Uncovering the Role of Pendulation in Trauma Therapy
In the journey of trauma recovery, finding a balance between safety and discomfort can be transformative.
Peter Levine, the pioneer of Somatic Experiencing, coined the term "pendulation" to describe this rhythmic movement between contraction and expansion. Imagine it as a pendulum gently swinging—each movement from contraction to expansion and back again carries profound implications for healing.
Trauma often leaves individuals feeling stuck and frozen, in a moment of distress.
Pendulation offers a way out of this stasis, facilitating movement and flow within the body and mind. Individuals can gradually integrate and process traumatic experiences without overwhelming their systems by oscillating between feelings of safety and discomfort.
In this blog post, we'll delve into the concept of pendulation, its role in therapy—both traditional and in techniques like EMDR—and its profound benefits for nervous system regulation, resilience building, and trauma memory integration. Whether you're exploring this concept for the first time or seeking to deepen your understanding, you'll discover how pendulation can empower you to navigate your healing journey with greater ease.
What is the concept of pendulation?
According to Peter Levine, the founder of Somatic Experiencing, “pendulation is the rhythm between contraction and expansion.” It involves moving back and forth between sensations of safety and discomfort or trauma-related activation.
Each time there is a contraction in the body, there will also be a sense of expansion. And for every expansion in the body, there will also be a contraction. Allowing the pendulum to swing between contraction and expansion helps you get unstuck and out of the frozen constriction.
Trauma is about being stuck.
It’s feeling fixed and frozen in a moment.
Pendulation allows you access movement and flow.
When we experience trauma, we get stuck in one place. Trauma is all about fixity.
In fact, you can also get stuck in the space of expansion, which often looks similar to psychosis. The goal of therapy and trauma healing is to find equilibrium or balance between the two. To find the inner rhythm of healing.
The way out of trauma is to move into flow, to expand. When in a state of flow, you can’t experience the constriction of trauma.
Pendulation is a dance between contraction and expansion, with the goal being finding an even rhythm between the two.
Signs of Contraction:
In trauma therapy, signs of contraction typically manifest as physiological, emotional, or cognitive responses that indicate a state of distress or activation. These signs may vary depending on the individual and the specific traumatic experiences they've endured.
Increased Muscle Tension: Tightness in muscles, especially in the jaw, shoulders, neck, and back, often accompanies contraction. This tension can contribute to a sense of rigidity or being "stuck."
Shallow Breathing: Breathing may become rapid, shallow, or irregular during moments of contraction. This physiological response is linked to the body's stress reaction.
Hypervigilance: Heightened alertness and sensitivity to potential threats or triggers are common in trauma-related contraction. This can lead to a state of hyperarousal where individuals are constantly scanning their environment for danger.
Emotional Intensity: Intense emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, or shame may surface during contraction. These emotions may feel overwhelming and difficult to manage.
Difficulty in Thinking or Concentrating: Cognitive processes may become impaired during contraction, leading to difficulty in focusing, making decisions, or processing information.
Feeling Overwhelmed or Flooded: Sensory overload or feeling flooded with emotions or sensations is another sign of contraction. This can lead to an inability to cope or manage the intensity of internal experiences.
Avoidance Behaviors: Individuals may engage in behaviors or thoughts aimed at avoiding triggers or situations that evoke trauma-related memories or sensations. Avoidance is a common coping mechanism during contraction.
Physical Discomfort or Pain: Contraction can manifest as physical discomfort or pain in the body, such as headaches, stomachaches, or general discomfort without a clear medical cause.
Feeling Stuck or Frozen: A sense of being immobilized or unable to move forward emotionally or mentally is indicative of contraction. This feeling of being "stuck" is a hallmark of trauma-related responses.
Heightened Startle Response: An exaggerated startle response, where individuals react intensely to sudden stimuli or noises, is another sign of increased arousal and contraction in trauma therapy.
Recognizing these signs of contraction is crucial in trauma therapy as it indicates when an individual may be approaching their threshold for tolerating distressing experiences. Therapeutic interventions, such as pendulation and titration, are often used to help individuals regulate their arousal levels and gradually process traumatic memories in a safe and manageable way.
Signs of Expansion:
In trauma therapy, signs of expansion indicate a shift toward a state of safety, relaxation, and an increased capacity to engage with challenging emotions or memories in a more regulated manner. These signs reflect a movement away from contraction and towards a more open, adaptive response to healing.
Here are some common signs of expansion in trauma therapy:
Relaxed Musculature: Muscles become less tense and more relaxed. This can include a softening of facial muscles, shoulders, and other areas where tension was previously held.
Deeper Breathing: Breathing becomes deeper, slower, and more rhythmic. This indicates a shift towards parasympathetic nervous system activation, promoting a sense of calm.
Grounded Presence: Individuals may feel more connected to the present moment and their surroundings. They exhibit a sense of being anchored and less disconnected from reality.
