Table 1.

Somatic Experiencing^® in online groups: Modular structure of the entry-level intervention for BC survivors.

Module	Aims	Practices and Skills
[Welcome] (1) Breathing	Developing awareness that changes in breathing are normal when we perceive an external threat. Learning strategies to calm down and send an important message to the nervous system: there is “No Danger”. Learning that the way we breathe is what makes the difference.	Conscious breathing to achieve relaxation responses in the body: inhale and exhale following the practitioner’s guidance. The ultimate goal of any breath work practice is to activate the peripheral nervous system.
(2) Grounding	Grounding practices help to connect to the present. They also allow the body to find its inner balance and to be physically and emotionally in contact with what is really happening in the “here and now” in order to:	Finding balance on your own legs, noticing how your feet make contact with the ground. Various practices can be explored, for example:
	-Feel safe in the body and trust the body’s inner wisdom; -Understand the overwhelming feelings caused by events from the past or any fear or emotions related to the future; -Learning that trauma is not in the event, but in the residual energy in the nervous system: regaining a sense of safety and discharging the energy in the body is crucial for self-regulating.	-Sitting position: pushing your hands on your knees; -Standing position: keeping your knees slightly bent with your hand pushing on them, or gently letting your body move left and right. Imagine a strong, steady tree, and stepping into this tree, where your arms become the branches, your body is the trunk of the tree, and your legs and feet become the root system: hands and arms can be along the sides of your legs and you can feel your feet on the floor.
(3) Felt-Sense	Felt-sense describes internal bodily awareness of the changes that our internal landscape goes through (i.e., senses, emotions, and feelings). It stimulates a healthy mind–body connection and helps the body to feel safe from within. Awareness is key to:	-Orienting: orienting yourself in the room and, therefore, the present and finding that it is a safe place to be; -Grounding: feeling the body weight on the chair, the back supported by it, and the legs, and make contact with your feet touching the floor; -Skin contact: touch, squeeze, pinch, and rub the skin on your hands, arms, and legs, and rub your hands together; -Movement: gently move and twirl your wrists, elbows, shoulders, and ankles, and stretch your knees to perceive where the body is in your own space; -“Butterfly Hug”: Cross your arms over your chest like you are hugging yourself. With your hands open, tap alternatively 25 times. Then, take a deep breath and see how you feel. You can repeat the tapping 2/3 times if needed.
	-Reconnecting to your body sensations and the inner gut instinct and intuition without any conscious thinking or judgement; -Learning to understand the body’s signals (e.g., an unusual feeling in the stomach or in the throat). They are physical sensations that arise in relation to an event or other circumstances (you can ask yourselves: “What do I feel?”).
(4) Movement	Learning that the body has a memory and how emotions and sensations find their way to expression. Reconnect the body to movement as the antidote to the freeze response and, therefore, immobility, and provide flexibility back to the body to relieve tension and pain. Provide the body a new experience as it can move and protect itself, and reduce, relieve, or eliminate the debilitating symptoms of trauma stuck in the body (i.e., “frozen”).	Gentle movement practices, and self-touch where the stress is stuck in the body and release the tension and pain:
		-If the pain/tension is in the chest and throat, movement can help through your arms; -If the pain/tension is in the belly, movement can help through your legs; -If the pain/tension is in the head, movement can help through your jaws, mouth, and neck.
(5) Healthy Boundaries	Gain self-awareness and establish healthy boundaries, crucial for self-care and positive relationships. Strengthen your boundary awareness by exploring the cues in your body that give you feedback about your needs or limits. Setting clear, but flexible, boundaries involves listening to and respecting your somatic cues. Strong sensations often serve as important signals that can help you to recognize what is right or wrong for you and allow you to gain a personal space where you can be confident and protect yourself (e.g., learn to say “No” when necessary).	Protect your space: Place your right hand on your left shoulder and vice versa, and feel your space. Push hands against the wall: Regain confidence about your safe space and body, and the capacity to keep the required distance in various circumstances.
(6) Self-regulation	Learn how the body is able to self-regulate and how the autonomic nervous system receives information about the body and external environment, and how it responds by stimulating body processes. Detect tension and pain as a result of negative emotions or thoughts, and relieve the stress response through self-regulation resources and techniques.	Self-regulation is when you learn and develop your own tools to calm yourself down. Self-regulation tools are taught to help you move through big emotions and feelings, and find stabilization. By recognizing the body’s signals, you can facilitate energy discharge under the practitioner’s guidance. Tune into your body through:
		-Conscious breathing; -Tapping, squeezing, self-touch; -Regulating the body before talking about what causes tension to avoid enhancing the sensation and activating it.
(7) Freeze Response	Understanding that unsolved trauma symptoms develop from the freeze response, when trapped energy does not get discharged, but is stuck in the body: e.g., dissociation or immobility (paralysis, denial), debilitating emotional states (e.g., panic attacks, hypervigilance, and impotence), and chronic fatigue. Understanding medical trauma and the best way to avoid it, especially in conditions of recurrence of the disease and during medical procedures. Learning how to heal medical trauma by adopting the right techniques and resources.	Understand what happens in the body when you experience fear or anxiety (e.g., during medical procedures), and self-regulate or prepare to reduce or avoid trauma symptoms. Understand the dilemma of rationally wanting to obtain treatment and the survival instinct that is trying to escape it. Passive acceptance to avoid medical trauma is key.
(8) Recall Session: Questions, Comments, and Conclusion [Greetings]	Discussion of key topics and allowing everybody to comment and share. Discussing changes and quality of life awareness.	Get in touch with your own body and the available resources. Share your personal inventory of resources and recognize who you can ask for help. Breathing practice.