Waking the Tiger (1997) offers an enlightening perspective on Trauma by exploring the dynamics that make wild animals virtually immune to traumatic symptoms. Using this knowledge, it then provides a pathway to healing through exercises that focus on bodily sensations.

Introduction: Learn how to release yourself from trauma.

Trauma touches us all. Whether it arises from an accident, illness, or even everyday stress, traumatic events can shatter our sense of safety and leave us struggling with bewildering symptoms.

Yet there’s some surprising wisdom available that we can draw on to heal and free ourselves from trauma. This wisdom comes, of all places, from the animal kingdom.

In this Blink, we’ll explore some basic somatic techniques that you can use to start releasing pent-up energies, help restore resilience, and reclaim a sense of vibrancy and meaning. These techniques offer a path to befriend your inner bodily experiences, and undo the imprints of trauma.

Keep in mind that this Blink isn’t meant to replace support from a trained professional. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or have thoughts of self harm, please reach out to a doctor, a mental health professional or a support line, to access help and care.

Now, let’s get started on your journey to healing.

Stress, animals, and the body

An abusive childhood, a violent assault, a car accident – trauma can arise from many different sources. But despite this, it leaves similar scars – scars that can be debilitating, even when they’re invisible.

Trauma causes a range of physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms. These can include anxiety, depression, and flashbacks. They can also extend to many other kinds of symptoms, like sleeping problems, chronic pain, dissociation or “spaciness,” and somatic illness – meaning an illness that specifically affects the body physically, rather than the mind.

Although it’s easy to feel isolated if you’ve experienced trauma, you’re far from alone. Nearly everyone encounters it, in some form, throughout life. But what exactly is trauma? And why does it leave such a lasting impact on our lives?

A fascinating clue can be found in the biology and behavior of wild animals. Wild animals face constant threats and dangers – from predation, injury, the elements, and starvation, among other things. And yet, curiously, wild animals rarely suffer from trauma, as humans do.

Why is that? How do wild animals manage to survive – and even thrive – in the face of extreme adversity, while we humans struggle so much, and for so long, in the aftermath of traumatic events? What can we learn from them?

To answer these questions, we need to understand how animals – human and non-human animals alike – respond to danger.

When we face a challenge or threat, the stress response is our body’s natural way of preparing us for action. The stress response involves a series of physiological changes: our heart beats faster, our breathing accelerates, our muscles tense, and we become hyper-alert to our surroundings. These changes help us mobilize our body’s resources and energy to deal with a threat. As we’ll see, this build up of energy can be implicated in trauma.

We often hear about the fight or flight response. Faced with a terrifying threat, animals can either fight back aggressively or run away as fast as they can. However, sometimes we face a situation that is too overwhelming, or hopeless, for us to fight or flee. In this case, we experience what’s called the freeze response. When neither fight or flight will ensure survival, we will simply become immobile. This immobility response involves a dramatic drop in our heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle tone.

It may seem counterintuitive, but freezing is a smart, albeit last-ditch, part of an animal’s overall survival strategy. An impala playing dead, for instance, might convince a cheetah to stop its attack, buying precious time to escape.

Freeze also helps us cope with extreme stress by shutting down parts of our awareness. In a freeze state we may feel numb, detached, or faint. This is the body’s way of protecting us from suffering, by dissociating us from our bodies and from an awful situation that we cannot escape.

But there’s a drawback here. As we explored, the stress response involves a huge build up of energy. Either fighting back or running away allows us to discharge this excess energy, so we can return to a normal state of calmness afterwards. But – on its own – the freeze response doesn’t. So what do animals do, after they freeze?

Let’s say, for instance, a polar bear is shot with a tranquilizer dart after a stressful chase. As it wakes from anesthesia, it will go through an extended period of shaking and trembling, before returning to normal. This is typical. Animals instinctively discharge the compressed energy mobilized during a threat, through shaking, trembling, sweating, and other physiological responses. Thus animals return their bodies to equilibrium, balance, and calm – preventing traumatic symptoms from developing.

