37 Quotes by Peter A. Levine

Trauma is hell on earth. Trauma resolved is a gift from the gods.

The body has been designed to renew itself through continuous self-correction. These same principles also apply to the healing of psyche, spirit, and soul.

Some things must be dealt with at the roots. Trauma is one of these things.

Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.

Animals do not view freezing as a sign of inadequacy or weakness, nor should we.

Getraumatiseerde individuen zitten tussen de wal en het schip, gevangen in het slechtste van twee werelden. Op het ene moment worden ze overspoeld door dwingende emoties als verschrikking, woede en schaamte, het andere moment zijn ze afgesloten van alles, vervreemd van een op het gevoel gebaseerde instinctieve gronding. Het gevolg is dat ze niet ervaren dat het leven zin heeft en geen koers kunnen uitzetten.

When people have been traumatized, they are stuck in paralysis-the immobility reaction or abrupt explosions of rage.

Trauma has become so commonplace that most people don’t even recognize its presence. It affects everyone. Each of us has had a traumatic experience at some point in our lives, regardless of whether it left us with an obvious case of post-traumatic stress. Because trauma symptoms can remain hidden for years after a triggering event, some of us who have been traumatized are not yet symptomatic.

To experience embodied awareness, take notice of the underlying sensations that actually inform you about how you feel. If you were to be asked how you feel when you are stressed or in pain, a common answer might be, “I feel anxious” or “I feel upset.” It’s important to go further by becoming curious about how you know that you’re feeling anxious or upset. Is there a tightness or burning that is happening right now inside of you that you are labeling “anxiety” or “upset”?