I <3 Peter Levine
Trauma, healing, and the body
Friends, what is it about our bodies? How about all the time we waste criticizing how they act, look, or even feel? These questions haunt me, and I’m relieved when I engage with the works of Tara Brach, Sharon Stanley, or Emily Nagoski. Similarly, Peter Levine’s approach is one that he refers to as “bottom up”… in other words, we get to stop judging or even thinking about having a body. Instead, we can make use of the instrument we are born into (without even needing to evaluate what we are healing from). Though he’s been around since the 70s, I still consider him radically subversive.
For example, I recently learned that Levine helped a US veteran named Ray, who was dealing with involuntary twitches during the day, nightmares while sleeping, and other distractions that were affecting his quality of life, big time. After a handful of sessions, Ray was able to see improvement toward physical healing AND joy, even with his severe physical and mental trauma. Below, check out the steps that summarize Levine’s approach. You might even pick one to discuss or try out for yourself. After all, if he can support someone who faced explosives during his service..
Grounding: Feel the physical connection of your body to the chair or feet to the floor to create a sense of safety and presence.
Orientation: Slowly scan your environment, allowing your eyes to rest on neutral or pleasant objects to calm your nervous system.
Resourcing: Identify a memory, person, or place that makes you feel safe and strong. Tap into the sensations of this secure resource.
Titration: Dealing with traumatic stress in small doses can prevent retraumatization.
Pendulation: Shifting attention between a tense/discomforted area of the body and a comfortable/neutral area can help the nervous system return to balance.
Sensation Tracking: Observing physical sensations (tightness, tingling, warmth) without trying to change them often leads to an energy release.
Self-Soothing Touch/Containment: Placing a hand on your heart or belly, or hugging yourself, to provide comfort.
Discharge/Release: Allowing the body to release stored tension through shaking, trembling, taking deep breaths, or crying. Levine compares this to animals that behave similarly when observed in their natural habitat.
Many thanks for reading; I much appreciate you being here. :)
xo