Pendulation: Moving Between Activation and Ease in Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing® unfolds in layers.
We begin with orienting, helping the nervous system recognize where we are.
Then resourcing, inviting in experiences of support or steadiness.
Then tracking, tuning into the internal sensations that make up our embodied world.
Once these foundational skills are established, the body becomes ready for the next step — a rhythmic, wave-like movement between activation and ease.
This is called pendulation.
Peter Levine describes pendulation as the body’s natural cycle of contraction and expansion — the way the nervous system metabolizes intensity without overwhelm.
What Is Pendulation?
Pendulation is the gentle movement of attention between two different internal states:
a sensation with mild activation or discomfort
anda sensation that feels more neutral, settled, or spacious
It’s not forcing the body to feel intensity.
It’s not staying only in comfort.
It’s the slow, rhythmic shifting between them — allowing the nervous system to approach activation in small, tolerable waves.
Pendulation teaches the body:
“I can touch this… and I can come back.”
“I can feel a contraction… and then I can rest.”
“I am not stuck.”
This natural oscillation is how trauma begins to thaw.
Why Pendulation Matters in Trauma Healing
Trauma traps the system in static patterns — chronic activation or chronic collapse.
Pendulation reintroduces movement into places that have been frozen.
When you pendulate:
Activation becomes tolerable, not overwhelming
The body learns it can return to steadiness on its own
Emotional surges stay within a manageable range
The nervous system gains flexibility and resilience
You build capacity for deeper work
The system shifts from rigidity into flow
The groundwork is set for future discharge
Pendulation restores the rhythm that trauma disrupts.
The Lived Experience of Pendulation
Pendulation is not typically warm or blissful.
It is subtle, wave-like, and often mildly uncomfortable — but tolerable.
It feels like:
small contractions followed by brief pauses
emotional “surges” that rise and then settle
tightening-softening cycles
activation that peaks gently, then recedes
a felt sense of “coming forward… then returning”
uncomfortable moments followed by neutrality
Clients often describe it like:
“A tightening that comes in pulses.”
“A contraction in my chest that softens, then returns.”
“A rise of emotion, then a neutral plateau.”
“Pressure that goes up, pauses, then comes back.”
Pendulation is not the release itself.
It’s the movement that makes release possible, a kind of emotional and somatic “labor contraction” that prepares the system for completion in later steps.
How to Practice Pendulation
A simple, SE-informed approach:
1. Notice a sensation with mild activation.
Not overwhelming. Something like tightness, pressure, buzzing, or a knot.
2. Notice a second area that feels more neutral or settled.
This could be the hands, feet, breath, or anywhere that feels quieter.
3. Move your attention slowly between them.
Lingering briefly with the activation.
Then shifting to the neutral area.
Back and forth.
Wave-like.
4. Observe the natural changes.
Does the activation grow, shrink, move, or soften?
Does the neutral area become more available?
Does the cycle get easier to track?
5. Pause and rest.
Integration often happens in the pause.
Pendulation is always slow, subtle, and never pushed.
What You May Notice
As you pendulate, you might experience:
subtle shifts in breath
small drops in tension
emotional softening
gentle peaks and retreats
a sense of being able to “stay with” your experience
clearer awareness of your body’s patterns
micro-movements toward regulation
These shifts are the body practicing resilience.
How Pendulation Supports the Full SE Process
Pendulation creates the groundwork for:
Titration — working with activation in tiny, digestible doses
Completion — allowing survival energy to finish its interrupted cycle
Integration — settling into a new, regulated pattern
It teaches your nervous system:
“I can be with intensity without shutting down.”
“I can come back to myself after activation.”
“I can move between states safely.”
This is the heart of regulation.
Final Reflection
Take a moment to notice one place in your body with a touch of activation — even 1%.
Then notice a second place that feels more quiet or neutral.
Allow your awareness to move slowly between the two, like a soft wave.
This is pendulation — the nervous system remembering how to move again.
Join the Somatic Circle
If you want to practice pendulation with guided support, community connection, and trauma-informed facilitation, I’d love to welcome you to Somatic Circle — my weekly embodied healing group.
Your first session is free.
Sign up here: https://www.bodyandmindcollective.com/somaticcircle
Use code: FIRSTFREE
Together we learn the rhythm of healing — contraction, pause, expansion, pause.
