Part of the Casswiki article series Books
In An Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness is a book by Peter A. Levine, first published in 2010. It explores the physiological basis of trauma and a body-centered method of recovery. The theory is based on neuroscience and behavioral studies, and the practice (called Somatic Experiencing) on clinical experience.
While dealing with trauma through intellectual and emotional exploration can make a difference, involving the body is a powerful approach often overlooked. This is an important book, both for understanding trauma and how it might be healed, and because it gives the knowledge of prevention: how to avoid becoming traumatized by overwhelming experiences of the future.
This kind of information ties into and complements that found in the ‘Narcissism “big five”’ psychology books, in providing an understanding of trauma and how it affects the nervous system – and through the nervous system, the entire body.
External links
- Cassiopaea Forum: In An Unspoken Voice – Peter Levine (Review, summary, and discussion.)
- Trauma, Somatic Experiencing and Peter A. Levine PhD (Levine describes the effects of trauma on the nervous system using his “Slinky” metaphor. He also conveys his approach to treating trauma, which involves very gradually releasing – or ‘titrating’ – the compressed fight-or-flight energy, giving the individual the ability to reintegrate it back into the nervous system.)
- Rebounding from Trauma with Peter Levine (Levine discusses his online course “Healing Trauma”, which offers students tools to rebound from the effects of trauma and to come back into life through a reconnection with our body and our sensations and feelings. He also shares the inspirational story of one of his first patients.)