Abdelfattah Elsharkawy

Somatic Experiencing® is a body-oriented approach to working with stress, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation.

Instead of focusing only on thoughts, memories, or analysis, SE pays attention to how the nervous system holds and completes survival responses. Trauma is not only about what happened; it is also about what the body had to do, could not do, or still feels prepared to do.

In sessions, we work slowly and carefully with body sensations, emotions, impulses, images, and patterns of activation or shutdown. The goal is not to force a breakthrough, but to support the nervous system in gradually restoring regulation, capacity, and choice.

Traditional talk therapy often works through reflection, insight, narrative, and emotional processing. These can be very valuable. Somatic Experiencing® adds another layer by working directly with the nervous system and the body’s stress responses.

Many people understand their patterns intellectually but still feel stuck in their bodies. They may know they are safe, but their body still reacts as if danger is present. They may know they need rest, but their system stays activated. They may know a relationship, workplace, or memory is no longer happening, but their body still carries the imprint.

SE helps us work with this gap between what we know cognitively and what the nervous system is still organizing around.

Online SE work can be effective when the session is paced well and you have a private, comfortable space where you will not be interrupted. It is helpful to have a stable internet connection, some water nearby, and a little time after the session before moving directly into your next commitment.

The initial consultation call is $35 for 25 minutes. The first session and all following regular sessions are $100 for 45 minutes. Extended sessions are $200 for 90 minutes.

All payments are made online by credit card through the booking page.

No. You do not need to tell the full story of what happened, and we do not need to go into details before your system has enough capacity.

In SE, we are careful not to overwhelm the nervous system. Sometimes we work with the edges of an experience rather than the full memory. Sometimes we work with present-day symptoms, sensations, or patterns without going deeply into the event itself.

The goal is not to relive trauma. The goal is to help the nervous system gradually renegotiate what remains unfinished, at a pace that respects your physiology.

My work is grounded in the body, but I do not see the body as separate from context.

Stress and trauma are not only individual experiences. They are often shaped by relationships, family systems, gender expectations, workplace cultures, race, ethnicity, class, power, and social environments.

Because of my background in gender-responsive practice, workplace systems, and cross-cultural work, I pay attention to how these wider conditions affect the nervous system. This is especially important when working with people who have had to adapt, shrink, overperform, stay silent, stay alert, or disconnect in order to survive certain environments.

The work is not about blaming the individual for their symptoms. It is about understanding what the nervous system learned to do — and supporting it to discover new options.

Yes, I work with adults experiencing the impact of sexual trauma, with careful attention to safety, pacing, consent, and nervous system capacity.

Sexual trauma can affect the body, relationships, boundaries, sexuality, self-trust, anger, shame, and the ability to feel present. In this work, we do not rush toward disclosure or details. We focus first on stabilization, choice, and the client’s sense of control.

The work can include exploring boundaries, protective responses, freeze or shutdown, activation, disgust, grief, anger, or numbness — but always at a pace that respects the person’s physiology.

Yes. I work with adults of different genders, including men.

Many men are taught to override their bodies, suppress fear, disconnect from vulnerability, or turn stress into control, anger, silence, or overwork. These are not simply personal flaws; they are often survival patterns shaped within particular social expectations.

Somatic work can create a different pathway: one that does not shame survival responses, but also does not leave the person trapped inside them. It can support greater regulation, emotional range, relational capacity, and embodied choice.