Unfortunately when humans freeze, we often fail to complete this cycle of stress response. Our faculties of higher cognition, helpful as they are, can distract us from being aware of the bodily sensations associated with this built-up energy. Our social conditioning, too, often leads us to control our behavior, trying to stoically “hold ourselves together” – instead of letting the energy stored in our body run its course and release itself.

As a consequence, we store this unreleased energy in our nervous system and body tissues. This creates a state of unresolved stress that can affect us for years or even decades.

This “stuck” energy – what we call trauma – affects our nervous system and brain in profound ways. It can hold us in a state of either hyperarousal or hypoarousal. Hyperarousal is when we are constantly on edge, anxious, restless, irritable, or angry. Hypoarousal is when we are chronically depressed, lethargic, or numb. Both states are unhealthy and prevent us from living fully and authentically.

Trauma also affects our brain structure and function, impairing parts of the brain that are responsible for memory, emotion regulation, executive function, and social cognition. It creates neural pathways that reinforce fear, helplessness, and avoidance, while impairing our ability to integrate different aspects of our experience, such as thoughts, feelings, images, and actions.

A further effect of trauma is that of dissociation: a split between body and mind. The state of dissociation connected with freeze – one designed to protect us from overwhelming feelings – may become chronic. When this happens, we lose touch with our bodily sensations, feelings, and intuition – our “felt sense” of being ourselves in the world. Tragically, this partially robs us of our sense of meaning and purpose in life.

So how, then, do we heal ourselves? How do we come back into our bodies, release this stuck energy, and return to balance and vibrancy?

Coming back to the body

How do we help heal the wounds that trauma leaves? The answer is through the body.

Our bodies remember and hold trauma, even when our minds try to forget. Somatic experiencing techniques offer a compassionate way to befriend our inner bodily experiences, and offer a path to help unravel traumatic energies locked in the nervous system and restore a sense of safety in our own skin.

Please note that, while somatic techniques can aid trauma recovery, they may also initially trigger difficult sensations or emotions. Proceed very gently and stop if you feel overwhelmed. If you get consistently stuck or distressed, please seek support from a trained professional. Remember to move at your own pace – healing can’t be rushed.

Some of the core practices of somatic experiencing include grounding, titration, pendulation, and discharge. We’ll expand on these a little in a moment. While these somatic experiencing techniques are all different, they have some things in common. First, they involve working with bodily sensations. While talk therapy has its place, somatic experiencing – as the name implies – takes bodily sensations as central. Second, the techniques work by a process of blending – first creating inner resources that help the participant stay grounded and balanced, and then, gradually introducing manageable amounts of a difficult stimulus.

Grounding practices bring awareness to the present moment through the senses, rather than being overwhelmed by past or imagined events. Noticing the details of physical sensations, smells or sounds can help anchor someone in the here and now. This grounding in the body becomes an essential resource in healing trauma.

Titration, on the other hand, is about introducing a small, manageable amount of a stressor – providing carefully regulated exposure to traumatic material, so that the nervous system isn’t flooded and overwhelmed.

Pendulation is about alternating between grounding in the body and small, “titrated” amounts of traumatic material, gently swinging back and forth between zones of ease and zones of manageable discomfort.

Discharge refers to releasing pent-up energies locked in the body through shaking, stretching, or sounds.

While we don’t have space in this Blink to look at all of these techniques in detail, let’s explore two simple ones you can use to get started along your path to healing.

Getting in touch with the felt sense

Somatic experiencing techniques often involve bodily sensation and accessing what’s called the felt sense. The felt sense is a term coined by psychologist Eugene Gendlin to describe the subtle, holistic bodily awareness of a particular issue or situation. The felt sense is like an intuitive, pre-verbal sense of something that is experienced in the body but not yet clearly conceptualized. The notion is a bit abstract, but think of it as the sum total of everything that it’s like to be you, as you experience something in a particular moment. Our felt sense is always present, and it continually shifts and transforms, like a stream winding through different terrain, resonating with our inner and outer environments.

