Founded by Peter A Levine, PhD

Ergos Institute of Somatic Education

The Ergos Institute of Somatic Education, founded by Dr. Peter Levine, is dedicated to advancing Somatic Experiencing® principles through body-based healing programs. Offered both in-person and online, these programs support people in healing trauma and stress, building resilience, and reconnecting with their authentic selves.

Ergos Institute

Founded in 1972 by Peter A Levine, Ph.D., the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education is the leading Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) provider of SE Master Classes, Public Programming, and Community Outreach.

Dr. Levine, the Developer of Somatic Experiencing, is the President and Lead Faculty member, accompanied by an esteemed SE Faculty and a host of dedicated SE Practitioner Facilitators and Master Level Assistants.

The Ergos team delivers SE Master Classes, Case Consultations, Public Workshops, Immersive Retreats, Community Health Programs, and participates in Psychotherapy Conferences, Webinars, and Podcasts worldwide.

Our sister organization, Somatic Experiencing International (SEI), founded by Dr. Levine, provides the Somatic Experiencing Professional Certificate Training - learn more about SEI.

What does Ergos mean?

While working on starting a non-profit in British Columbia in 1972, Dr. Levine had a dream where the word ERGOS appeared in bright neon letters. Feeling the deep significance of the word in the morning, he noted that ERG is the unit of energy, EROS means love, and ERGO is therefore. ERGOS means to Peter that Love, Work, and Understanding should be the wellsprings of life, and they should also govern it.

This is the path we walk.

In the words of Wilhelm Reich, Love, work, and knowledge should be the wellspring of our life, they should also govern it.

Peter A Levine, PhD

Ergos Owner & Lead Faculty
Encinitas, CA
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Melissa Stager, SEP, MBA

Managing Director & Program Development
Vista, California
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Sherri Pula

Program Coordinator
Peterborough, Ontario, CA
Dave Berger, MFT, PT, LCMHC, MA, SEP

Ergos SE™ Master Class Faculty
Berkeley, CA
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Ursula Funke-Kaiser

Ergos SE™ Master Class Faculty
Stuttgart, Germany
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Ian Macnaughton, PhD

Ergos SE™ Master Class Faculty
Vancouver, BC
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Euphrasia (Éfu) Nyaki, SEP

Ergos SE™ Master Class Faculty
Brazil
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Joshua Sylvae, PhD

Ergos SE™ Master Class Faculty
Portland, OR
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Barbara Collier, LPC

Ergos Public Workshop Instructor
Tucson, AZ
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Betsy Polatin MFA, SEP, AmSAT

Ergos Public Workshop Instructor
Los Angeles, CA
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Julie Macias

Personal Assistant to Dr Levine
Carlsbad, California