my journey with anxiety & Somatic Experiencing
I suffered for 30+ years with anxiety. Some years I stayed home sick from school. Some years I went to therapy. Some years I took a pill each morning. Some years I drank heavily each night to buffer myself from what I didn’t want to feel. Some years I starved myself because I liked becoming smaller, feeling less. Some years I practiced yoga and meditation. Some years I drank green juice and sniffed essential oils. Each of these was effective – temporarily for a few hours or days. But, wow – I’m tired just writing all of that. And eventually because managing anxiety was an exhausting cycle much like an undesired circus ride with no end in sight, I would shut down in isolation with depression.
A couple years ago I embarked on a journey to become certified in Somatic Experiencing, a researched body-based therapy for trauma and PTSD. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. The timing didn’t seem right. It was much like how I felt when I took this photo with slow film with just the last bit of light: will it work…who knows? Well, it’s worth a shot. And lo and behold, the result has been more beautiful than I ever could’ve imagined. SE has given me the tools to heal deeply at the nervous system level – the missing peace for me.
I now see clients both in-person and remotely. What a gift it’s been to provide people with the tools to heal so they can live with more vitality, too.
If you’re curious about how a Somatic Experiencing session could help you, please email me at amber@ambershumake.com.
