The Somatic Experience: How the Body Stores Trauma and the Path to Physiological Healing

In this powerful episode of the Human Intimacy Podcast, Dr. Kevin Skinner and MaryAnn Michaelis, LCSW, explore the essential connection between trauma, physiology, and healing through a somatic lens. Drawing on the work of Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk, Deb Dana, and polyvagal theory, they highlight how trauma is not only a psychological experience but a physical one stored in the muscles, nervous system, and internal energy of the body.

Dr. Skinner and MaryAnn discuss why individuals—especially betrayed partners—often disconnect from their bodies after chronic stress, betrayal trauma, or overwhelming life experiences. They examine how fight, flight, and freeze responses affect the nervous system, how chronic cortisol disrupts mood and metabolism, and why many trauma survivors struggle to sense or interpret their own physiological cues.

Through stories, research, and lived experiences, the hosts illustrate how the body keeps the score and how healing requires learning to listen to internal sensations rather than pushing them aside. They offer practical tools such as somatic tracking, Peter Levine’s completion techniques, trauma-informed yoga, breathing exercises that access the vagus nerve, and movement-based approaches for releasing stored energy.

The episode includes a guided somatic check-in where listeners rate their tension level and are invited into a simple three-minute breathing practice designed to lower physiological arousal. Dr. Skinner and MaryAnn also normalize the experience of increased anxiety during quiet moments and suggest alternative vagus nerve–based exercises and sound-based practices (like the “vu” exhale) to support regulation.

They close by emphasizing self-compassion, intentionality, and noticing “glimmers” of safety as signs that the body is returning to calm. Listeners are also invited to deepen their healing journey by attending the 2nd Annual Human Intimacy Conference, where leading experts will share tools for recovering from sexual betrayal, infidelity, and building deeper, safer relationships.

References & Resources (Updated) Key Authors & Theories

• Peter A. Levine, PhD
  Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma — foundational work on Somatic Experiencing and how trauma is stored and released through the body.

• Bessel van der Kolk, MD
  The Body Keeps the Score — seminal text on how trauma affects the nervous system, brain, and body.

• Stephen W. Porges, PhD
  Polyvagal Theory — explains the body's hierarchy of safety, fight/flight, and shutdown responses.

• Deb Dana, LCSW
  The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy — introduces “glimmers” and practical tools for nervous-system regulation.

Practices Mentioned

• Trauma-Informed Yoga

• Somatic Experiencing (SE)

• Vagus Nerve Stimulation / “Basic Exercise” (Polyvagal-based)

• Breathwork for parasympathetic activation

• Sound-based regulation (e.g., “vu” exhale with hand on abdomen)

• Movement-based release (running in place, shaking, kicking safely, dancing)

• Grounding and body-scan exercises

Human Intimacy Resources

• HumanIntimacy.com – Articles, courses, and assessments on betrayal trauma, recovery, and deeper connection.

• 2nd Annual Human Intimacy Conference – Coupon Code: 50%off —A live event featuring leading experts (including Dr. Kevin Skinner and colleagues) focused on healing from sexual betrayal and infidelity, rebuilding safety and trust, and creating deeper, more connected relationships.

• Human Intimacy Intensives – Including betrayal trauma intensives and couples intensives that incorporate trauma-informed yoga and somatic work.