Witnessing the Body’s Wisdom
A Somatic Journey Through Shame and Grief, Returning to Authentic Joy
Includes 5 client demonstration-based training sessions with Peter A. Levine, PhD and Dr. Diane Poole Heller
Course Description
Learn to track the body’s language of shame and grief—and support the nervous system’s natural return to regulation and vitality.
Watch a Preview of the Training
Get a first-hand look at the approach, teaching style, and format you can expect in our on-demand learning sessions.
What’s included in the training?
Here is everything you get for just $297!
Five On-Demand 90-Minute Demonstration-Based Session Recordings + Q&A, featuring client demo debriefs by Peter A. Levine, PhD and Dr. Diane Poole Heller.
Observe live, unscripted Somatic Experiencing® sessions focused on shame and grief, followed by in-depth video review, clinical debrief, guided reflection, teaching, and discussion to help you translate embodied witnessing into practical skill.
- Session 1––Somatic Patterns of Shame: Identification and Intervention
Witness recorded live SE™ demonstrations to recognize how shame manifests in the body and learn how attuned presence, pacing, and gentle tracking transform collapse into dignity and connection. - Session 2––Shame Review: From Collapse to Dignity
Slow down and analyze key moments from the live demonstrations to sharpen your ability to track micro-signals of shame and translate observation into precise, embodied clinical skill. - Session 3––Somatic Patterns of Grief: Recognition and Resolution
Observe recorded live SE™ sessions focused on grief and learn to recognize its somatic signatures while supporting the body’s natural movement from constriction toward release and authentic vitality. - Session 4––Grief Review: Restoring Flow and Authenticity
Through detailed video review, refine your clinical intuition by tracking the subtle markers of grief integration and understanding how attuned pacing restores openness and flow. - Session 5––Integration and Practitioner Reflection: Applying Somatic Insights
Synthesize your learning through a final live demonstration and embodied group reflection, strengthening your capacity to work confidently with shame, grief, and the return to authentic joy.
Includes practice exercises, corrective techniques, and additional resources that reinforce concepts and help you apply somatic skills to therapy sessions.
Recorded live Q&A with Peter A. Levine PhD and Dr. Diane Poole Heller Listen as they engage participants’ most thoughtful questions and offer unscripted clinical insights drawn from decades of trauma-informed, somatic practice, especially with shame and grief.
Private Course Portal with Lifetime Access to Course Materials Includes video recordings, audio, transcripts, slide handouts, and bonus resources.
BONUS #1: Shame & Grief in the Body: A Somatic Attachment Study Guide
A concise, practice-oriented companion to this training, designed to help you integrate what you witness in the live demonstrations into embodied understanding. Rooted in core Somatic Experiencing® principles, the guide outlines how shame and grief function physiologically and explores how these emotions often “couple” in trauma, leading to chronic dysregulation. offers clear frameworks for tracking activation, constriction, integration, and completion.
You’ll also find practical tools for tracking activation, invitational language, and structured somatic tracking exercises. Used alongside the course, this guide helps translate live observation into clinical clarity—strengthening your ability to recognize somatic patterns, support regulation, and follow the nervous system’s natural arc from collapse to vitality and joy.
BONUS #2: Working with Shame in Clinical Practice: Therapist Training Guide
This printable guide offers a practical, somatic and attachment-based framework for identifying and transforming shame in therapy.
You’ll learn patterns to look for step-by-step interventions such as installing embodied resources of loving acceptance, and distancing the inner critic. Used alongside the course, it translates live demonstrations into concrete interventions you can apply immediately in shame-informed trauma work.
BONUS #3: Trauma Symptoms Checklist + Resilience Checklist
Since everyone responds to past trauma differently—and there is no single way to think, feel, behave, or heal—these practical resources are designed to help you identify common responses and symptoms of trauma and assess progress on the healing journey.
