Ilene Smith is the author of the
book Moving Beyond Trauma: The Roadmap to Healing from Your Past and Living with Ease and Vitality. She is a certified professional coach and Somatic
Experiencing practitioner. She lives in Arizona.
Q: Why did you decide to
write this book, and how long did it take you to write it?
A: I decided to write the
book because I felt there was a need for a book that would educate, empower and
guide people through the process of trauma healing and body- based therapies.
There are so many great books out there on trauma, but most are geared towards
professionals.
I started writing the book
two years ago. It took a long time because I developed a series of assessments
for the reader to map out their own nervous system functioning.
Sarah Melancon, Ph.D., and I
thoroughly combed the existing research to make sure our assessments covered
the most relevant aspects of the nervous system. These assessments can be used
on their own or with a therapist to help an individual create a deeper
understanding of their own functioning.
Q: How would you define Somatic
Experiencing, and what impact did it have on you?
A: Somatic Experiencing (SE)
is a body therapy modality used to heal trauma. When an event happens too fast
and we do not have the time or ability for self-protection or defense, this
survival energy gets stuck in our body as an incomplete biological reaction.
This stuck energy is what
causes trauma symptoms and the nervous system to lose its ability to maintain a
state of balance. The trapped energy from the traumatic experience causes the
nervous system to rush to a state of fight, flight, or freeze.
SE works to help bring the
nervous system back on-line by helping the individual restore their sense of
safety. This can only happen when the body has a “biological completion” and
the trauma energy has the opportunity to reintegrate back into the body.
When I went back to school in
my early 40s for a degree in mental health counseling, I knew I wanted to work
with trauma.
I was introduced to SE during
my internship at an eating disorder clinic and felt as though SE was
complimentary to talk therapy. I also felt as though it was the missing link
for trauma healing.
I became a student of the
work as well as a patient because I believe you can only take a client as far
as you are willing to go yourself. I was experiencing great results personally
and began applying the principles of SE with my clients.
The results were phenomenal.
Clients with eating disorders and addiction were moving away from their
maladaptive behaviors and finding deeper and more meaningful connections with
themselves and others.
I feel strongly and
passionately that the body and the nervous system need to be part of the
healing process for real and everlasting change.
Q: You write that talk
therapy "can be a distraction...It distracts us from what we're
feeling." Do you see a role for talk therapy in addition to Somatic
Experiencing therapy?
A: I believe talk therapy is
important in helping individuals create a deeper understanding of oneself and
how the past may be impacting present functioning. However, I believe talk
therapy becomes detrimental when a person continues to retell their story over
and over without creating a different relationship with their past.
SE is different as it works
with the body’s most primitive instincts to help integrate trauma memories into
the body. When this occurs, a person will experience a greater sense of safety
within themselves.
In other words, a person
gains a sense of mastery over themselves and their feelings. It is a knowing
that you can handle and tolerate what you are experiencing. Resilience is a
byproduct of knowing you have the internal resources to survive and this is
what we teach the body through the process of SE.
Q: What do you hope readers
take away from the book?
A: I hope readers will leave
with the understand that where they are today may not be their fault. My desire
is for the reader to recognize that the same brain and body that allowed them
to survive is the same brain and body that will allow them to thrive in their
life today.
I give the reader tools to
work with their body and nervous system and ultimately create a life of
healing, ease and vitality.
Q: What are you working on
now?
A: I am getting ready to
write another book about my own personal journey of grief and healing. I lost
my husband suddenly four years ago and if it was not for the somatic work that
I had been doing prior to his death, I don’t believe I would have managed
through the grief as well as I did.
It was the first time in my
life that I allowed others to support me. I didn’t disconnect and I was able to
allow for the layers of grief to peel away one by one.
Q: Anything else we should
know?
A: If you want more
information on Somatic Experiencing check out my website www.ilenesmith.com. If you are interested
in finding a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in your area go to www.traumahealing.org.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
Healing trauma takes time, but the good news is that it can be healed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your passion for helping those who experienced trauma to receive their healing.