chair, my back supported — the orientation Abi had guided us in so many times. I remember the lapel mic clipped to my top, Kevin steadying the sound, and the reassuring eye contact of my dear friends Chris and Kelly from my cohort. I remember sitting on a yoga ball. Stillness in my arms and feet at first. Then some movement. It was, all at once, a complete and incomplete experience.

For years, I had named the patterns — with mentors, coaches, therapists, masterminds, podcasts, books. I could describe exactly what was wrong with me. Nothing had changed.

That is the paradox SE eventually taught me to trust: there is a form of work where you can name everything and nothing shifts. And there is a form of work where you cannot name anything, and everything changes.

Among the assistants moving through our small dyads and triads — at least a dozen dedicated, kind, and skilled practitioners — was Peter Cellarius. He taught me so much in those practice spaces that when the training ended, I sought him out for individual sessions. He has been my counsellor and a trusted presence ever since.

What I couldn’t have named then was grief.

Not the acute grief of the fall or the fractures. The older, slower grief of outgrowing what I had been most loyal to — the places, the people, the version of myself that was good and dedicated and real — and that no longer fit who I was becoming. For two years, I had reluctantly introduced myself as a PT and bodyworker, because that was the honest truth.

Because that was the honest answer, while something in me strained toward something I couldn't yet name. I was witnessing deep transformation in others and feeling, with a clarity I couldn’t ignore, that this was why I am still here—my raison d’être.

In 2025, I took a gap year to do my personal work with Peter before I was ready to return to the training. That year was not a detour. It was the work.

SE gave me a container for that grief. Not to resolve it. To metabolise it — slowly, in community, with practitioners who understood without explanation that the good version of yourself can be exactly what you have to grieve on the way to becoming who you are.

This year, I will complete Advanced I and II with Abi in Idyllwild, California, in June and October. Peter will be there as an assistant. The man who sat with me in dyads during Intermediate and held my personal work during the gap year will be in the room again. That continuity is not coincidental. It is the SE community doing exactly what it is designed to do.

I have built RECLAIMED, an 8-week nervous system regulation cohort for post-treatment breast cancer survivors. The work I do with my clients is inseparable from what happened when I raised my hand in that room — and from every dyad, every triad, every assistant, every student, Kevin, our sound guy, every member of the support staff, and every moment of being witnessed in the years since.

The SE community gave me back something I didn’t know I’d lost. I am still integrating it.

Written by Heidi Roberts, Somatic Practitioner

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Finding Presence: A Somatic Journey Through Terror and Healing

SEI Communications — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:00:22 +0000

Some stories live quietly inside us, waiting for the right moment to be spoken. This is one of mine.

A few years ago, a client came to me with a very specific fear. Let’s call her Katy.

Katy was preparing for a major public presentation, one that would place her squarely in the public eye, in front of thousands of people. On the surface, it appeared to be stage fright. Yet as we slowed things down and listened more closely to her body, it became clear that this fear ran much deeper.

Even imagining herself walking onto the stage sent her nervous system into high alert. Her body reacted as though she were walking toward annihilation, as if the stage were a guillotine and speaking meant certain death. Terror lived not only in her thoughts, but in her muscles, her breath, and her spine.

My grounding for this work comes from many years of practicing and teaching Taichi and Qigong, alongside Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) and touch-based work. Most meaningful, however, has been the privilege of learning and walking alongside teachers and peers within the Somatic Experiencing community. My training and assistantship with Dr. Peter Levine deeply shaped my understanding of trauma and healing, particularly through explorations of the Eye of the Needle -near-death experiences, dreams and imagination, and developmental trauma retreats. These experiences supported a deepening relationship with the subtle intelligence of the body and its innate capacity for self-regulation and healing.

