The Psychology of Somatic Trauma

Trauma doesn’t just live in our mind and our memories; it is stored in our muscles, our breath and heartbeat. It speaks through the body, shaping how we carry stress and how we respond to overwhelming experiences. Through the framework of Somatic Experiencing (SE), this therapeutic approach views trauma as a disruption in the nervous system’s natural rhythm.

Join Dr Dilara Özel in exploring how our protective responses, fight, flight, and freeze, (re)shape the way we react to stress. We will dive into the basics of SE, including grounding techniques, monitoring sensations, and resources that support resilience. This talk offers tools to deepen your awareness of somatic sensations and build a more grounded connection with your body.

Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

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Speaker Bio:

Dilara Özel holds a Ph.D. in Guidance and Psychological Counseling. She completed her Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner training in 2023 and has since been working with adults in individual and group settings on trauma recovery. Alongside her clinical work, she collaborates with teachers, counselors, and students bringing SE practices into educational and community contexts. In 2022, she received the Peter Levine Research Award for her study “We are all in this together: Coping with stress during uncertain times through somatic experiencing”, which she later presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference. She carried out her postdoctoral research with the UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Education, Languages and the Arts at the University of Glasgow, and she is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Middle East Technical University, Ankara.

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