Book SummaryWaking the Tiger, by Peter Levine

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Waking the Tiger

Most of us think of “trauma” as psychological scars that require psychological intervention to heal. But what if the key to healing trauma doesn’t lie in your mind, but in your body? In Waking the Tiger (1997), Peter A. Levine argues that trauma isn’t just a psychological disorder but a deep-rooted physiological one. Based on this understanding, Levine has developed a therapeutic approach called “Somatic Experiencing,” which he believes has the potential to reverse trauma symptoms and transform the lives of trauma survivors.

Levine is a psychologist and trauma expert who has been active in the field for nearly 50 years. He’s the founder of the Ergos Institute, which teaches trauma survivors ways to heal themselves, and Somatic Experiencing International, which trains practitioners to guide trauma survivors through the healing process. He taught at schools including the University of California, Berkeley and Mills College, and he served as a stress consultant for NASA during the early days of the space shuttle program.

The type of trauma Levine primarily addresses is shock trauma: symptoms that appear after one or more specific threatening, overwhelming events. He contrasts this with developmental trauma, which results from ongoing abuse...

Waking the Tiger Summary How Trauma Works

Let’s clearly define what trauma is. Then, we’ll use biology to explain how people get traumatized.

Defining Trauma

According to Levine, trauma is a chronic disorder that someone develops after experiencing a deeply distressing event. He emphasizes that trauma isn’t just a psychological disorder: It’s a condition that affects a person’s entire being—body and mind. Trauma can cause many wide-ranging symptoms, including flashbacks, anxiety, depression, physical ailments, and behavioral issues. (Later in this guide, we’ll further detail the symptoms of trauma.)

Levine contends that trauma is far more common than most people realize—he asserts that everyone has been traumatized to some degree. One reason for this is that major traumatic events are common. War, natural disasters, and physical and sexual abuse are frequent occurrences around the world, and they often cause major trauma.

Another reason trauma symptoms are so common is that seemingly minor threats can cause major trauma if they happen to someone who’s particularly vulnerable. People who are less capable of protecting themselves, have weaker physical health, or believe themselves to be helpless are...

Waking the Tiger Summary Common Trauma Symptoms

Now that we’ve established what trauma is and what causes it, let’s take a closer look at its most common symptoms.

According to Levine, trauma symptoms are extensions of the body's immediate stress response to a traumatic event. Since people suppress the recovery response that would relieve their stress, the bodies of traumatized people essentially act as if they’re continuously experiencing a threatening situation. This causes many problems throughout their lives.

Levine identifies four primary symptoms of trauma, each of which is a chronic form of the original stress response:

• nervous system hyperactivity
• tightening (physiological and perceptual)
• dissociation
• inaction

In this section, we’ll explore these four symptoms in detail. We’ll also discuss repetition compulsion, a common symptom in which a traumatized person feels unconsciously driven to destructive behaviors as a misguided attempt to process their trauma.

Symptom #1: Heightened Physiological Arousal

Levine asserts that traumatized people suffer from heightened physiological arousal. When in danger, the body stimulates the nervous system, increasing alertness and strengthening its...

Waking the Tiger Summary How to Heal Your Trauma

We’ve gained a clear picture of the symptoms we’re trying to alleviate, but how is it possible to do so? Let’s explore Levine’s original healing method: Somatic Experiencing.

Levine emphasizes that although this method sometimes yields sudden breakthroughs, healing trauma is generally a gradual process that takes time. Don’t push yourself too hard. If any part of this process makes you feel unsettled, take a break and try again later. If the process triggers extremely intense emotions, stop and seek professional help.

(Shortform note: When you take a break from this process, consider talking about what you’re experiencing with loved ones. In What Happened to You?, Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry assert that sharing your thoughts and feelings with a supportive community is invaluable for people trying to process trauma—especially if you lack access to a therapist. Furthermore, like Levine, Winfrey and Perry emphasize that processing trauma is something that happens slowly over time. For this reason, they recommend [regularly having small...

Shortform Exercise: Train Your Felt Sense

One exercise Levine recommends to develop your felt sense involves studying evocative images and observing their effect on you. You’ll practice this in this exercise. Hopefully, you'll become more attuned to your felt sense—and as Levine explains, a stronger felt sense can help you process trauma.

Prepare to examine the following photographs by focusing your awareness. Notice whatever sensations are present in your arms and legs, especially how it feels in the areas that touch your chair or the floor. Expand your awareness to include sensations on any part of your skin. What do you feel? (For instance, you might feel the warm pressure of a cozy pair of socks and a lightness in your chest.)