Peter Levine - The Many Sides Of Trauma

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Jun 10, 2024

Peter Levine, a therapy legend, discusses trauma's impact on the body and demonstrates somatic exercises. The podcast explores gender differences in trauma handling and the importance of witnessing trauma for healing. They delve into mystical aspects of healing, working with anger, and the main tool for processing trauma.

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INSIGHT

Trauma As A Bodily Wound

Trauma is best understood as a bodily wound or injury, not only a brain disorder like PTSD.
Somatic patterns and symptoms can point to healing even when the original event is unknown.

ADVICE

Use Slow Body Signals To Reset Trauma

Use gentle body-based tracking to change signals from organs that perpetuate traumatic replay.
Try slow, minimal movements (e.g., tiny shoulder lifts) and paced exhalations with sound to reset nervous system messaging.

ADVICE

Simple Breath And Phrase Practice

Practice an exhale-focused breath with an 'oo' or 'voo' sound and wait for the next natural inhale.
Pair the breath with compassionate phrases to extend relaxation through the chest, belly, and shoulders.

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Talking points: trauma

This was an honor. The word trauma gets thrown around a lot these days, so it's important to get back to basics and really sink into what's going on and why. After all, this is humanity we're talking about, and we're nothing if not complex. Peter is a legend in therapy circles for his groundbreaking work in somatic education and trauma work, so we dug into many of the different (and unusual) things something like trauma brings to the table. Both Peter and I encourage you to listen WITH someone!

(00:00:00) - Peter’s definition of trauma and how it affects the body

(00:07:27) - Peter demonstrates a somatic exercise to help release trauma

(00:13:14) - Do men and women experience and handle trauma differently?

(00:21:40) - On how trauma needs witnessing to heal, and Peter’s experience with active imagination

(00:34:14) - Navigating the almost mystical side of healing

(00:39:45) - Why the tiger?

(00:43:27) - How can men work in a healthy way with anger, and how betrayal can impact how someone expresses themselves

(00:49:08) - The main tool to help process trauma

Peter A Levine, Ph.D., is the developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma, which he has developed over the past 50 years. He holds a doctorate in Biophysics from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in Psychology from International University. He is the Founder and President of the Ergos Institute for Somatic Education, dedicated to Community Outreach and Post-Advanced Somatic Experiencing® Training, and the Founder and Advisor for Somatic Experiencing International. He has taught at the University of California, Berkeley; Mills College; Antioch University; the California Institute of Integral Studies; and the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. His work has been taught to over 30,000 therapists in over 42 countries.

Dr. Levine is the author of several best-selling books on trauma, including Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma (published in over 29 languages); In an Unspoken Voice, How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness; and Trauma and Memory, Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past.

Connect with Peter

-Website: https://www.somaticexperiencing.com/

-New book: An Autobiography of Trauma: https://books.innertraditions.com/autobiography-of-trauma/

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpeteralevine/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peteralevinephd/

***

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