The felt sense is like the portal through which old traumatic energies are released. Often there are nascent or unclear felt sensations associated with a traumatic experience. By developing curiosity about these sensations and exploring them slowly, you can start to digest and transform your trauma from the bottom up.

To begin building your awareness of the felt sense, here’s a simple exercise. Find a Book or magazine with plenty of pictures – something like a travel book or coffee table book is perfect. Sit somewhere comfortable and take several deep breaths. Long, slow exhales through the nose will help you relax and bring you into your body. Feel the sensations in your legs, your feet, and the seat beneath you. Notice any other sensations in your body – tightness, relaxation, warmth, coolness – just any and all sensations you can detect. Next, look at the first photograph. Observe your response to it – do you like it? Dislike it? Feel neutral about it? Does it evoke sensations of beauty, calm, curiosity, joy, sadness or something else? You may have more than one reaction at a time.

Now ask yourself: how do I know this is my response? See if you can identify the subtle bodily sensations that accompany viewing the image. The sum total of your reaction – the sense of “what it’s like” to be experiencing the picture – is the felt sense.

Attend to these sensations for a few minutes – do they morph, disappear, intensify or shift? However they move, just notice with curiosity. If any discomfort arises, gently redirect your attention somewhere else until you relax. When you’re ready, move on to another picture and repeat the sensing process. How do things change? You can repeat the exercise using different pictures for as long as you like, tuning in to how your felt sense shifts.

Once you’ve gained some experience in relaxing, observing, and accessing the felt sense, you can move on to the next exercise when you feel ready. In this exercise, you’ll work with more challenging sensations. If you start to feel overwhelmed, you should slow down, and consider seeking the support of a trained professional.

For this second exercise, you’ll need a notebook, a pen, and something to measure time – a digital stopwatch or the clock app on your phone. Start, as before, sitting somewhere comfortable, and begin to relax with some slow breathing. Again, feel your body, noting any and all individual sensations that you can detect, as well as how everything feels together as a whole.

Next, imagine a fear-provoking situation – an engine failure during flight, a threatening person on the street, or a near-accident while driving. If you feel safe to continue, imagine yourself in this frightening scenario. Feel what it’s like vividly, while doing your best to maintain the full bodily awareness that you started with. How do your body sensations change as you picture yourself in the scenario? Does your breathing alter? Do you feel any sensations of tightening, constricting, or loosening? Is there a change in the sensation of temperature? Your posture? In any part of your body? Write down these sensations in your notebook.

Now, make a note of the time elapsed since you started the exercise, then begin to relax again. Let the scenario go, and come back to the room as it is. Allow your body to return to the balance and comfort that you started with – and feel into what it’s like to be in this relaxed state once again. When you’ve fully returned, make a note of the time again. That’s it. You can repeat the process, imagining different scenarios, observing the changes in the felt sense, and noting the elapsed time.

While they may seem simple, practices like these will help you gradually regain control of trauma responses. By keeping your awareness open to the felt sense here and now, and attending to the full variety of bodily sensations available to you, you are training your body out of the automatic dissociation that accompanies a stuck “freeze” response. And by practicing the act of voluntarily relaxing, you’re showing your nervous system that you can manage the stressors without becoming overwhelmed.

They can be subtle and challenging, but mastering these somatic skills are steps along the path to digesting and resolving traumatic experiences.

Conclusion

Trauma imprints itself deeply in our nervous system and physiology. But we can loosen its grip. We’ve seen that wild animals have a way out of trauma: using direct contact with bodily sensations to discharge and release pent-up energies.

By accessing the felt sense, and using it as a grounding resource, we can gently blend in small, manageable amounts of stress. This will allow us to befriend our inner bodily experiences with curiosity and compassion, and restore the nervous system’s capacity for regulation. In doing so, we repattern neural pathways of fear and dissociation into ones of groundedness and integration.

