The session lasted 50 minutes and took place in the office. Client presented with noticeable tension, including shoulders raised and arms crossed tightly. Client reported experiencing body-based reactions to certain topics, describing symptoms such as tight chest, shallow breathing, and shaking hands, even without consciously thinking about the trauma. Client stated, "I don't even have to think about the details, my chest just gets tight and I can't breathe right." Therapist explained the body's role in holding trauma and how these sensations reflect the nervous system's protective responses. Interventions included gentle orienting, asking the client to notice five things in the room to help the nervous system register safety, and grounding exercises, such as focusing on the feet and chair for support, pressing feet gently into the floor, and tracking sensations in the chest. Client responded by taking deep breaths, with visible relaxation such as lowered shoulders. The goal was to build tolerance for these sensations without overwhelm. By the end of the session, client reported feeling a little less stuck in the sensations. Homework assigned is to practice orienting and grounding exercises daily, particularly when noticing body-based cues of threat. The next session is scheduled for next week to continue building the client's capacity to stay present with these sensations safely.
SIMPLE Note Example
Somatic Trauma Therapy
Client explored body-based trauma responses and practiced nervous system regulation and grounding techniques.
Generated SIMPLE Note:
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Client Session Summary:
Here's the summary of this client session. Remember, Quill does not record the client session. A therapist would provide a summary (like the one below) after the session is over, and then Quill would generate a note similar to the one above.
We had a 50-minute office session today. Alicia came in and right away I could see she was holding a lot of tension, shoulders up, arms crossed tight. She said she's been noticing that whenever certain topics come up, even just in passing, her body reacts before her mind does. She said quote 'I don't even have to think about the details, my chest just gets tight and I can't breathe right' unquote. She described this sense of threat that shows up in her body, tight chest, shallow breathing, sometimes her hands start shaking, even when she's not consciously thinking about the trauma.
We talked about how the body holds onto trauma, and how those sensations are the nervous system's way of trying to protect her, even when there's no actual danger in the present. I explained that we don't need to go into the details of what happened, we can work with what's happening right now in her body. We started with some gentle orienting, I asked her to look around the room and notice five things she could see, just to help her nervous system register that she's safe here in this moment. She took a few deep breaths and her shoulders started to drop a little.
Then we did some grounding work. I guided her to notice her feet on the floor, the chair supporting her, and to press her feet down gently and feel that solid contact. We went slow, checking in with her sensations as we went. Whenever she noticed her chest getting tight, we paused and just tracked it, where exactly is it, does it have a shape, does it change when you breathe into it. The goal was just to build her tolerance for those sensations without getting overwhelmed. By the end of the session, she said she felt a little less stuck in it. Her homework is to practice that orienting and grounding exercise once a day, especially if she notices those body-based cues of threat coming up. We'll meet again next week and keep building her capacity to stay present with those sensations safely.
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