Working with What the Body Knows: Introduction to Somatic Experiencing®
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Peter Levine makes the case that when there’s unresolved trauma, a somatic approach is the necessary place to begin. He supports that position scientifically, reviewing trauma’s recognized dis-regulating impact on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and explaining that the body must first discharge stress and tension resulting from any trauma before the ANS can return to homeostasis. Only then is the client able to be fully present for other therapeutic interventions. When trauma remains unresolved, there is a repetitive cycle of stress, distress, and dis-regulation that gives rise to depression, anxiety, panic attacks, dissociation, low self-esteem and ongoing relationship and inter-personal difficulties-all common issues that bring clients into therapy. In preparation for the powerful clinical demos to follow, Peter Levine introduces some of the primary goals, insights and methods of Somatic Experiencing®.
Peter A. Levine, PhD, holds doctorates in both medical biophysics and psychology. The developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a body-awareness approach to healing trauma, and founder of the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, which conducts trainings in this work throughout the world and in various indigenous cultures, with 26 faculty members and over five thousand students. Dr. Levine was a stress consultant for NASA on the development of the space shuttle project and was a member of the Institute of World Affairs Task Force of Psychologists for Social Responsibility in developing responses to large-scale disasters and ethno-political warfare. Levine’s international best seller, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, has been translated into 22 languages. His recent interests include the prevention of trauma in children, and he has co-written two books, with Maggie Kline, in this area: Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes and Trauma-Proofing Your Kids. His most recent book: In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, was recently released to rave reviews. Levine’s original contribution to the field of Body-Psychotherapy was honored in 2010 when he received the LifeTime Achievement award from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP).
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