Waking the Tiger

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma

By Peter A. Levine Ph.D., North Atlantic Books, Berkeley

My deep insight about the book

 By Sadia Wali

“If you are experiencing strange symptoms that no one seems to be able to explain, they could be arising from a traumatic reaction to a past event that you may not even remember. You are not alone. You are not crazy. There is a rational explanation for what is happening to you. You have not been irreversibly damaged, and it is possible to diminish or even eliminate your symptoms. Psychology traditionally approaches trauma through its effects on the mind. This is at best only half the story and a wholly inadequate one. Without the body and mind accessed together as a unit, we will not be able to deeply understand or heal trauma.”

As I began reading this fascinating book of personal development, I developed deep understanding of human state of mind. How the real causes of traumatic stress disorder affect our thinking, behavior and emotions. The author, Peter Levine is well known for his work with trauma and the common physiology with animals. There are various ways of healing the traumas.  The psychiatric and psychological methods, mythology and spirituality help to master the traumas of our life.  Peter Levine focuses on the process of what happens when we experience trauma in an extremely engaging way.

Section One of this book introduces trauma and explains how post-traumatic symptoms begin, develop, and why they are so compelling and persistent. Section Two describes symptoms of trauma and the core elements of a traumatic reaction. Section Three defines the process by which we can transform our traumas, personal and social. Section Four provides practical information to help prevent trauma from developing after an accident.

By providing the examples of animals, the author makes us understand the human physiological mechanism. It is essential to study wild animal behavior as to understand the concept of healing human trauma.  Take the example of cheetah or animals like the agile which uses its survival instincts for self-protection, human mind on the contrary becomes confuse and perplex when encountering complex personal or social traumas .As we mostly fail to handle traumas and hence, the traumatic symptoms severely  affect our mind.

The author claims that people are often traumatized by seemingly ordinary experiences. As Peter A. Levine believes, “We must discover why we are suffering. We must cultivate the courage to look deeply, with clarity and courage, into our own suffering.”  Consequently, our suffering is a result of the effects of the past events on our present. Traumas persist in the body in form of energy cause a wide variety of symptoms e.g. anxiety, depression and psychosomatic and
 behavioral problems. It traps the nervous system and severely damages our 
bodies and spirits. As he articulates, “The paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect”.

As the author elucidates, “When a person is exposed to overwhelming stress, threat or injury, they develop a procedural memory. Trauma occurs when these implicit procedures are not neutralized. The failure to restore homeostasis is at the basis for the maladaptive and debilitating symptoms of trauma.”

The book describes the healing process and prevention is the best possible solution to treat the traumas. It requires an individual’s will and consciousness. According to the author, we cannot control or change things that have had happened in the past.  Peter A. Levine says, “I believe not only that trauma is curable, but that the healing process can be a catalyst for profound awakening—a portal opening to emotional and genuine spiritual transformation. I have little doubt that as individuals, families, communities, and even nations, we have the capacity to learn how to heal and prevent much of the damage done by trauma.”

Alice Miller says, “Genuine feelings cannot be produced, nor can they be eradicated. We can only repress them, delude ourselves, and deceive our bodies. The body sticks to the facts.”

When we have identified the cause of our suffering, we must find an appropriate path, we need to move on and recognize the threatening potentials of the traumas. We should seek professional help that will provide assistance to fight with traumas of life.

“Trauma is another way to install a new behavior. We learn things instantly all the time.” — Karen Hand, Magic Words and Language Patterns: The Hypnotist's Essential Guide to Crafting Irresistible Suggestions (Handbook for Scriptless Hypnosis)

The book elucidates how the most common psychological traumas affect infants, young children and adults. Parents should observe unusual behaviors of their children if they undergo a frightening incident. Signs of traumatic stress include regression to earlier behaviors, hyperactivity, stomach aches, headaches, excessive shyness, and recurring nightmares. This indicates that a child is traumatized.

The book employs a series of exercises that help us focus on bodily sensations. The purpose of these exercises is to facilitate the resolution of the trauma. The creative healing process can be blocked in a number of ways—by using drugs to suppress symptoms, by overemphasizing adjustment or exercising self-control.

The book helps us to transform ourselves by developing our innate capacity to identify the causes of  trauma, heal and respond respectively. The personal development guide is helpful for those who have been traumatized; the readers instead of re-experiencing the pain will search for renewal and healing.