Una guida accessibile a tutti, per imparare a capire come cominciano e si sviluppano i sintomi post-traumatici e come correggere i meccanismi mentali ed emotivi che stanno alla loro base. Puoi trovare: la proposta di una soluzione originale e percorribile per migliaia di persone in stato di sofferenza cronica; la decifrazione dello psico-soma basata sulle più recenti e meglio documentate acquisizioni delle neuroscienze; una serie di facili esercizi legati al trauma o ai disturbi che esso scatena.

Non si può guarire in modo efficace dal dolore e dalla sofferenza, che sia di tipo fisico, emotivo o spirituale, se il corpo non viene coinvolto e messo al centro del processo di guarigione. È la convinzione alla base del Somatic Experiencing (SE), il metodo che ha come obiettivo il superamento degli effetti che il trauma lascia sull'individuo, elaborato da Peter Levine e ormai diffuso in tutto il mondo. Perché soffriamo? Ma soprattutto, come comprendere se un dolore 'normale', 'necessario', è diventato un dolore 'cronico', una sofferenza che rimane incastonata nel corpo senza riuscire a essere elaborata e trasformata? Nella prospettiva del Somatic Experiencing, il trauma non risiede nell'evento esterno che induce dolore fisico o emotivo, ma si genera quando non siamo in grado di liberare le energie bloccate e di attraversare tutte le nostre reazioni fisico-emotive all'esperienza: non è dunque un fenomeno solo psicologico, ma una complessa reazione psico-neuro-fisiologica. Proprio all'innata capacità di autoregolazione del corpo gli autori si rivolgono con il programma Freedom from Pain ('Libertà dal dolore'): un percorso terapeutico di esercizi pratici, inseriti con chiarezza all'interno della dimensione teorica, che intende guidare il lettore verso il recupero della propria innata capacità di gestione e comprensione della sofferenza e degli schemi che la governano. Attraverso strategie di consapevolezza corporea per affrontare dissociazione, ansia, paura, panico e rabbia è possibile imparare a regolare i propri stati emotivi e fisici, creando le condizioni per un'alleanza

Una lettura del trauma e della sua possibile evoluzione positiva fatta in modo chiaro e con una incomparabile carica umana. Sono due gli elementi importanti di innovazione offerti da quest'opera: la proposta di una soluzione originale e percorribile per migliaia di persone in stato di sofferenza cronica; la decifrazione dello psicosoma basata sulle più recenti e meglio documentate acquisizioni delle neuroscienze. Un libro accessibile a tutti, una guida per imparare a capire come cominciano e si sviluppano i sintomi post-traumatici e come correggere i meccanismi mentali ed emotivi che stanno alla loro base. Una serie di facili esercizi per focalizzare l'attenzione sulle sensazioni corporee connesse a visualizzazioni e fantasie legate al trauma o ai disturbi che esso scatena.

'Traumi e shock emotivi' offre due importanti elementi di innovazione: da un lato ci propone una soluzione originale e percorribile per migliaia di persone in stato di sofferenza cronica e dall'altro ci riporta una lettura dello psicosoma all'altezza delle più recenti e meglio documentate acquisizioni delle neuroscienze. Un libro accessibile a tutti, una guida per imparare a capire come cominciano e si sviluppano i sintomi post-traumatici e come correggere i meccanismi mentali ed emotivi che stanno alla loro base. L'autore propone una serie di facili esercizi per focalizzare l'attenzione sulle sensazioni corporee connesse a visualizzazioni e fantasie legate al trauma o ai disturbi che esso scatena.