When used in tandem in therapy, these checklists give clients a clear way to see and understand their progress. First, the Trauma Checklist is used to assess a client’s status at the beginning of therapy to set a reference point from which changes or progress can be measured.
Then, the Resilience Checklist gauges progress after therapy—and showcases the benefits of that treatment for health and well-being. You can also use it to streamline report creation and incorporate it into session notes.
Available to print, download or use digitally as a fillable PDF
BONUS #4: Video Workshop: Basic Principles of Somatic Experiencing® (SE™)
Deepen your understanding with this foundational 2.5 hour video workshop.
Led by SE™ faculty, Deborah Clydesdale, this training offers a comprehensive overview of the Somatic Experiencing® model, introducing the fundamental skills and terminology essential to the method.
It’s the perfect resource for practitioners new to Somatic Experiencing®, and an excellent refresher for experienced clinicians looking to revisit core techniques applicable to both their personal and professional lives.
Deepen your ability to work with shame and grief through embodied somatic insight.
Now yours for just $297!
Why take this course?
Learn powerful and effective somatic techniques directly from Dr. Levine…
Many clinicians understand shame and grief conceptually.
Many can point to the collapse, dissociation, self-criticism, and overwhelm that appears in response to these complex emotions.
But when those states emerge live in the room—when a client’s posture drops, their voice thins, their breath tightens—it’s harder to know exactly what to do next.
This training gives you something most practitioners never get: repeated exposure to real-time clinical process with the founder of Somatic Experiencing®. You won’t just hear what to do. You’ll watch it unfold, moment by moment, and learn how subtle interventions restore dignity, regulation, and authentic expression.
Through live demonstrations, slowed-down video review, and structured integration, you’ll develop somatic literacy that cannot be gained from theory alone.
By studying precise, attuned work with the body, you’ll build the confidence to meet shame and grief at their roots—supporting clients as they move from collapse and constriction toward resilience, connection, and joy.
What you’ll learn?
In this self-paced, on-demand training, you’ll learn how to…
- How shame and grief manifest physiologically—and how to recognize them before they’re verbalized
- How to track micro-shifts in posture, breath, tone, and activation in real time
- How to use pacing, titration, and containment to prevent overwhelm and support completion
- How to help clients move from collapse and constriction toward dignity, connection, and vitality
- How to stay regulated and confident while working with intense emotional states
- How to integrate somatic tracking seamlessly into your existing therapeutic framework
Here’s what’s in the training curriculum…
Session 1
Somatic Patterns of Shame: Identification and Intervention
In this opening session, Dr. Peter Levine conducts live Somatic Experiencing® demonstrations exploring the physiology of shame. You’ll witness how shame reveals itself through subtle body patterns—collapse, withdrawal, and tension—and how gentle tracking, pacing, and attuned presence can help restore dignity, safety, and connection.
Through real-time observation and guided reflection, participants learn how the body’s protective responses can be safely met and transformed into pathways for regulation, empowerment, and authentic self-expression.
- Identify somatic indicators of shame such as collapse, tension, or withdrawal in the body
- Use gentle tracking, pacing, and titration to support safety and dignity during activation
- Understand how shame functions as a protective mechanism and transforms into resilience and connection
- See how practitioner presence and attunement creates the conditions for regulation and repair
Session 2
Shame Review: From Collapse to Dignity
In this follow-up session, Dr. Peter Levine reviews and analyzes key moments from the live shame demonstrations, guiding participants to see how the nervous system expresses protection, regulation, and repair through micro-movements, gestures, and facial shifts.
Through moment-by-moment video review and discussion, learners deepen their ability to recognize somatic markers of shame and understand the practitioner choices that help transform collapse into safety, containment, and dignity.
- Identify micro-expressions and subtle somatic cues that signal shame activation or regulation
- Analyze the importance of pacing, presence, and sequence in guiding clients toward re-engagement and resilience
- Translate observation into applied skill—tracking shifts in posture, breath, and affect in real time
- Support clients as they move from constriction toward self-compassion and embodied empowerment
Session 3
Somatic Patterns of Grief: Recognition and Resolution
In this session, Dr. Peter Levine conducts two live Somatic Experiencing® demonstrations focused on grief and the body’s natural movement toward release, integration, and authenticity.
