Somatic psychology legend Dr. Peter Levine joins Dr. Rick and Forrest to explore how we can use body-based approaches to recover from traumatic experiences. Peter uses his personal history with trauma to illustrate the practices he’s taught to thousands of people through his work. They discuss the importance of resourcing experiences, creating safety, developing interoception, abandonment wounds, bringing a diverse perspective to somatic work, and working with shame.
Please be aware that this episode includes a description of sexual assault.
About our Guest: Dr. Peter Levine is the creator of Somatic Experiencing and the Founder and President of the Ergos Institute for Somatic Education. He’s taught at a number of universities, has received Lifetime Achievement awards from numerous organizations, and is the best-selling author of several books, including Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma, and his most recent book An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
2:15: Peter’s dream about publishing his recent book
6:40: Themes connecting the personal and professional for Peter
10:15: Physicalization, pendulation, and decontextualization of trauma
16:15: Presence with others, and moving gently into shame to move through it
20:55: The fundamental view that we our innately healthy, and completing the arc
23:05: When the prompt “feel it in your body” doesn’t work
28:15: Advice for when you don’t have access to therapy or a SEP practitioner
30:35: Tenderness
34:30: Anchoring in the here and now when accessing past memories
39:35: Conceiving of yourself as a source of safety
43:30: Generating your own internal wellbeing
46:20: Acknowledging the reality of your history, patience, and completion
49:45: Living by dying
52:15: Recap
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Forrest is now writing on Substack, check out his work there.
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