Somatic Experiencing

What Somatic Experiencing does

Somatic Experiencing International (SEI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded by Dr. Peter A. Levine and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. SEI delivers professional training, certification, and community infrastructure for the Somatic Experiencing (SE) method — a body-oriented therapeutic framework for resolving trauma and chronic stress that operates on the autonomic nervous system through titration and pendulation techniques. Its core offering is the SE Professional Training Program, a continuing education certificate spanning 6-8 training modules delivered over 2.5-3 years and culminating in SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner) credentialing requiring 216 contact hours, 12 hours of personal sessions, and 18 credit hours of case consultations.

The business model combines training module tuition ($1,130-$1,650 per module), recurring membership subscriptions (Standard $150/year, Plus $229/year, Assistant $100/year), a standalone Practitioner Directory subscription ($75/year), e-commerce sales of manuals and video resources, and tax-deductible donations. Distribution runs through a hybrid model: SEI's own direct sales in the US via the Fonteva-based portal (launched January 2026), supplemented by a network of 80+ independent international organizers across 50+ countries and six continents. SEI also partners with the European Association of Somatic Experiencing (EASE) covering 20+ European countries.

SEI serves a horizontally diversified base of licensed professionals across mental health, medical/healthcare, bodywork, first responders, and educator/clergy segments, with a global community database of 85,000+ individuals and approximately 3,000 active members. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the organization holds approved continuing education provider status across NBCC, ASWB ACE, NAADAC, NCBTMB, NCBAHM, and multiple state boards, and is led by Co-Executive Directors Rebecca Stahl and David Young.

Name

Somatic Experiencing

Legal name

Somatic Experiencing International

Website

https://traumahealing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Somatic Experiencing International is a Boulder-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains and certifies licensed professionals worldwide in the Somatic Experiencing trauma resolution method through a multi-year professional training program, membership tiers, and a global practitioner directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Trauma Therapy Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trauma-Informed Mindfulness & Somatic Mind-Body Practices (HSADAJAI)

Keywords

• Trauma resolution training
• Somatic therapy education
• Professional certification programs
• Continuing education credits
• Practitioner directory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Program Tuition: Revenue from 6-8 training modules spanning Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. Modules priced at $1,130-$1,180 for regular registration (Beginning/Intermediate) and $1,600-$1,650 for Advanced. Payment plans available with $100 administrative fee.
2. SEI Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions with two tiers: Standard at $150/year and Plus at $229/year. Assistant pricing at $100/year. Includes discounts on short programs and Practitioner Directory access.
3. Practitioner Directory Subscription: Standalone directory listing at $75/year for non-members, $50/year for Standard members, free for Plus members.
4. E-Store Sales: Sales of manuals, training videos, and video rentals through the new e-store platform. Includes Peter Levine demo library access for students and SEPs.
5. Personal Sessions and Case Consultations: Credits for personal SE sessions (12 hours required) and case consultations (18 credit hours required) provided by approved providers. Fees set by individual providers.
6. Scholarships (Cost Center): Scholarship program offering 25%, 33%, or 50% tuition discounts to support accessibility. Funded through donations.
7. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to support nonprofit mission and scholarship programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Somatic Experiencing International delivers a multi-year professional training and certification program that teaches the Somatic Experiencing (SE) body-oriented method for resolving trauma and chronic stress. The core training spans 6-8 modules over 2.5-3 years across Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels, awarding the SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner) credential after 216 contact hours, 12 personal session hours, and 18 case consultation credit hours. Supporting offerings include introductory Basic Principles workshops, Crisis Stabilization & Safety (CSS/SCOPE) tools, an on-demand video library, membership subscriptions, and a public practitioner directory, all distributed through the SEI portal and a network of 80+ international organizers across 50+ countries.

Product overview

Somatic Experiencing International offers a unified training ecosystem centered on the SE Professional Training Program, a continuing education certificate spanning 2½-3 years with Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels leading to SEP Practitioner certification. The portfolio includes the Basic Principles introductory workshop (3-hour webinar), Crisis Stabilization & Safety (CSS) Program, and Short Programs for ongoing professional development. Supporting services include the SEI Video Resources Library (40+ on-demand videos), Peter Levine Demo Library, Membership Program (Standard/Plus tiers with directory access), Practitioner Directory, SCOPE crisis tools, and a Scholarship Program offering tuition discounts. The 2026 Fonteva portal launch integrates these offerings into a single platform with unified access to events, memberships, directories, and e-commerce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SE Professional Training Program A multi-year continuing education certificate program (Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels) that trains licensed professionals in Somatic Experiencing methods for resolving trauma and chronic stress, culminating in SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner) certification. Designed for psychologists, social workers, counselors, bodyworkers, and medical professionals.
• Basic Principles of SE A 3-hour introductory workshop (webinar, in-person, or full-day) providing a theoretical overview of the Somatic Experiencing model and how it complements traditional approaches to resolving trauma. Targeted at prospective students exploring the professional training program.
• Crisis Stabilization & Safety (CSS) Program SE crisis stabilization training designed for times of crisis, comprising simple adapted SE interventions to help stabilize the stress response and create a sense of safety. Aimed at professionals working in emergency, crisis, and high-stress settings.
• Scholarship Program A biannual scholarship program offering 25%, 33%, or 50% tuition discounts for US-based SE Professional Training Program students. Includes BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Accessibility, Special Circumstances, and Public Service scholarship categories. Funded by donations.
• SEI Video Resources Library An on-demand video collection featuring SE practitioners, researchers, and trainers including Dr. Peter Levine, Stephen Porges, Dick Schwartz, Jack Kornfield, and Diane Poole Heller, with lifetime access to 40+ videos.
• Peter Levine Demo Library A free demo video library accessible through the Fonteva portal, containing demonstrations of SE techniques by founder Dr. Peter Levine, available to students of the professional certificate program and SEPs.
• Short Programs Ongoing professional development opportunities including webinars, workshops, community conversations, and other events for SEPs and trainees to further their training and application of the SE method.
• Membership Program Annual membership with Standard ($150/year) and Plus ($229/year) tiers offering discounts on Short Programs, community access, and Practitioner Directory access. Plus members receive free directory listing and 25% discount on programs.
• SE Practitioner Directory A searchable public directory of Somatic Experiencing trained practitioners, available as a standalone subscription ($75/year) or included free with Plus membership, used by the public to find SE providers.
• SCOPE Crisis Stabilization and Safety tool providing simple adapted SE interventions for emergency and crisis situations to help stabilize stress responses and create a sense of safety.

