TigerNews | The 1st Annual International

First Annual SE Conference!
The Foundation for Human Enrichment (FHE) is thrilled to report that our first International Somatic Experiencing® Conference, “Life Energy and the Emergent Therapeutic Paradigm: A Balanced Approach to Body, Brain and Mind,” October 24-26, 2007, at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, California, was a huge success! Four hundred practitioners, researchers, thinkers and educators met to learn and share the latest and best knowledge and wisdom in trauma healing.

Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a short-term, naturalistic trauma-healing approach that enables people to access their innate ability to rebound from overwhelming experience. SE facilitates the healing process by helping traumatized people release stored survival energy and complete interrupted biological patterns that have gotten stuck in the nervous system. The celebrated founder of SE®, Peter A. Levine, Ph.D., in his opening key note on October 25, stated his belief that all elements of human experience must be brought together for a healing process to be effective. As Dr. Levine noted, “The instinctual repertoire of the human organism includes a deep biological knowing which, given the opportunity to do so, can and will assert itself and guide the process of healing trauma.”

Conference Highlights:

Inspiring keynotes from Dr. Robert Scaer, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Dr. Stephen Porges proved to be highlights of the conference. The presentations by Pia Mellody, Senior Clinical Advisor for the conference co-sponsor, The Meadows, were a brilliant addition to the mix. The Conference format itself provided a perfect stage for the blending of theoretical and practice-oriented workshops.

Another outstanding feature of the conference was a gathering of respected researchers, led by Dr. Laurie Leitch, FHE Research Director, and included SEP Abi Blakeslee presenting her dissertation research, “Accessing Implicit Memory via Interoception: A Grounded Theory Investigation of Somatic Experiencing Practitioners’ First Person Experiences and Clinical Observations.”

In addition, SEPs Deborah Boyar, Patricia Meadows and Lee Wylie presented their outreach work with Committee on the Shelterless (COTS), a homeless shelter in Petaluma, California. John Records, COTS Executive Director, joined the dialogue in talking about what SE has done for his agency. In the past two years Deb, Patricia and Lee have worked with COTS staff and residents and have now established an SE® clinic at COTS. (See FHE website, www.traumahealing.com for more information about COTS).

The FHE is very fortunate to have been able to gather such an amazing and well-respected field of presenters at our first conference. Each shared their distinctive knowledge of healing and provided attendees with a “gift bag” of ideas to take home to their communities. A heartfelt “thank you and well done” to all.

Last, but not least, was the wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie surrounding the conference. How great it was to see old friends from past trainings or have the opportunity to meet new ones. I think we all agree that being surrounded by so many people dedicated to the healing of trauma certainly added special warmth and significance to the phrase “SE Community!”