Participants will witness how grief manifests as physical sensations—heaviness, trembling, breath changes—and how attuned presence and pacing allow these emotions to move safely through the body.
Through real-time observation, learners explore how grief transforms constriction into connection, supporting a renewed sense of vitality, meaning, and wholeness.
- Recognize the somatic signatures of grief, including holding patterns and impulses toward release
- Support clients in accessing grief safely through orientation, grounding, and containment
- See how the competition of grief patterns facilitates restoration of connection, flow, and authenticity
- Witness the practitioner’s role in fostering safety and presence during moments of deep emotional emergence
Session 4
Grief Review: Restoring Flow and Authenticity
In this session, Dr. Peter Levine guides participants through a detailed review of the live grief demonstrations, illuminating the body’s subtle language of mourning and renewal. Through slowed-down observation and discussion, participants learn to track the micro-movements, breath shifts, and autonomic patterns that reveal grief’s progression from contraction to flow.
This reflective process helps practitioners translate what they see into clinical intuition—recognizing how grief, when safely supported, restores openness, vitality, and authentic presence in both client and practitioner.
- How to identify key somatic markers of grief integration—breath expansion, orienting, and softening of tone or posture.
- Ways to support clients as grief transforms from pain to meaning, fostering embodied authenticity.
- How to observe and interpret the practitioner’s pacing, attunement, and verbal interventions during grief work.
- The role of reflective witnessing in strengthening empathy, regulation, and therapeutic confidence.
Session 5
Integration and Practitioner Reflection: Applying Somatic Insights
The series concludes with a final live demonstration and group reflection led by Dr. Peter Levine. Participants will witness one more unscripted SE™ session that brings together the key themes of shame, grief, and the body’s innate movement toward authenticity and joy.
Following the demo, Peter facilitates an open dialogue and guided reflection process. Through this collective witnessing, the learning becomes embodied—anchored not only in knowledge, but in felt experience.
- Synthesize principles of shame and grief work into an integrated somatic framework
- Learn to use group reflection and embodied dialogue to deepen personal and professional insight
- Learn how witnessing itself supports co-regulation, empathy, and practitioner growth
- Gain practices for sustaining authenticity, presence, and embodied resilience beyond the course
Meet Your Instructors
Grief and shame are hidden driving forces behind our feelings, our behaviors, and how we interact in the world.
Peter A. Levine, PhD is the developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma, which he has developed over the past 50 years.
He is the Founder of the Somatic Experiencing® Trauma Institute/Foundation for Human Enrichment and the Founder and President of the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education™.
His work has been taught to over 50,000 therapists in over 45 countries.
Dr. Levine served as a stress consultant for NASA in the early space shuttle development and has served on the American Psychological Association task force for responding to the trauma of large-scale disasters and ethno-political warfare.
He holds doctorates in both Biophysics and Psychology and is the author of several best-selling books on trauma, including Waking the Tiger, which is published in over 29 languages––and his new memoir, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey.
He is currently a Senior Fellow and consultant at The Meadows Addiction and Trauma Treatment Center in Wickenburg, Arizona as he continues to teach trauma healing workshops internationally.
You don’t have to keep hiding. You don’t have to prove yourself. You are more than your shame. Without condition, you deserve a fulfilling and joyful life. True healing is possible––for yourself and others.
Dr. Diane Poole Heller is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and teaching expert in the field of adult attachment theory and trauma resolution.
Her signature approach—DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning experience)—provides therapists and individuals with relevant skills and practical exercises that facilitate healing from attachment and trauma wounds.
Her work with adult attachment has forged a path for adults with childhood attachment injuries to develop Secure Attachment Skills (SAS) that lead to more connected and fulfilling adult relationships.
