When I began working with Dorie, I was tired.

When I began working with Dorie, I was tired. There was not a big moment or event leading up to my decision to seek Somatic Therapy, other than a decade-long war I was losing with depression and anxiety. I tried a few different forms of therapy before Somatic, but nothing helped me long-term and I often felt worse when walking out of sessions, while continuously dealing with the same physical and emotional symptoms; pain all over my body, hopelessness, guilt, shame, panic attacks, horrible sleeping patterns, unexplained anger, feeling stuck/frozen, and a whole lot more. I was in a place where I could not talk about myself, good or bad, to anyone without my body completely tensing up, my voice shaking, my heart racing, and holding myself in a hunched-over position.

Through working with Dorie, I have a newfound ability to be in my body and feel safe. She gave me the tools to work through emotions in the moment, which has given me the ability to say no and set boundaries, take care of myself physically and mentally, and share pieces of my life with those who care about me without having anxiety attacks, and most importantly being able to stop living in my mind so much, which has given me the opportunity to finally see the world around me and live in the moment. I have also learned that healing is a continuous effort throughout life, which used to scare me to no end.

But Dorie gave me the capacity and the tools to look at this as a positive; more chances to connect with myself, learn about myself, and never-ending opportunities to feel better physically and emotionally.

Dorie created a nonjudgmental space for me to feel safe. She has an innate warmth that you can feel even over Zoom. After over a year in therapy, I am continuing to discover parts of myself and my story that I have never noticed before, and with time, I am able to handle the emotions, reframe, and forgive anything that comes my way. Thanks to Dorie and everything she has given me, I have been able to work on myself, heal both physically and emotionally, and change my life.

There is nothing more beneficial to overcoming anxiety

Both my daughter and I learned to quiet our bodies. We learned to stop, refocus, calm. 

We could now create peace on the spot. For me specifically, the vibration throughout my body stopped and I felt relaxed.

I often use the tools Dorie taught me and they continue to work. 

Dorie is caring and nurturing as she works with you. She has a strong grasp on the modality and teaches it with clarity. 

Dorie creates a warm, safe space that is fundamental to the work.

Lighbulb moment.  The moment I realized I could do what Dorie was teaching me and that I could do it on my own, in any space. 

At first, I was more resistant to do the work when I needed it most. I soon learned to over come those feelings and use the exercises to remove the blocks.

Do it! There is nothing more beneficial to overcoming anxiety and no one better to work with!!!

~Anonymous, Chicago, IL

I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD ALWAYS HAVE AN EYE ROLL ABOUT THIS SELF-CARE SHIT.

“I came to  Dorie for support in dealing with issues around intimacy, grief, and aging.  I learned skills and habits to manage the overwhelm that I could use in my “normal” life. I am not as mean to myself as I was before I started work with Dorie.  I am developing comfort around speaking to myself with compassion.”

PHYSICAL:

“Our work has transformed my Sleep Patterns – without sleeping pills or Robitussin!  As I approach 50, I am finding more acceptance and enjoyment in my body. Exercise feels more connected and relational, less ‘dutiful.’”

INTERNAL DIALOGUE:

“Even when I’m feeling my most toxic, I am not as mean to myself as I was before I started this work.  I  have learned to recognize the panic when it comes in and use my new skills to alleviate overwhelm, without beating myself up.  I was able to stop judging my “difficult”, “unproductive” or “outsized” feelings and start working with them respectfully.”

CONNECTION, PLEASURE & RELATIONSHIPS

“I’ve moved some major boulders around connection, pleasure and trust in my relationships.  With friends I’ve noticed a big shift, an ability to redirect myself when I’m heading into unhealthy old dynamics with them (competitiveness, judgement, jealousy, etc.). I feel less scared of their judgment and it’s easier to be direct with them.    I can just BE with people and feel less pressure to “create fun” or direct conversation or prove myself.”

“This work isn’t agenda-driven, and it unfolds organically, but WOW I feel like I am learning to be human again.”

Jessica - Executive Coach in Chicago

Thats ♥️!

I just left the doctor's where I had a procedure which i have been putting off for a year and change. I finally had a consult the week before covid started so then it was put off again. I was so scared and anxious and didn’t sleep last night. But it’s over and will wait for two weeks for the result.

While I waited in the room I did some of the somatic exercises which were so nice and soothing. I haven’t done them outside of class so thank you for them! I love how full my toolbox is becoming and how conscious i am now. I can sit w the discomfort and instead of the neg thoughts in my head I can pull something out for myself and use it. Thats ♥️!

~Nina G. - Chicago-based yoga student

Dorie helped me validate that what I was experiencing was real and appropriate.

I met Dorie Silverman at a time when I had fallen into an emotional abyss.  I was experiencing panic attacks, could not work, and in simple words, stopped wanting to live.  A few months prior, my close brother had died in a sudden, tragic military airplane crash, after which I developed complex PTSD symptoms.  And to compound the psychological trauma, in the months that followed, my partner suddenly packed up and left, our friends stopped talking to me, and a critical part of my family went no-contact.  I had been left lost, wounded, and without support in a city of 3 million people.  No one knew what to do with me.