Increased Body Awareness: There is a heightened awareness of bodily sensations, but these sensations are experienced as manageable and integrated rather than overwhelming or dissociated.
Curiosity and Openness: There is a willingness to explore and engage with challenging emotions, memories, or sensations without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.
Flexibility in Thinking: Cognitive processes become more flexible and adaptive. There is an ability to consider different perspectives or interpretations of past experiences.
Sense of Safety and Trust: There is an increased sense of safety, both internally (within oneself) and externally (in the therapeutic environment and relationships).
Exploration of Resources: Individuals may actively seek out and utilize internal and external resources (such as strengths, coping skills, supportive relationships) to navigate challenging experiences.
Integration and Growth: There is a sense of personal growth and integration of traumatic experiences into one's narrative. This includes a clearer understanding of how past experiences have shaped the present, and a hopeful outlook towards the future.
Recognizing signs of expansion is crucial in trauma therapy as they indicate progress toward healing and resilience.
What is titration and pendulation in therapy?
When you practice titration and pendulation in therapy, you move between a resourced state and a distressing event. Your therapist will most likely guide you to find something that brings peace, ease, and a sense of groundedness. This could be a spot in your body or an item or view in your room.
From there, you will spend time bringing your awareness towards the resource, getting comfortable, and bringing your attention towards it.
Next, your therapist will guide you back to the distressing feeling or memory. You’ll spend time there, letting your mind and attention move towards the distress without letting it overwhelm your system.
Your therapist will then guide you back to the resource and once again to the distress. You will do this as many times as needed until the distress is no longer overwhelming.
What is pendulation in EMDR?
Practicing pendulation in EMDR therapy is very similar to pendulation in a traditional therapy session. However, when you bring your attention back to it, you will most likely add bilateral stimulation or BLS to the resourced state. Your therapist will guide you to use BLS to help enhance your mind’s attention towards grounding, ease, and calm, which enables you to back into distressing events of the past.
What are the benefits of pendulation?
There are many benefits of pendulation, most of which help calm your nervous system.
Benefits of Pendulation:
Nervous System Regulation: Pendulation helps you regulate your nervous system by alternating between sensations of safety (grounding, calmness) and discomfort (trauma-related sensations or memories). This oscillation helps prevent overwhelming activation and gradually increases tolerance for distressing experiences.
Building Resilience: Through pendulation, you can learn to tolerate and navigate distressing sensations or emotions without becoming overwhelmed. This process strengthens resilience by gradually expanding the capacity to manage and integrate challenging experiences.
Integration of Traumatic Memories: By pendulating between feelings of safety and discomfort, traumatic memories and sensations can be approached in a controlled and manageable way. This allows for a gradual processing and integration of these experiences into your narrative without re-traumatization.
Enhanced Body Awareness: Pendulation enhances somatic awareness, helping you better understand how your body responds to different stimuli, including stress and safety cues. This awareness can facilitate self-regulation and reduce the likelihood of being triggered by trauma-related stimuli.
Facilitation of Healing Responses: Alternating movement between safety and discomfort can activate the body's innate healing responses. These include mechanisms like relaxation responses, increased circulation, and the release of tension, which are conducive to overall well-being and healing.
Empowerment and Self-Efficacy: Learning to pendulate empowers you by giving you tools to manage your arousal states and emotional experiences. This fosters a sense of control and self-efficacy when dealing with trauma-related symptoms.
What is the purpose of pendulation?
The purpose of pendulation in therapy sessions is to slowly and steadily allow you to move toward traumatic experiences without overwhelming your nervous system. Trauma occurs when things happen too fast, too soon. Most of the time, there is a lack of choice and agency before experiencing a traumatic event.
In therapy sessions, you get to experience choice and agency 100% of the time. You get to move towards your trauma in a way that feels safe and okay for your nervous system. By doing this, you are letting your brain and body know that you are safe and okay in the present so you can go back to your past.
Learning pendualtion in a therapy session allows you to experience the slow and steady rate of healing. It also gives you practical tools to use outside of therapy sessions. Once you learn how to pendulate between a distressing event and a calm state, you can practice this anytime, anywhere.
One of the purposes of pendulation is to give you practical tools to use outside of therapy sessions to help heal your trauma and start living a life aligned with your calmest state of being.
Pendulation exercise
Here’s a great video to learn more about pendulation in therapy sessions and see the founder of the exercise explain and demonstrate it.
If you’re interested in working with a trained somatic therapist to practice pendulation to heal your trauma, contact Third Nature Therapy today.
We offer online therapy sessions for people in NY, PA, and CO, as well as somatic coaching sessions.
Julie Goldberg is a licensed therapist and the founder of Third Nature Therapy. Her practice focuses on helping individuals better understand their inner world, befriend their nervous system (instead of working against it), and navigate changing relationships. She offers somatic therapy, EMDR intensives, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Brooklyn, NY.