How to Do Somatic Experiencing Safely on Your Own: A Gentle, Science-Backed Guide

I remember the first time I tried tracking sensations in my body on my own. I was curious, hopeful, and I'll be honest, a little afraid and suspicious.

I was also completely unprepared for how overwhelming it could feel. I thought I could just dive in, notice my pain, and somehow “process” it all.

I would push through discomfort, thinking "more is better." But looking back, I know I was flooded with fatigue, a heavy knot in my stomach, and a tightness in my chest that could last for days.

That experience taught me (the hard way) that somatic experiencing is powerful, but it needs to be approached with care, patience, and respect for your nervous system.

Over the years, I’ve learned how to navigate this work safely, both in my own body and with the clients I guide. Here’s what I wish I had known from the beginning.

1. Start with Grounding, Orienting, and Resourcing

Before you even begin to track uncomfortable sensations, your first task is to orient yourself to your environment and build a sense of safety in your body. This is called grounding and resourcing, and it’s essential because your nervous system cannot process intense sensations if it feels unsafe.

Grounding can be simple: feel your feet on the floor, notice the chair beneath you, or gently press your hands together. Resourcing involves opening up your senses so you can remain in the present moment. Notice what you see, what you hear, and what you feel. Lean into what feels good and create anchors of comfort like a warm cup of tea, a soft blanket, or a favorite scent. Even small moments of noticing light, color, or textures can help.

You can also use glimmers, a term from Deb Dana, to cultivate tiny sparks of joy or curiosity throughout your day. For me, a glimmer might be the sunlight shining through a leaf during a walk, or the gentle sway of a branch in the wind. Pausing to lean into that moment and really feel the gratitude, awe, or delight in your body teaches your nervous system what safety feels like.

2. Recognize Signs of Freeze and Dissociation

Our nervous system has three primary protective states: fight, flight, and freeze. Many of us also experience dissociation, a kind of numbness or disconnection from our body. Understanding these states is critical when exploring somatic work independently.

• Fight: Tension, irritability, rapid heart rate, heat, restlessness.

• Flight: Anxiety, racing thoughts, shallow breathing, rapid heart rate, the urge to escape.

• Freeze: Heaviness, overwhelming fatigue, tightness in the stomach, throat, or chest. You might feel stuck or like you “can’t move.”

• Dissociation: Feeling spaced out, disconnected, or like you’re watching yourself from afar.

When I first began self-tracking, I often ignored freeze signals. I would keep noticing pain or discomfort until my body felt completely immobilized and exhausted, and that could sometimes last for days.

It was a wake-up call to understand that pushing through freeze only increases overwhelm.

3. Gentle Movement and Taking Breaks

If you notice your body sliding into freeze, pause. Your nervous system is sending you a protective signal. Gentle movement like stretching, shaking your hands or feet, or slowly walking can help release tension.

Peter Levine also teaches the "Voo" to vibrate the viscera of the abdomen. Using a deep voice, say "Vooo" for one exhalation. Rest and track sensations that follow.

Sometimes, your system might send subtle signals: a sudden urge for a hot shower, a walk outside, or tackling a small “urgent” task. These are not distractions; they are protective impulses that help you regulate and avoid flooding your nervous system. I’ve learned to honor them instead of pushing through, and it makes the work so much safer and more effective.

4. Pendulation: Moving Between Discomfort and Pleasure

A central skill in somatic experiencing is pendulation: moving back and forth between states of discomfort and states of safety or pleasure. If you’ve experienced trauma, stress, or chronic fight-or-flight activation, you may not be accustomed to positive sensations in your body.

Trauma can make us get stuck in survival states. Learning to pendulate helps your system come back to self-regulation.

Over time, practicing this skill helps your nervous system learn that you can return to safety, even after tracking discomfort or a stressful event.

Pleasure can be cultivated through:

• Breathwork

• Havening (self-massage)

• Touching or tracing textures

• Scent or sound

• Visualizations and imagination

5. Using Imagination to Track Sensations

Visualization is a powerful tool for helping your nervous system feel less afraid of sensation. You can assign shapes, colors, or objects to sensations. Here are a few examples:

• Heaviness as a dark cloud

• Buzzing as a bright color

• Points of pain as a marble or stone

When I first started doing this, I noticed it reduced my fear and anxiety around feeling my body. The sensation was still there, but by giving it form and naming it, my brain didn’t interpret it as a threat.

6. Journaling and Tracking Together

When I was in chronic pain, I used my Healing Journal to track sensations alongside emotions, thoughts, and triggers. Journaling and somatic tracking complement each other beautifully, but there’s one rule: start with the least distressing journal prompts and sensations first. 