Like the animals, vibrant aliveness is our birthright. Through resolving our trauma with somatic techniques, we can come home to our natural state of ease, joy, and flow.

About the Author

Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick

Genres

Psychology, Nature and the Environment

Review 1

“Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” by Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick is a remarkable exploration of the realm of human trauma and the various healing methods we can utilize to overcome it. The central thesis revolves around the idea that the human body is inherently capable of healing trauma, much like it heals physical wounds.

Levine argues that trauma is not necessarily rooted in the mind nor psychological in nature, but instead, is often stored in the body. Animals in the wild, he points out, can shake off the impact of traumatic events because their bodies naturally discharge the excessive energy right after the event. Unfortunately, humans have lost touch with these instinctual reactions due to societal norms, leading to both physical and emotional imbalances.

“Waking the Tiger” presents simple, practical techniques to integrate these natural healing responses and to release traumatic energy. By increasing body awareness, the reader is encouraged to sense the physiological cues accompanying stressful events, and to promote somatic healing.

Levine also introduces the concept of Somatic Experiencing, a body-oriented approach to healing trauma and other stress disorders. It’s a process that aims to restore the balance in our nervous system and reintegrate it with the rest of the body.

Review:
“Waking the Tiger” is a groundbreaking book that is both informative and practical. It offers a fresh perspective on trauma, challenging traditional therapy methods while offering a more physiological approach. Levine’s writing style is accessible, making complex physiological and psychological concepts easy to digest. Furthermore, the numerous real-life case studies illustrate the benefits of Levine’s Somatic Experiencing approach effectively. While some readers may find the material rather challenging to implement independently, the tools provided are undeniably beneficial when incorporated under the guidance of a trained professional. The book might resonate particularly with those who have experienced trauma or professionals in trauma recovery fields. Overall, this is a book worth considering for its innovative and insightful exploration of healing trauma.

Review 2

Waking the Tiger is a book about trauma and healing, based on the work of somatic experiencing (SE) therapist Peter A. Levine. Levine argues that trauma is not a mental illness, but rather a physical response to overwhelming stress. When we experience trauma, our bodies go into a fight, flight, or freeze response. If we are unable to complete this response, the energy from the trauma gets trapped in our nervous system. This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, flashbacks, and nightmares.

Levine’s SE approach to healing trauma focuses on helping people to complete the fight, flight, or freeze response. This is done by paying attention to bodily sensations and gradually releasing the trapped energy. SE is a gentle and non-invasive approach that can be used to heal trauma of all kinds, from childhood abuse to war-related PTSD.

Review of Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma

Waking the Tiger is a groundbreaking book that offers a new and hopeful way to understand and heal trauma. Levine’s writing is clear and easy to understand, and he provides a wealth of information about trauma and the SE approach to healing.

One of the things that I appreciate most about Waking the Tiger is that it normalizes the symptoms of trauma. Levine explains that trauma is a natural response to an unnatural event, and that the symptoms of trauma are a sign that our bodies are trying to heal. This can be very reassuring for people who are struggling with the effects of trauma.

Another thing that I like about Waking the Tiger is that it offers practical exercises that people can do to start healing their trauma. Levine’s exercises are gentle and non-invasive, and they can be done at home.

Overall, I highly recommend Waking the Tiger to anyone who is struggling with trauma, or who wants to learn more about the SE approach to healing. It is a well-written and informative book that offers hope and healing.

Additional thoughts

Waking the Tiger is a classic book on trauma healing, and it has been praised by many therapists and trauma survivors alike. However, it is important to note that SE is not the only approach to trauma healing, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is important to find an approach that works for you and to work with a qualified therapist.

Review 3

Summary:

“Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” is a groundbreaking book written by Peter A. Levine, a renowned expert in the field of trauma healing, in collaboration with Ann Frederick. The book delves into the profound impact of trauma on the mind and body and offers a comprehensive approach to healing and resolving past traumatic experiences.