She has authored several books, including the widely acclaimed The Power of Attachment: How to Create Deep and Lasting Intimate Relationships. Her expertise in trauma healing has supported survivors, helpers, and families affected by events such as 9/11, Columbine, and other school shootings.
Through various training programs, books, lectures and her own work as a clinical therapist, Dr. Heller has helped a countless number of people in their healing journey towards experiencing greater intimacy, wholeness and more fulfilling relationships.
She believes that when we heal ourselves first, we heal our families, our communities and the world as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a therapist to benefit from this training?
No. While this course is grounded in trauma-informed and attachment-based principles, it offers opportunities for personal healing as much as professional development. You do not need clinical training to engage meaningfully with the material.
You’ll be guided through structured reflections and embodied practices that can support insight and integration in your own life.Because the course explores trauma, grief and loss, and developmental aspects of shame and attachment wounding, some material may feel activating. We recommend ensuring you have adequate emotional support in place as you move through the course, and bringing your reflections and processing into conversation with a trained professional.
This course is educational and experiential in nature and is not a substitute for individual therapy or mental health treatment.
How long can I access the course materials if I purchase this training today?
You’ll have lifetime access to ALL training materials, including videos, transcripts, worksheets, demos, resources and bonuses too. You may also download, print or save materials at any time to your professional reference library for personal use.
In the interest of privacy, client demo videos are not downloadable.
Are the class sessions live or recorded?
All sessions were recorded live, including the Q&A segments. This reissued training features recordings of all five 90-minute sessions, along with client demonstrations, audio recordings, written transcripts, complementary resources, and exclusive course bonuses.
All of the training is on-demand, so you can learn at your own pace, or revisit sessions more than once.
Are CE credits available for this course?
Continuing Education (CE) credits are not available for this training at this time.
Will taking this course qualify me as SE Trained?
This is a demonstration-based course suitable for both introductory students and those already trained in Somatic Experiencing® (SE).
Throughout the sessions, various common techniques are demonstrated and applied to different situations and cases. Please note that taking this program will not qualify you as ‘SE Trained,’ as it does not replace the 8-module training through Somatic Experiencing®.
However, it will ensure that you are ‘SE Informed.’
I’m having trouble completing the purchase. How can I get support?
If you have additional questions or need technical support, please contact our friendly Customer Support Team for help.
Is there a refund policy?
We’re confident this program will be a valuable investment in your education, personal growth and clinical practice.
Because this is a re-issue of previous of previous training (at a special promotional price) and course materials are downloadable, all sales are final.
If you have further questions, do not hesitate to reach out to our Customer Support Team for help.
What Our Students Say About This Training
I loved this class, I feel it will help me in observing clients subtle body language and as an EFT practitioner I can safely ask about what’s happening.
I do this now but this class gave me better skills. Peter is so amazing to see in action! Thank you both so much.
––Lisa
Deep gratitude for Peter and his exceptional work… and for Diane for her and her work.
This class has been terrific. What a gift for the world!
––Nga M.
The demos were really helpful in putting theory to practice. I have a client who is stuck and this is exactly what I needed to learn.
––Sameera H.
Enjoyed this training so much! I love the case studies and really enjoyed seeing the interactions.
––Brittany P.
This was great! There’s a lot of SE stuff out there and this one was particularly useful. Organized and focused on the work.
Lisa S.
Peter A. Levine, PhD,
Dr. Diane Poole Heller
Get immediate access…
- 5 Recorded, On-Demand Training Sessions
- Real Client Demos with debriefs to identify techniques and show you how to apply the work
- “Put Your Skills Into Practice Exercises”
- Includes recorded live Q&A: Peter Levine and Diane Poole Heller answer key questions on working with shame and grief
- Private Course Portal with Lifetime Access to Video Recordings, Audio, Transcripts, and Resources
- PLUS, Exclusive Course Bonuses!
Own It Now For Just
$297
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