Somatic Vocabulary

Countervortex
This term refers to a resourced, regulated, or coherent state you can draw on to balance out a "trauma vortex," which is the pull toward overwhelming or dysregulated sensations and memories. For instance, the thing, person, place, or activity that brings you safety or joy. The countervortex represents your resource, and your capacity, something you can build and access so you aren't swept entirely into activation.

Hypervigilance
A state of heightened sensory sensitivity and threat-scanning, where your nervous system stays activated and on alert even when there's no immediate danger. In Somatic Experiencing, hypervigilance is understood as a sign of dysregulation, often linked to unresolved traumatic activation, where your body continues to brace for threat long after an event has passed.

Orienting
This refers to your nervous system's natural response of turning your attention toward your environment, using your senses (sight, sound, touch) to assess safety or novelty. It's a way to help your nervous system register the present moment and settle.