Waking the Tiger Within: Healing Trauma Through the Body

Course overview

Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Levine, is a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to the treatment of trauma and other stress-related disorders. SE offers a framework to assess where a person is "stuck" in the fight, flight, fawn, freeze, or collapse responses and provides clinical tools to resolve these fixated physiological states. It offers practical skills appropriate to various healing and helping professions, including medical and mental health providers, first responders, educators, and more. Trauma can result from many things, such as war and abuse, but it can also arise from a difficult birth, an automobile accident, the loss of a loved one, or even an invisible threat that stokes fear. These protective mechanisms can get stuck in the body, and many become frozen in the past, unable to be fully present in the here and now, and unable to move forward in life with ease and joy. For some, traumatic experiences may lead to chronic fear, anxiety, and depression, as well as various physical symptoms, such as chronic pain, IBS, and more. During this unique program, through personal stories and lecture, Dr. Levine will guide us in how the SE approach gently facilitates the release of thwarted survival energy bound in the body, thus addressing the root cause of trauma symptoms and allowing us and our clients to better manage stressful times without overload, burnout, or regretful transgressions.