TTC Somatic Experiencing Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Somatic Experiencing, what does 'titration' refer to?
- Exposing the client to the full traumatic memory at once
- Introducing small, manageable doses of traumatic material to prevent overwhelm (Correct answer)
- Using medication to reduce physiological arousal
- Repeating breathing exercises until the nervous system resets
Correct answer: Introducing small, manageable doses of traumatic material to prevent overwhelm
Titration means working with tiny increments of traumatic activation so the nervous system can process without becoming flooded.
Question 2: Which concept describes the oscillation between activation and settling in Somatic Experiencing?
- Grounding
- Pendulation (Correct answer)
- Orienting
- Discharge
Correct answer: Pendulation
Pendulation refers to the natural back-and-forth movement between contracted (activated) and expanded (settled) states that supports nervous system regulation.
Question 3: A client's legs begin shaking spontaneously during a trauma session. In SE, this is best interpreted as:
- A sign of dissociation requiring immediate grounding
- Incomplete defensive movement being discharged from the nervous system (Correct answer)
- A seizure-like response requiring medical intervention
- Hysterical conversion that should be redirected
Correct answer: Incomplete defensive movement being discharged from the nervous system
Spontaneous trembling or shaking in SE is understood as the body discharging stored survival energy, similar to how animals shake after a threat passes.
Question 4: The 'felt sense' concept in SE, borrowed from Eugene Gendlin, refers to:
- A client's verbal narrative of the traumatic event
- The therapist's countertransference response
- A holistic, pre-verbal bodily awareness of a situation or experience (Correct answer)
- Proprioceptive feedback from muscle spindles only
Correct answer: A holistic, pre-verbal bodily awareness of a situation or experience
The felt sense is a diffuse, whole-body inner knowing that is not yet fully articulated in words, forming the foundation of somatic tracking.
Question 5: In SE, 'coupling' occurs when:
- The therapist physically touches the client to anchor them
- Traumatic images, emotions, and sensations become fused and perpetuate the trauma response (Correct answer)
- Two clients practice co-regulation exercises together
- The client's breathing pattern synchronizes with the therapist's
Correct answer: Traumatic images, emotions, and sensations become fused and perpetuate the trauma response
Coupling describes how traumatic memory elements — images, emotions, meanings, and sensations — lock together and sustain the frozen trauma response.
Question 6: Which phase of SE work involves helping the client develop internal resources and expand their capacity to tolerate sensation?
- Processing
- Integration
- Preparation and resource building (Correct answer)
- Trauma narrative construction
Correct answer: Preparation and resource building
Before approaching traumatic material, SE prioritizes building the client's somatic resources and window of tolerance to support safe processing.
Question 7: A client is recounting a car accident and their voice becomes flat and they report feeling 'nothing.' The SE therapist should primarily:
- Encourage the client to feel the emotions more fully
- Recognize signs of dissociation and guide attention back to present-moment body sensation (Correct answer)
- Proceed with detailed trauma narrative to overcome avoidance
- Interpret the emotional numbing as resistance
Correct answer: Recognize signs of dissociation and guide attention back to present-moment body sensation
Flat affect and emotional numbing are SE indicators of dissociation; the therapist redirects to present-moment somatic anchors to restore presence.
TTC Somatic Experiencing Methods 2
In Somatic Experiencing, what does 'titration' refer to?