The following are a few brief comments - about the effectiveness of the SE Method or about Dr. Parker herself - spontaneously made by clients at the Center for Human Integration. Permission to cite these comments has been given by the individuals, but their names have been omitted to protect their privacy.
From people who came to Dr. Parker suffering from chronic pain conditions:
"I have been to numerous practitioners - everyone from Chiropractors, to massage therapists, to so-called 'state of the art' physical therapy programs, acupuncturists, traditional allopathic doctors, etc. I have spent over $10,000 trying to get a handle on this pain and stop the downward spiral. Everything I tried just made it worse. You did what no one else could do - it was key to my recovery. While I am still not 100%, the pain has diminished to the point where it is almost entirely gone and my health continues to improve on a daily basis at a remarkable rate. Considering I was completely bed-ridden for 3 months before I found you, this is saying a lot. I don't know where I'd be without your help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
"Before I started to see you, I kept having fearful thoughts that I had some terrible thing like Multiple Sclerosis. But now I quickly dismiss those thoughts because of the amazing result I had yesterday, i.e., feeling extremely awful and in a lot of pain when I came to see you - yet an hour later I felt great!!! I am still blown-away by that session. It gives me hope that I can get well. Thank you very much!"
"I came to you originally seeking relief from years of chronic pain which was negatively impacting my life. Little did I know at the time that you would end up touching my life in so many ways. I couldn't have known that you would become my spiritual teacher, a light of hope, and one of the most important people in my life. I am now, for the most part, free of pain. The angry person I was becoming is gone and there is no sign of the autoimmune disease I had suffered from for years. A whole new world has opened up to me . . . a world full of hope and encouragement. Life's challenges now make sense and I have someone very special to guide me through them. I am forever grateful."
"I originally went to see Dr. Parker because of sciatic pain, a condition that had been chronic. After only two Feldenkrais sessions with her (Feldenkrais is a modality that serves to dismantle neuro-muscular patterns that are causing pain), she suggested that I try a Somatic Experiencing session. She apparently had a sense that there was more going on than just disorganization at the neuromuscular level. She was right! After only a few private sessions, I was rid of the sciatic pain. I continued on for two years though, because I thought I might be able to resolve some other issues with Somatic Experiencing. After two years, I can honestly say that my physical and mental well-being has been restored in a way that no other therapies have even come close to matching."
From people who sought out Somatic Experiencing because of psycho-emotional symptoms that persisted despite a great deal of mainstream cognitive therapy:
"For the first time in my life, I no longer feel as though something is wrong with me. Additionally, I am less afraid of social contact and I feel a greater sense of freedom as I interact with others."
"Not only do I feel more present and alive, I feel happier and I am able to feel positive emotional states more intensely. This change took place after only 8 Somatic Experiencing sessions."
"I recall feeling isolated and depressed even as a young child, and I have suffered from high anxiety as long as I can remember. I have tried various therapies (including mainstream psychotherapy). After only 12 Somatic Experiencing sessions, I attended a large group conference (which would normally have lead to extreme anxiousness and feelings of isolation). From the start of the conference, I felt absolutely at ease and wholly comfortable interacting with my colleagues. I am struck by the power of this method."
The following comments are taken from spontaneous e-mails written by individuals after a Somatic Experiencing® session. Again, permission has been granted to use the quotes, but the names have been omitted in order to protect the privacy of the individuals.
Lori,
Thank you for yesterday! I felt very calm and centered all day yesterday, until I made the mistake of playing a video game with my boyfriend. He figured out very quickly how to win, and kept knocking my character over. I noticed I went into a freeze state. We talked about it and I settled down.
But then the next morning, as I was driving home, I got very, very angry (unreasonably so) at being cut off on the freeway. Then I felt completely helpless and started crying. The same feelings have kept showing up the rest of this morning and afternoon. But luckily, I had a cancellation and have been able to stay home and let the tears come through.
I keep hearing your voice saying, "Feel the tears on your face", and "It doesn't serve you to hold the emotion back" and especially, "You're doing great." That helped a lot.
So thank you again for yesterday. I can sense how important this piece is.
Good morning Lori,
I wanted to give you some feedback from our last SE session: The entire day of our last session, I really enjoyed the feeling of spontaneous breathing. I was struck by how free my torso felt. Even though some shame came up during the session (in response to us working with the vestibular disturbance), no shame showed up later. In fact, over the weekend, as I was walking around the mall with a couple of my friends, I caught myself getting anxious about going to the edge of a glass walkway. So I simply didn't force myself to do it. Instead of feeling ashamed, I felt proud of myself for not making myself do something that was over-stimulating my nervous system. Both of my friends were very understanding. So rather than being ashamed by others, I actually got some positive reinforcement! Whoaa!
Thank you!