Somatic Experiencing® for Autistic Individuals: Navigating Daily Challenges in a Neurotypical World
Overview: This article explores the efficacy of body-oriented therapeutic models such as Somatic Experiencing for individuals with autism who are struggling with sensory overstimulation from living in an ableist, neurotypical world. Author: The Autism Learning Lab Team, featuring Ranpreet Kaur
Introduction
Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) is a body-oriented naturalistic approach to healing trauma developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine. The physiological differences in how autistic individuals handle and respond to stress are heavily influenced by the amount of exposure to stimuli in neurotypical environments, comorbid mental health conditions, and/or the presence of trauma or PTSD. An autistic nervous system is often characterized by constant hypervigilance and overwhelm, or conversely, shutdown states. These dysregulated nervous system states lead to challenges with executive functioning, social communication, sensory processing differences, and much more.
Somatic Experiencing supports autistic individuals by tending to “global” nervous system activation, meaning that dysregulated nervous system states are constant and pervasive in this population. SE encourages individuals to become aware of their bodily sensations, recognizing and understanding the physical manifestations of stress and trauma.
Daily Challenges of Autistic Individuals
Social Communication and Interaction
A key challenge for many autistic individuals exists within the realm of human and social engagement. There are instances when autistic people misread social cues or have trouble understanding how to interact or respond during conversations. The autistic brain has a passion for deeply focused interests, and this can make small chat feel futile and downright boring. High-masking autistic people may appear to have a better handle on how to act in social environments, but a great deal of what appears to be natural is often learned social behaviors. We mimic others to fit in and try to make new friends and yet may struggle with maintaining long-standing meaningful relationships.
Sensory Sensitivities
Every autistic nervous system responds differently to sensory sensitivities and even physical pain. Some autistic individuals have hyposensitivity, or under-responsiveness, to stimuli and some individuals have hypersensitivity, or over-responsiveness to stimuli. The stimulus can be from an internal source, such as the body experiencing physical pain, or an external source, such as bright fluorescent lights or loud noises. Many individuals with autism utilize neuro-affirming sensory aids, such as vibes or noise-canceling headphones to reduce loud sounds. Other sensory sensitivities may include certain textures, such as clothing tags or sock seams, certain smells, lights, or movements. Finding ways to support an autistic nervous system becomes crucial in a neurotypical world that is not set up to cater to these sensitivities. Over time, these overstimulating environments could lead to heightened states of stress, anxiety, and dysregulation that impact the quality of life for people living with autism.
Rigid Routines and Changes
Rigid routines often instill a sense of comfort and stability for autistic individuals. This type of structure and consistency in daily activities yields a more stable nervous system and reduces the prevalence of autistic shutdowns. Autistic individuals can become extremely distressed by unpredictability and changes in routine and may struggle with transitions. Autistic inertia is a term used in the autism community that refers to the difficulty of starting, stopping, or changing direction. Because many autistic individuals have keen hyperfocus and can maintain monotropic flow states for extended periods, being pulled out of this flow state can be particularly dysregulating. Some factors that can cause autistic inertia are changes in plans, interruptions, sensory overstimulation, or being exceeded by time restrictions.
Emotional & Nervous System Regulation
Autistic individuals may struggle with identifying their emotions and bodily sensations. This varies along the autism spectrum to varying degrees and may be influenced by several important factors, including past traumatic experiences, alexithymia (the inability to recognize one’s own emotions), sensory overload, and a range of other comorbid mental health conditions. Body-centered therapeutic models such as Somatic Experiencing present a new skill set for autistic individuals that may improve self-awareness, build interoception, and restore balance.
Core Principles of Somatic Experiencing® (SE™)
Somatic Awareness: SE teaches individuals how to address uncomfortable sensations in their body and gently unwind them through their conscious attention. SE is particularly useful in managing stress because so many stress symptoms are physiological.
Pendulation: This principle involves moving between states of distress and states of calm to help the nervous system gradually release tension and trauma.
Resource Building: SE helps individuals identify and strengthen internal and external resources, such as positive memories, supportive relationships, and grounding practices.
Titration: SE works with small, manageable amounts of physiological activation to avoid overwhelming the individual, allowing for gradual and sustainable healing.
Understanding Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is based on the notion that trauma is not held in the event itself, but rather can become held in the nervous system. The SE model allows individuals to build resiliency and self-awareness to ultimately complete the fight, flight, or freeze response that is often thwarted in early developmental trauma or after stressful or traumatic experiences.
How SE Can Help People with Autism
Autistic individuals often experience a disconnect between their bodies and emotions, making it challenging to identify and manage stress and anxiety. SE can help bridge this gap by enhancing body awareness and teaching techniques for self-regulation. By tracking bodily sensations, autistic individuals can learn to recognize early signs of nervous system dysregulation or sensory overload and employ strategies to mitigate these responses before they become overwhelming.
Autistic individuals frequently struggle with identifying their emotions and sensations. Low interoceptive awareness may be a byproduct of autism, trauma, and/or alexithymia. Alexithymia occurs in roughly 40-65% of autistic individuals and can be referred to as emotional blindness. In other supporting data, adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are four times more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD than adults without ASD (Buuren, et al., 2021). These overlapping conditions may indicate that autistic people have greater difficulties understanding how to self-regulate their nervous systems.
Somatic Experiencing builds interoception by teaching clients grounding tools through SE’s five-channel orienting system of Sensation, Image, Behavior, Affect, and Meaning (SIBAM). Learning how to recognize nervous system dysregulation is the first step to managing sensory overstimulation. Over time, clients build capacity and regain autonomy and the agency to respond rather than react to overwhelming circumstances or traumatic experiences.
Somatic Experiencing Tools for Self-Regulation
Increase self-awareness and understanding of nervous system physiology
Recognize the first signs of dysregulation
Incorporate SE’s grounding tools for stabilization
Slowly discharge nervous system activation
Follow the body's impulse for soothing self-stimulatory behaviors (stimming)
Notice signs of stabilization in the body and allow them to expand
Strengthen individuation, choice, and autonomy
Repair boundaries and learn how to listen to your body’s cues
Build your nervous system capacity
Come to a new place of rebalancing, meaning and integration
Enhance self-care and improve daily functioning
Conclusion
Living in an ableist, neurotypical world that isn’t set up for autistic individuals can feel daunting and present numerous daily challenges. People with autism can struggle with social communication, reading social cues, a need for routine, organizational habits, and significant sensory processing differences. Somatic Experiencing offers a gentle, titrated body-based methodology for managing stress and sensory overstimulation. By recognizing the first signs of nervous system dysregulation in the body or the environment, we can implement SE tools for self-regulation that can decrease autistic burnout and autistic shutdown states. We will tend to normal stages of physiological activation from daily stressors like everyone else, but with new tools, we will be able to respond rather than react to stimuli in our environment. Over time, we will regain our sense of autonomy in the world and better navigate our place in this world.
References
Buuren, E. L., Hoekert, Marjolijn, Sizoo, Bram. (2021, August 20). Autism, adverse events, and trauma. Autism Spectrum Disorders [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573608/#:~:text=A%20proportion%20of%20people%20who,events%20and%20trauma%20(14).