Tracking high levels of pain or overwhelming emotions can send your nervous system into freeze or flood it with intense stress responses. Journaling allows you to observe thought patterns, notice triggers, and reflect on small victories, but honor your nervous system capacity as you write.

7. Titration: Slow, Gentle, Sustainable Work

Somatic experiencing is slow work, and there’s beauty in that slowness. Our instinct is often to push hard to “fix” ourselves quickly. But that’s counterproductive and will often delay healing. Instead, focus on titration: doing somatic work with tiny doses.

Imagine throwing rocks in a pond: if you throw a rock, watch the ripples settle before throwing the next. For those of us with high activation (“global high”), sensations can rise quickly, and it’s tempting to track multiple at once. Doing so can create flooding instead of integration. Follow one sensation at a time.

8. When to Seek Support

Some experiences are too intense to navigate alone, particularly:

• Memories of terror or extreme fear

• Developmental trauma

• Dissociation or overwhelming emotional flooding

I’ve come out of freeze twice with terror-level memories. I was shaking, retching, crying, and it lasted days. Having a skilled practitioner or supportive witness can make all the difference in safely completing these experiences.

That said, much can be done independently, as long as you stay within your nervous system’s comfort zone. Lean into connection, care, or touch when your body naturally asks for it. A hug from a loved one or snuggles with a pet can help regulate your system after tracking.

9. Gentle Reminders for Everyday Practice

• Track gradually, starting with small, tolerable sensations.

• Honor impulses for movement, walks, or showers. These are safety signals.

• Cultivate glimmers and moments of pleasure multiple times daily.

• Use imagination to give form to sensations and reduce fear.

• Reflect and journal after tracking, but stop if obsessive thoughts or distress become too intense.

Healing is not linear. I

t’s a dance of noticing, exploring, and returning to safety. Over time, these small practices build a self-regulating system that can experience deeper joy, presence, and connection, even while navigating past wounds or chronic stress.

Gentle Somatic Exercises for Self-Practice

1. Grounding the Body

Purpose: Orient and resettle your nervous system.
 

How to do it:

• Sit or stand comfortably with feet on the floor.

• Notice the points of contact: feet on the floor, hands on your lap, back against a chair.

• Take 3–5 slow, deep breaths, imagining energy flowing from your feet into the ground.

• Look around the room, noticing details.
• Listen: What do you hear?
• Notice where you feel grounded and allow positive sensation to build.

2. Pendulation Practice

Purpose: Teach your nervous system to move between discomfort and safety.

How to do it:

• Start by noticing a mild sensation in your body, a tingling, tightness, or heaviness. Keep it gentle.

• Spend a few breaths noticing the sensation without judgment.

• Then intentionally shift attention to something neutral or pleasurable, like the warmth of sunlight, a soft texture, or the sound of birds.

• Alternate between the discomfort and the pleasurable sensation 3–5 times.

3. Visualizing Sensations

Purpose: Help your brain feel safe and reduce fear of sensations.

How to do it:

• Notice a sensation in your body (tightness, buzzing, heaviness).

• Assign it a visual form:

  • Heaviness = dark cloud

  • Tingling = a glowing color

  • Pain = small marble

• Observe the sensation as an object without judgment. Imagine it changing shape, color, or lightness as you breathe. 

4. Glimmer Practice

Purpose: Build safety, pleasure, and positive nervous system activation.

How to do it:

• Take a quiet moment to notice something small that brings joy: sunlight, a breeze, a bird, or a sound you love.

• Lean into that moment. Breathe and feel the pleasure, curiosity, or gratitude in your body.

• Notice where in your body you feel it most (chest, belly, hands). Let the sensation expand.

• Practice multiple times throughout the day to strengthen your nervous system’s sense of safety.

⚠️ Quick Safety Tips for Somatic Practice

• Start small: Focus on the least distressing sensations first. Don’t push into high pain or intense trauma alone.

• Watch for freeze: Signs include heaviness, fatigue, tightness in the chest, stomach, or throat, and feeling stuck. Pause, move gently, and go back to grounding if this happens.

• Honor protective impulses: If your body wants a walk, a shower, or a small task, listen. It’s asking you for a break.

• Titrate slowly: Track one sensation at a time. Wait for it to settle before moving to another.

• Pendulate: Move back and forth between discomfort and pleasure to teach your nervous system safety.

• Stay mindful of overwhelm: If you feel obsessive thoughts, extreme anxiety, or prolonged exhaustion, pause or seek support.

• Seek guidance for deep trauma: Memories of terror, developmental trauma, or dissociation are safer with a trained practitioner or supportive witness.

References

1. Dana, Deb. The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. Norton, 2018.

2. Levine, Peter. Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books, 1997.

3. Siegel, Daniel J. The Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind. Norton, 2011.

4. Porges, Stephen W. The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory. Norton, 2017.