Waking the Tiger, by Peter A. Levine ★ ★ ★.5 Worth reading!

On a Journey to Understand Trauma? Read this Book!

Waking the Tiger, Peter A. Levine ★ ★ ★.5  Worth reading!
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“Waking the Tiger normalizes the symptoms of trauma and the steps needed to heal them. People are often traumatized by seemingly ordinary experiences. The reader is taken on a guided tour of the subtle, yet powerful impulses that govern our responses to overwhelming life events. To do this, it employs a series of exercises that help us focus on bodily sensations. Through heightened awareness of these sensations, trauma can be healed.”

Peter Levine explores the complicated nature of trauma in Waking the Tiger and has since explored the subject in great detail in countless other books. He explains that human beings are the only species on the planet that experiences lasting trauma. Levine has tapped into several techniques that animals often use to complete the cycle of trauma and consequently move past fear.”

If you know anything about stored trauma or generational trauma, some of the theories and realizations in this book will sound familiar. Waking the Tiger was published in 1977, when the information was fresh to the scene, but there’s been a huge rise in awareness when it comes to trauma, and with good reason. The idea that societal expectations have interfered with the way our bodies naturally want to respond to trauma isn’t hard to believe but it was definitely interesting to read about!

This book is packed with heavy stuff. A lot of the examples were a bit hard to stomach, and a little unexpected, but the information was extremely valuable and provides an excellent foundation if you are interested in learning more about trauma. Trigger warning: This book covers trauma, sexual abuse, and violence.

Click here to purchase Waking the Tiger, by Peter A Levine.

“Because the symptoms and emotions associated with trauma can be extreme, most of us (and those close to us) will recoil and attempt to repress these intense reactions. Unfortunately, this mutual denial can prevent us from healing. In our culture there is a lack of tolerance for the emotional vulnerability that traumatized people experience. Little time is allotted for the working through of emotional events. We are routinely pressured into adjusting too quickly in the aftermath of an overwhelming situation. Denial is so common in our culture that it has become a cliché.”
― Peter A. Levine, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma