Books
Books
Dr. Levine is the author of 5 books about healing trauma, including the best-seller Waking the Tiger, which has been translated into over 29 languages. He co-authored three books, including topics on childhood trauma and chronic pain. His latest book, An Autobiography of Trauma, will be released in Spring 2024. Below, you will find information on these, a link to a list of foreign translations (incomplete), and a link to Dr Levine’s recommended reading list.
An Autobiography of Trauma
A Healing Journey
by Peter A Levine, PhD
In this intimate memoir, renowned developer of Somatic Experiencing Peter A. Levine shares his personal journey to healing his own severe childhood trauma and offers profound insights into the evolution of his innovative trauma healing method.
Casting himself as a modern-day Chiron, the wounded healer of Greek mythology, Dr. Levine describes, in graphic detail, the violence of his childhood juxtaposed with specific happy and exuberant memories, which helped him prepare for coming to terms with his horrifying experiences. He shares his inner experience of being guided through Somatic Experiencing (SE) to illuminate and untangle his traumatic wounds and describes the mysterious and unexpected dreams and visions that have guided him through his life’s work. Exploring his dream visitations with Albert Einstein in depth, he explains how he came to view Einstein as his personal spirit guide and mentor and how he later discovered his own personal and profound real-life connection to him through his mother.
Describing his breakthroughs in developing Somatic Experiencing, the author details how he helped thousands of others before resolving his own trauma years later with the support of his method. He explains how the SE method is derived from his studies of wild animals in their natural environments, neurobiology, and more than 50 years of clinical observations. He describes his education and career as well as his encounters with noteworthy figures such as somaticists Charlotte Selver and Ida Rolf, ethological zoologist Nikolas Tinbergen, and autism pioneer Mira Rothenberg.
Unveiling the inner story of the man who changed the way psychologists, doctors, and healers understand and treat the wounds of trauma and abuse, this autobiography reveals how anyone suffering from trauma has a valuable story to tell. And by telling our stories, we can catalyze the return of hope, dignity, and wholeness.
Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon UK, Inner Traditions, Books A Million, and Bookshop.org
Waking the Tiger
Healing Trauma
by Peter A Levine, PhD
“Animals do not view freezing as a sign of inadequacy or weakness, nor should we.”
― Peter A. Levine, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
“In many ways, the felt sense is like a stream moving through an ever-changing landscape. It alters its character in resonance with its surroundings. When the land is rugged and steep, the stream moves with vigor and energy, swirling and bubbling as it crashes over rocks and debris. Out on the plains, the stream meanders so slowly that one might wonder whether it is moving at all. Rains and spring thaw can rapidly increase its volume, possibly even flood nearby land. In the same way, once the setting has been interpreted and defined by the felt sense, we will blend into whatever conditions we find ourselves. This amazing sense encompasses both the content and climate of our internal and external environments. Like the stream, it shapes itself to fit those environments.”
― Peter A. Levine, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
In an Unspoken Voice
How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness
by Peter A Levine, PhD
"Highly traumatized and chronically neglected or abused individuals are dominated by the immobilization/shutdown system. On the other hand, acutely traumatized people (often by a single recent event and without a history of repeated trauma, neglect or abuse) are generally dominated by the sympathetic fight/flight system. They tend to suffer from flashbacks and racing hearts, while the chronically traumatized individuals generally show no change or even a decrease in heart rate. These sufferers tend to be plagued with dissociative symptoms, including frequent spacyness, unreality, depersonalization, and various somatic and health complaints. Somatic symptoms include gastrointestinal problems, migraines, some forms of asthma, persistent pain, chronic fatigue, and general disengagement from life."
— Peter A. Levine, In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness
Trauma and Memory
Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Working with Traumatic Memory
by Peter A Levine, PhD
Trauma-Proofing your Kids
A Parents’ Guide to Instilling Confidence, Joy and Resilience
by Peter A Levine, PhD and Maggie Kline
Trauma Through a Child's Eyes
Awakening the Ordinary Miracle of Healing
by Peter A Levine, PhD and Maggie Kline
Freedom from Pain
Discover your Body’s Power to Overcome Physical Pain
by Peter A Levine, PhD and Maggie Phillips, PhD
Healing Trauma
A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body
by Peter A Levine, PhD
”Re-enactments may be played out in intimate relationships, work situations, repetitive accidents or mishaps, and in other seemingly random events. They may also appear in the form of bodily symptoms or psychosomatic diseases. Children who have had a traumatic experience will often repeatedly recreate it in their play. As adults, we are often compelled to re-enact our early traumas in our daily lives. The mechanism is similar regardless of the individual’s age.”
― Peter A. Levine, Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body
If you know of a book of Dr. Levine’s that has been translated and is not on this list or if you would like to translate one of his books (thank you!!), please contact us.