Levine’s central thesis is that trauma is not solely a psychological issue but also a bodily one. He explores the idea that trauma is stored in the nervous system and can manifest in various physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Drawing from his extensive research and clinical experience, Levine presents a unique perspective on trauma and provides practical tools for individuals to heal and regain control over their lives.

The book begins by describing the stress response in animals and how they naturally discharge excess energy after a traumatic event. Levine argues that humans have a similar capacity for self-regulation, but modern society often interferes with this natural healing process. He introduces the concept of the “trauma vortex,” which represents the cycle of trauma symptoms and the potential for resolution.

Levine explores various types of traumas, including shock trauma, developmental trauma, and complex trauma. He emphasizes the importance of understanding how trauma impacts the body and how unresolved trauma can lead to chronic physical and emotional conditions. The book also highlights the body’s innate wisdom and its ability to heal when given the right conditions.

Using real-life case studies and anecdotes, Levine illustrates his therapeutic approach called Somatic Experiencing (SE). SE focuses on accessing and releasing the trapped energy associated with trauma, allowing individuals to complete the unprocessed fight, flight, or freeze responses. The book provides practical exercises and techniques that readers can use to engage with their own trauma healing journey.

Review:

“Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” is a thought-provoking and insightful book that offers a fresh perspective on trauma and its impact on the mind and body. Peter A. Levine’s expertise in the field of trauma therapy shines through his clear and compassionate writing style. The book is highly accessible to both professionals and laypeople, making complex concepts understandable and relatable.

One of the book’s strengths is its emphasis on the body’s role in trauma healing. Levine’s approach challenges the traditional view of trauma as a purely psychological issue by highlighting the importance of somatic experiencing. By exploring the physiological aspects of trauma, readers gain a deeper understanding of their own experiences and how trauma manifests in their bodies.

The inclusion of real-life case studies adds depth and authenticity to the book, allowing readers to connect with the stories of individuals who have experienced trauma and found healing through the principles outlined by Levine. The practical exercises and techniques provided throughout the book empower readers to actively engage in their own healing process.

While “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” offers valuable insights and tools, it is important to note that it does not replace professional therapy or medical advice. It is recommended that individuals seeking trauma healing consult with qualified professionals who can provide personalized guidance and support.

Overall, “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” is a remarkable book that sheds light on the complex nature of trauma and offers a holistic approach to healing. It is a must-read for anyone interested in trauma therapy, self-help, or personal growth.

Review 4

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma is a book by Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick that explores the nature and effects of trauma on the human body and mind. The book draws on the author’s extensive experience as a therapist and researcher in the field of somatic psychology, as well as his personal encounter with a traumatic event. The book argues that trauma is not a disease or a disorder, but a natural response to overwhelming situations that can be healed by accessing the innate wisdom of the body. The book introduces the concept of “somatic experiencing”, a method of therapy that helps clients release the trapped energy of trauma and restore their natural balance and vitality. The book also offers practical exercises and techniques for self-help and prevention of trauma-related problems.

The book is divided into four parts: Part One explains the basic principles of trauma and somatic experiencing, Part Two describes the symptoms and stages of trauma, Part Three explores the sources and effects of trauma in different contexts, such as childhood, war, accidents, and natural disasters, and Part Four provides guidance for healing and recovery from trauma. The book is written in a clear and engaging style, with many case studies and examples that illustrate the author’s points. The book is not only informative, but also inspiring and empowering, as it shows how trauma can be transformed into a source of strength and resilience. The book is suitable for anyone who has experienced or witnessed trauma, as well as for professionals who work with trauma survivors. The book is a valuable resource for understanding and healing from trauma, as well as for preventing its negative consequences.

Review 5

“Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” by Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick is a groundbreaking book that delves into the complex topic of trauma and offers practical insights and techniques for healing. The book emphasizes the connection between the mind and body in trauma recovery and explores how unresolved trauma can manifest in physical symptoms and emotional distress.

