The classic, life-changing guide to trauma recovery—learn how to tap into your body’s innate healing potential, from the creator of Somatic Experiencing® (SE)
For therapists, survivors, and readers looking for real approaches to healing complex PTSD, developmental trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and more—now in 20+ languages
For almost 30 years, Waking the Tiger has transformed how we think about—and heal from—trauma. Dr. Peter A. Levine, PhD’s groundbreaking work in Somatic Experiencing® (SE) pioneered a revolutionary concept: trauma is not a flaw, but a natural process that, when properly supported, can help us self-regulate and lead to profound healing.
Dr. Levine invites us back into the natural intelligence of our body, showing how we can use the model of animals in the wild to understand—and rediscover—our own innate ability to heal from trauma. Animals frequently experience events that threaten their lives, safety, and kin—yet they don’t suffer from trauma in the same ways that we do. Instead, they instinctively respond to life-or-death situations by releasing survival energy. When we don’t process our own fight-flight-or-freeze hormones, we can stay “stuck,” locked into a trauma response that can wreak havoc on our bodies, lives, decision-making, and relationships. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Dr. Levine shows:
• How to regulate our nervous systems and transform personal trauma
• Practical, embodied exercises to help trauma move through our bodies before it takes root
• How early life experiences can rewire our fight-or-flight responses later in life
• The ways that trauma lives in the body, even when we think our minds and memories are “supposed to” move on
• Indigenous approaches for processing traumatic events
• Trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive parenting techniques
• How to administer “emotional first-aid” after an accident
When we don’t have the tools or the psychological safety to complete our natural, hardwired responses to traumatic events, we can unintentionally perpetuate patterns like avoidance, hypervigilance, mood issues, substance abuse, helplessness, or dysregulation. By learning to rewire our body's own healing capabilities, we can honor ourselves as “living, feeling, knowing” beings—and restore our holistic balance and body-mind wellness.
"Every life contains difficulties we are not prepared for. Read, learn, and be prepared for life and healing."
—Bernard S. Siegal, M.D., Author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and Peace, Love, and Healing
"Fascinating! Amazing! A revolutionary exploration of the effects and causes of trauma."
—Mira Rothenberg, Director Emeritus of Blueberry Treatment Centers for Disturbed Children, Author of Children With Emerald Eyes
"It is a most important book. Quite possibly a work of genius."
—Ron Kurtz, Author of Body Reveals and Body-Centered Psychotherapy
"Levine effectively argues that the body is healer and that psychological scars of trauma are reversible—but only if we listen to the voices of our body."
—Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D., Professor of Human Development and Psychology, University of Maryland
"A vital contribution to the exciting emerging science of mind/body interaction in the treatment of disease."
—Robert C. Scaer, M.D., Neurology, Medical Director, Rehabilitation Services, Boulder Community Hospital
"Peter Levine’s work is visionary common sense, pure and simple."
—Laura Huxley, lifetime partner and collaborator of Aldous Huxley
“[Waking the Tiger] is an excellent resource for those who have been traumatized or know someone who suffers from trauma, like a soldier returning from war. Finally, there is help that doesn’t ask us to relive what happened and re-experience the pain. Instead, it follows the body’s wisdom in its search for renewal and healing.”
—Soaring Again