At one point, I couldn’t feel anything anymore, I had gone numb, frozen.  The cognitive freeze was so intense that there were days when I couldn’t leave my bed, make a phone call, or prepare a meal.  Other times, the sound of an ambulance siren or the stimulating beat of a song would throw me into a panic attack; I screamed and cried until I fell asleep again.

First I recurred to traditional psychotherapy—five different psychologists tried CBT, SFT, and other methods.  Three psychiatrists prescribed various antidepressants and benzodiazepines.  And I self-medicated, too.  What I discovered was that, talking didn’t help me, tranquilizers didn’t help me, I was actually feeling worse.  I felt that people wanted to hear the story, get all the juicy details, but then they disengaged.  Anti-anxiety medication helped me sleep without nightmares, but I wasn’t processing what was happening, it was getting stuck inside my body.  My lower back hurt, all the time.

When I started working with Dorie, we didn’t talk about what had happened.  I didn’t have to recount all the experiences or get worked up talking about what people had done to hurt me.  I didn’t have to explain why I felt permanently damaged.  We focused on sensation, on what my body was experiencing.  We gave shape and texture to emotions, and Dorie guided me in moving them through and out of my body.  It was incredible… how these visualizations were so bizarre but so real… I went into our sessions feeling overwhelmed and heavy, but walked out feeling light.

Dorie taught me how to identify anger and move it through, in the strangest way, like a wild animal, so that it would finish and the next emotion could arrive.  She taught me how to regulate my nervous system with her 5-3-3 technique, to bring a sense of stability, and safety.  These were some of the weirdest things I had ever done in front of anyone.

And somehow, slowly, I started to heal.

Some things happened quickly—like learning how to feel safe where I am by feeling my body and regulating to my surroundings.  Other things, like the process of developing trust, have been slower, but I am making progress.  One of the most powerful things I learned from Dorie was how to notice what my body does when a panic attack or a freeze is coming, honoring those emotions and body sensations as real, not imaginary, and knowing exactly what to do so they can express, move through, and complete; so that can I move along to the next thing and not get stuck.  This saved me, big time, and every week I get better at it.

Most importantly, Dorie helped me validate that what I was experiencing was real and appropriate.  I wasn’t crazy.  She gave me hope that I would get better, and then she proved it.

I slowly started being able to work again, run errands, finish jobs, make new friends.  I started being able to stand up for myself in challenging situations.  I found a positive creative outlet and I am turning it into a business.  I am learning to identify trauma in others and be compassionate in the way I treat them, because they could be going through what I went through, too.

I believe that, as with plants and animals, healing the natural way by learning to connect to your body sensations takes more time, commitment, and consistency than traditional talk therapy or medicine.  It can also be more effective.  For someone like me, that had tried so many things but was left empty, Somatic Experience Therapy with Dorie worked.  I am climbing out of the abyss into a place that is much, much brighter.

Anonymous - Chicago, IL

Since doing this work, I even experience more moments of calm.

When I started this work, I had become very irritable much of the time, snappy with my family, and not able to notice many moments of joy.  I am now in tune with how tension, stress, and anxiety is showing up in my body and I feel empowered with the tools to release this tension.  Since doing this work I even experience more moments of calm.  Every day, I use the somatic tools, learn more about myself, and feel more empowered to live better, because of my work with Dorie.

~Anonymous, Chicago, IL

I know I can trust myself and my gut

From the first virtual consultation with Dorie, I felt her warmth and kindness. I could sense with her tone and smile that she cared deeply for her clients. I let her know that I had tried other therapy modalities in the past and while they had helped for a short time, I was still experiencing daily headaches and stomachaches along with debilitating migraines once or twice a month. I would also experience bouts of sciatica and pelvic pain that were not responding to physical therapy treatments prescribed by my primary care physician. In addition to these physical symptoms, I was able to voice my concerns about feeling overwhelmed with life, anxiety in social settings and struggling with knowing what I need and asking for it. I struggled with setting boundaries and saying no. Dorie instilled confidence that she could help me from that first meeting and let me know what to expect in our following sessions. We took time to map out my nervous system early in the process and this was a completely new technique for me. After our work together, I am finally free from the cycling of headache/migraine/stomachache. I am not experiencing sciatica or pelvic pain. I have developed an inner knowing of when my nervous system is becoming activated and how to make decisions to prioritize myself and my needs. I have learned to ask my partner and family members for what I need which has ultimately helped those relationships as well. I am taking time to slow down, notice my emotions, and prioritize self-care. I am no longer scared of making decisions because I know I can trust myself and my gut. The guilt I had felt as a child and always stuck with me has melted away and everything feels more balanced. I am truly experiencing more joy and playfulness in my life. I feel grateful to have worked with Dorie and I feel much lighter than before.

With love and gratitude,
Catherine