I was also profoundly influenced by assisting Peter and Betsy Polatin in Trauma in the Public Eye, where voice, embodiment, and nervous system regulation meet through subtle shifts in posture, movement, and breath. Witnessing how small, titrated changes in the body can support presence, expression, and resilience continues to inform and inspire my somatic healing journey.

With Katy, we began simply.

Before touching the fear, we oriented toward safety.

We spent time discovering her resources, people, places, sensations, and memories that brought even a small degree of ease. A softening in her belly. A steadier breath. A sense of being accompanied rather than alone. Slowly and gently, her system began to learn that not every activation required collapse or flight.

As trust and safety grew, I also worked with subtle, attuned touch at her back, always with consent and careful tracking. My hands offered gentle contact along her spine, inviting support rather than correction. Almost immediately, Katy began to sense something she had rarely felt in moments of fear.

As her body registered this steady presence, her breath deepened. Her shoulders softened. Her posture shifted from bracing to yielding. I could feel regulation beginning to come on board. Something fundamental changed. Her spine lengthened not because she was trying to stand tall, but because her body no longer needed to protect itself as much.

From there, in a careful and respectful way, we began to approach the stage, first only in imagination. She pictured herself surrounded by friendly faces, loving and compassionate presences, in an environment that felt supportive rather than threatening. We went at the pace her body allowed, always tracking sensation and honoring pauses.

We continued working with posture and movement.

How would she stand.

How would she walk onto the stage.

Where would her weight rest.

What would her spine want to do if it felt just a little safer?

Each small adjustment carried meaning. Confidence emerged not as a performance, but as a natural consequence of inhabiting her body. Grace arrived quietly, without effort.

Next came the voice.

We played with sound, gentle tones and vibrations, allowing breath to drop into the gut and rise back up through the lungs. As her body opened, her voice changed. It became fuller, warmer, melodious, yet undeniably powerful. Not forced. Not projected. Simply expressed.

Over the next few sessions, she imagined delivering her talk from this embodied place. Each time, the fear loosened its grip. What once felt like terror slowly transformed into aliveness.

And then came the day of the actual presentation.

Katy stood on that stage, in front of thousands of people, and she did not need to imagine them naked or disappear into dissociation. She could see them. Make eye contact. Orient to the space around her. Feel the energy of the crowd and let it move through her, back and forth, like a dance.

It was no longer her versus the audience.

It was relationship.

It was resonance.

A living field of shared breath and shared attention. A current moving between her body and theirs. She could feel them listening. She could sense the subtle shifts in the room, the softening, the leaning in, the quiet recognition. And she responded not from fear, but from contact.

There was rhythm in it. A natural cadence. A dance of energy flowing outward and returning again.

She was not performing for them. She was present with them.

The stage was no longer a place of threat. It had become a place of connection. Of aliveness. Of exchange.

In that space, her nervous system was not bracing for danger. It was engaged. Curious. Open. She was standing in her body, with agency, feeling her feet on the ground, her spine long, her breath moving, her voice rising from deep within. And the audience was no longer an anonymous mass. They were human beings. Faces. Eyes. Presence.

What once felt like walking toward annihilation had transformed into stepping into communion.

And there was joy in it.

The kind of joy that comes when survival energy reorganizes into vitality. When fear metabolizes into presence. When the body realizes it is safe enough to be seen.

This is why I love telling this story.

Because it reminds me, again and again, that healing does not come from overriding the body, but from listening to it. From inhabiting it. From allowing the wisdom that lives beneath words to guide the way.

I hold deep gratitude for Somatic Experiencing International, for my teachers, my peers, my colleagues, and the many clients who have trusted me with their stories. This work has been a warm, generous, and deeply fulfilling journey for me over the past decade.

In a world that feels increasingly complex and challenging, I remain grateful for the body, for community, and for the quiet transformations that unfold when we slow down enough to truly listen.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Cicily Thomas,

SEP™, Transforming Touch® Practitioner, Taiji & Qigong

Master Specialist in Sexual trauma, Somatic movements

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