Quantifiable outcome

• SEP training requires 216 contact hours plus 12 hours personal sessions and 18 credit hours case consultations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fonteva (Salesforce-based Platform)coreTechnology or Integration · 23 January 2026Fonteva provides the new unified online portal platform integrating SEI's events, memberships, directories, e-store, and community connections. The Salesforce-based system replaced multiple legacy systems with a single integrated database.
• International Training Organizers NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSEI partners with 80+ independent international organizers who deliver SE training programs in their respective countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Caucasus. Each organizer operates autonomously, setting training costs and structures that may differ from US offerings.
• European Association of Somatic Experiencing (EASE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEASE represents SE associations across 20+ European countries with its own training structure (Beginning I/II, Beginning II/III format). SEI works with EASE on transfers between programs and maintaining training standards across the European network.
• Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)minorOthersASWB ACE program allows SEI to offer approved continuing education credits for social workers. ACE provider approval enables credentialing across social work boards.
• NAADAC - Association for Addiction ProfessionalsminorOthersNAADAC approved education provider status allows SEI training to count toward addiction professional continuing education requirements.
• National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB)minorOthersNCBTMB approval allows SEI to offer CE credits recognized by massage therapy licensing boards across all US states.
• Various State Professional Licensing BoardsminorOthersMultiple state board approvals including California Acupuncture Board, CAMFT, and NY State Education Department enable SEI to offer jurisdiction-specific CE credits for licensed professionals.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sounds True: Sounds True is a multimedia publisher of spiritual, self-help, and trauma-related educational content including Dr. Peter Levine's recorded materials. It is not a direct training competitor but is an adjacent ecosystem partner that monetizes SE-adjacent content via consumer books, audio, and video courses.
• Polyvagal Institute: The Polyvagal Institute, associated with Dr. Stephen Porges (whose Polyvagal Theory is integrated into SE's framework per source), provides professional training and certification. It is an adjacent, thematically related organization whose curriculum overlaps methodologically with SEI but is positioned as a standalone certification.

Broad incumbents

• NICABM (National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine): NICABM provides continuing education and online training programs for mental health professionals, focused on evidence-based trauma and mind-body therapies. Like PESI, it overlaps with SEI for therapist training dollars but operates as a content aggregator rather than a single-method certification body.
• PESI (Professional Education Seminars, Inc.): PESI is one of the largest continuing education providers for mental health, healthcare, and social work professionals in the US. It offers thousands of CE-approved courses across many modalities (including trauma) and competes with SEI for the same licensed-professional audience's CE budget, though SEI is the deeper, modality-focused specialist.

Emerging players

• Hakomi Institute: Hakomi Institute offers professional certification training in Hakomi Mind-Body Somatic Therapy. It overlaps with SEI in targeting licensed mental health and body-centered practitioners with multi-level certification, but operates at a smaller scale and without SEI's regulatory CE accreditation footprint.
• EFT International (formerly EFT Universe / Gary Craig): EFT International offers training and certification in Emotional Freedom Techniques, an alternative somatic/self-help trauma modality. It competes with SEI for the mind-body, somatic trauma practitioner audience, with lower professional barriers to entry but lighter clinical credentialing.
• Trauma Research Foundation: Founded by Bessel van der Kolk (author of The Body Keeps the Score), the Trauma Research Foundation offers professional training and certification in body-based trauma therapies. It is positioned as a science-forward peer to SEI with overlapping target audience of trauma-focused clinicians.

Direct peers

• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, founded by Pat Ogden, offers professional training in a body-oriented trauma therapy approach that overlaps directly with SEI's somatic methodology. Both target licensed clinicians seeking trauma specialization and offer tiered certification paths plus practitioner directories.
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) Institute: The IFS Institute offers multi-level professional training and certification in Internal Family Systems therapy. It parallels SEI in offering cohort-based certification programs for licensed therapists, ongoing continuing education, annual conferences, and a finder directory of certified practitioners.
• EMDR Institute: Founded by Dr. Francine Shapiro, the EMDR Institute is the origin training body for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, the most widely adopted trauma-focused therapy modality. Like SEI, it offers multi-level professional training, continuing education accreditation, and a practitioner directory serving licensed mental health professionals globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Somatic_Exp_Int
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SomaticExperiencingInternational
• Facebookfacebook.com/somaticexperiencingint
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/somatic-experiencing-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/somaticexperiencingint

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Somatic Experiencing