As J. Scott Janssenwrites, Somatic Experiencing® is “based on the assumption that trauma is an experience that affects and imprints the body, so it's essential to engage the body in the healing process.”
 

In the same article from the September/October 2015 Issue of Social Work Today, Janssen quotes Susan Pease Banitt, author of “The Trauma Tool Kit: Healing PTSD from the Inside Out” saying the following on the relationship between trauma and PTSD: "If social workers are not asking their clients about their bodies, they are missing out on reams of information. Neuroscience shows us that PTSD affects many systems of the brain and body directly: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which governs the endocrine system; the entire nervous system; the circulatory system; and others."

It’s common for trauma victims to dissociate or feel disconnected from their bodies, and as such, a bodily-centric approach to releasing the trauma and healing from its symptoms can be extremely effective
 

Traumatic events of any type can leave either a transitory or lasting impact, and sufferers can be so negatively affected as to get stuck in permanent stress responses like fight-or-flight or freezing. Somatic Experiencing® offers a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to processing and healing trauma through bodily interventions that follow the SIBAM framework: Sensation, Imagery, Behaviour, Affect, and Meaning.

Sensation: notice what bodily sensations you are currently experiencing

Imagery: let the practitioner guide you through interactive or guided scenes

Behaviour: allow the practitioner to observe your natural responses

Affect: notice how you are used to displaying feelings and emotions 

Meaning: reflect on the therapy and its effects