Tending Resilience

Somatic Experiencing

with Betania Ridenour, SEP

About me:

Hi there! My name is Betania (They/She). I am a queer mixed Chicanx who was raised up by trees. I have been on a healing journey for much of my life. Somatic Experiencing (SE) has been one of the foundational pieces in coming back to myself. I hold it as a huge honor to be able to sit with and uplift others in support & solidarity of their healing. In my work, I emphasize interconnectedness, recognizing that healing isn't just an individual journey but one that is nurtured through safe & supportive environments. My cosmology is deeply rooted in community care, ancestral healing, and relationship with the living world around us. I approach the work I do with authenticity, empathy, accountability, and humor. I offer trauma-informed, queer positive, neurodiversity & intersectionality affirming, client-centered support.

What is Somatic Experience?

Somatic Experiencing (SE™) is a body centered approach to trauma healing. When our natural self-protective responses of fight, flight, or freeze are (for whatever reason) left incomplete or unresolved, they can become stuck in the body. SE helps us to renegotiate and find the completion necessary to release these stuck survival energies, resulting in greater capacity and resilience. SE provides clinical tools to resolve various physiological states that have preoccupied and overwhelmed our systems. Trauma can originate from many different origins, all of which deeply impact an individual's capacity to move through the world with ease.

Unlike a top-down model which primarily focuses on cognitive thoughts and conscious processing, Somatic Experiencing (SE) is considered a "bottom-up" therapy. SE prioritizes the body's sensations and physiological responses to trauma as a primary pathway to healing. In SE we are curious about the story our body is wanting to tell. Our focus is on the emotional/autonomic nervous system and creating safety and the spaciousness for our bodies to let go of what is no longer serving us. As we tend to our bodies unique stories, we allow time and pause for integration. By beginning to listen to the body and attending to our nervous system, we work to find the space that is needed for resolution, allowing us to move beyond survival mode and into a place of greater agency.

On ‘Tending Resilience’

The term 'resilience' has often been weaponized in our communities, used to deflect attention from systemic injustices and minimize the impact of trauma. For many of us, resilience wasn’t a choice — it was necessary for survival. To reframe resilience as a form of resistance and agency, I chose the term 'Tending Resilience.' This emphasizes that resilience isn’t about simply enduring; it’s about actively nurturing and caring for the strength that emerges from our struggles. Tending resilience is an ongoing, participatory process rooted in care, reflection, and connection, and it goes beyond just surviving. It’s about resisting oppressive systems, advocating for systemic change, and building the kind of support that uplifts all of us. By tending resilience, we honor the small, daily acts of care, reflection, and connection that empower our communities and sustain us, challenging narratives that glorify individual endurance while ignoring systemic injustice.

Community

In this practice, we reject the colonizer mindset of hyper-individuality. Our well being is deeply tied to right relationship with others and the earth itself. We honor the wisdom of community.
Care

Care is the foundation for healing, creating a space where individuals can feel seen and valued. By honoring each person’s unique journey, we pave the way for transformative and collective healing.
Compassion

Compassion is at the core of this work. In collaboration we cultivate a space that is judgment free and we tend to it with curiosity, respect, and kindness.