Levine and Frederick introduce the concept of the “trauma vortex,” which refers to the cycle of traumatic experiences getting trapped in the body and causing ongoing distress. They argue that by understanding and addressing the physiological responses to trauma, individuals can break free from this cycle and achieve healing.

The authors draw on their extensive experience in the field of trauma therapy to provide a comprehensive overview of various therapeutic approaches. They discuss the importance of somatic experiencing, a method that focuses on bodily sensations and helps individuals release stored trauma energy. Through case studies and practical exercises, Levine and Frederick guide readers in applying these techniques to their own healing journey.

One of the key strengths of this book is its ability to explain complex concepts in a clear and accessible manner. The authors use real-life examples and anecdotes to illustrate their points, making the material relatable and engaging. They also emphasize the importance of self-compassion and self-care throughout the healing process.

“Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” is a valuable resource for both professionals working in the field of trauma therapy and individuals seeking to understand and overcome their own traumatic experiences. It offers a holistic approach to healing that integrates the mind, body, and spirit, providing readers with practical tools and empowering them to reclaim their lives from the grip of trauma.

Overall, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in trauma recovery and seeking a comprehensive understanding of the healing process. Levine and Frederick’s expertise and compassionate approach make “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” an invaluable resource in the field of trauma therapy.

Review 6

I have read the book [Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma] by [Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick] and I will provide you with a summary and review of it.

Summary:

The book is about how trauma affects the human body and mind, and how to heal from it using a somatic experiencing approach. The author, Peter A. Levine, is a therapist and a researcher who has studied the effects of stress and trauma on animals and humans for over 40 years. He argues that trauma is not caused by the external event itself, but by the inability to complete the natural response cycle of fight, flight, or freeze. When a person is overwhelmed by a threatening situation, they may freeze or dissociate, which prevents them from releasing the excess energy that is stored in their nervous system. This energy then remains trapped in the body, causing various symptoms such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, nightmares, flashbacks, and more.

Levine proposes that the key to healing trauma is to help the person access and release this energy in a safe and gradual way, by tuning into their bodily sensations and emotions. He calls this process somatic experiencing, which is a form of therapy that he developed and teaches. He explains the principles and techniques of somatic experiencing in detail, using case examples and exercises to illustrate his points. He also provides a historical and scientific background for his approach, drawing from his observations of animals in the wild, his knowledge of physiology and neuroscience, and his personal experience of healing from a car accident.

Review:

I found the book to be very informative and insightful, as it offers a new and hopeful perspective on trauma and its treatment. Levine writes in a clear and engaging style, using stories and metaphors to make his ideas accessible and relatable. He also provides practical tools and exercises that can help anyone who has experienced trauma or wants to help someone who has. I especially liked his emphasis on the innate wisdom and resilience of the human body and mind, and how he encourages the reader to trust their own inner healing process.

The book is not without its limitations, however. Some of the concepts and terms that Levine uses may be unfamiliar or confusing to some readers, such as “energy”, “charge”, “discharge”, “pendulation”, “coupling”, “uncoupling”, “titration”, “containment”, “resourcing”, etc. He does explain what they mean, but sometimes he uses them interchangeably or without enough examples. Also, some of the exercises that he suggests may be difficult or uncomfortable to do alone or without guidance from a professional therapist. For example, he advises the reader to explore their traumatic memories or sensations slowly and gently, but he does not provide much instruction on how to do so safely or what to do if they encounter overwhelming emotions or reactions.

Overall, I think the book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about trauma and how to heal from it. It is based on decades of research and clinical experience, and it offers a holistic and compassionate approach that respects the individuality and dignity of each person. It also challenges some of the conventional views and methods of treating trauma, such as medication, exposure therapy, or cognitive-behavioral therapy. It invites the reader to consider a different way of understanding and working with trauma, one that focuses on the body as the healer rather than the victim.