Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma

by Peter A. Levine

One of my clients, while working through his childhood abuse at the hands of “barrio” gang members, said it this way: “I don’t have to justify my experience with memories any more.”

If healing is what you want, your first step is to be open to the possibility that literal truth is not the most important consideration. The conviction that it really happened, the fear that it may have happened, the subtle searching for evidence that it did happen, can all get in your way as you try to hear what the felt sense wants to tell you about what it needs to heal.

Throughout any of these phases, be aware that as people talk about their experiences they may become activated or agitated. Their breathing may change and become more rapid. Their heart rate might increase, or they might break into a sweat. If this happens stop talking about the experience and focus on what sensations they are having in their body, such as “I have a pain in my neck,” or “I feel sick to my stomach.”

The primary task is to pay attention to how things feel and how the body is responding. In short, opportunity revolves around sensation. A traumatized child who is in touch with internal sensations is paying attention to impulses from the reptilian core. As a result, the youngster is likely to notice subtle changes and responses, all of which are designed to help discharge excess energy and to complete feelings and responses that were previously blocked. Noticing these changes and responses enhances them.

The changes can be extremely subtle: something that feels internally like a rock, for example, may suddenly seem to melt into a warm liquid. These changes have their most beneficial effect when they are simply watched, and not interpreted. Attaching meaning to them or telling a story about them at this time may shift the child’s perceptions into a more evolved portion of the brain, which can easily disrupt the direct connection established with the reptilian core. Bodily responses that emerge along with sensations typically include involuntary trembling, shaking, and crying. The body may want, slowly, to move in a particular way. If suppressed or interrupted by beliefs about being strong (grown up, courageous), acting normal, or abiding by familiar feelings, these responses will not be able to effectively discharge the accumulated energy.

Animals follow the rhythms of nature-mating, birthing, feeding, hunting, sleeping, and hibernating in direct response to nature’s pendulum. So, too, do the responses that bring traumatic reactions to their natural resolution. For human beings, these rhythms pose a two-fold challenge. First, they move at a much slower pace than we are accustomed to. Second, they are entirely beyond our control. Healing cycles can only be opened up to, watched, and validated; they cannot be evaluated, manipulated, hurried, or changed. When they get the time and attention they need, they are able to complete their healing mission.

Children who are encouraged to attend to their instinctual responses are rewarded with a lifelong legacy of health and vigor.