Il passato è la base del futuro e la memoria è il fondamento dell'identità. La funzione selettiva dei ricordi permette di compiere scelte coerenti nel presente, evitando di ripetere le risposte dannose e orientandosi verso un futuro più efficace. Ma accanto ai ricordi 'normali', buoni o cattivi che siano, tutti ci portiamo dentro in maggiore o minore misura un certo numero di ricordi traumatici, che si distinguono per la loro staticità e fissità. Sono tracce incise profondamente nel cervello, nel corpo e nella psiche da esperienze violente o travolgenti, che non mutano e non si aggiornano col passare del tempo. I ricordi traumatici ricompaiono come schegge impazzite nel bel mezzo della vita, soffocando l'energia vitale, nel sonno o nella veglia. Nell'ottica del somatic experiencing, il metodo con cui l'autore porta avanti da decenni il lavoro sui sintomi post-traumatici, il trauma non è una malattia, ma una risposta fisiologica a una situazione dolorosa o minacciosa dalla quale non c'è via di uscita: l'organismo reagisce con l'impotenza e la paralisi, e all'interno dell'individuo si inscrive quel ricordo traumatico non elaborato che continuerà a ripresentare il conto per il resto della vita. Diventa allora fondamentale, per lavorare sui sintomi del trauma, comprendere in che modo la memoria e i ricordi interagiscano con il funzionamento della psiche e del corpo. È nella memoria procedurale che Levine situa le tracce mnestiche inscritte dal trauma, ed è a quel livello di memoria che è necessario accedere per rinegoziare ed elaborare il trauma. Cruciale è il modo in cui i ric

In Trauma and Memory, bestselling author Dr. Peter Levine (creator of the Somatic Experiencing approach) tackles one of the most difficult and controversial questions of PTSD/trauma therapy: Can we trust our memories? While some argue that traumatic memories are unreliable and not useful, others insist that we absolutely must rely on memory to make sense of past experience. Building on his 45 years of successful treatment of trauma and utilizing case studies from his own practice, Dr. Levine suggests that there are elements of truth in both camps. While acknowledging that memory can be trusted, he argues that the only truly useful memories are those that might initially seem to be the least reliable: memories stored in the body and not necessarily accessible by our conscious mind.

While much work has been done in the field of trauma studies to address "explicit" traumatic memories in the brain (such as intrusive thoughts or flashbacks), much less attention has been paid to how the body itself stores "implicit" memory, and how much of what we think of as "memory" actually comes to us through our (often unconsciously accessed) felt sense. By learning how to better understand this complex interplay of past and present, brain and body, we can adjust our relationship to past trauma and move into a more balanced, relaxed state of being. Written for trauma sufferers as well as mental health care practitioners,Trauma and Memory is a groundbreaking look at how memory is constructed and how influential memories are on our present state of being.

A tale set against the backdrop of Kenya's poverty-stricken slums and luxury resorts follows the experiences of a young drug runner who makes deliveries to a reclusive artist before his witness of murder leads to his adoption by a woman who tests his sense of morality.

A tale set against the backdrop of Kenya's poverty-stricken slums and luxury resorts follows the experiences of a young drug runner who makes deliveries to a reclusive artist before his witness of murder leads to his adoption by a woman who tests his sense of morality.

'Una mattina, all'inizio del 2005, uscii di casa e mi immersi nel dolce clima sudcaliforniano. Una brezza gentile, calda e delicata, dava brio al mio passo. Era l'inizio di un giorno perfetto, uno di quei giorni in cui sei sicuro che nulla possa andare storto, che nulla di male possa accadere. Camminavo assorto, e avevo appena messo piede sulle strisce pedonali, quando...'. Peter Levine, un attimo dopo, fu investito da una macchina, soccorso e portato in ospedale in ambulanza. Ne riportò danni non gravi, ma soprattutto si rese conto che aveva messo in atto, istintivamente, dei meccanismi autodifensivi di reazione al trauma, grazie ai quali aveva evitato di sviluppare un disturbo post-traumatico da stress. Tutto ciò era avvenuto ascoltando la 'voce silenziosa' del corpo, cioè assecondando, invece di inibire, le reazioni spontanee del corpo in risposta al trauma, e traendo beneficio dalla presenza affettiva di una donna che si era fermata a prestare soccorso. Si tratta in effetti dei principi che sono oggi alla base del metodo da lui elaborato, noto come 'Somatic experiencing': il terapeuta deve, da una parte, creare un ambiente sicuro che faccia sentire il paziente al riparo e, dall'altra, sollecitare l'espressione fisica ed emotiva delle reazioni istintive al trauma. L'idea di fondo è che il trauma non sia una malattia da curare, ma una reazione spontanea dell'essere umano a eventi dolorosi, radicata nell'istinto di sopravvivenza, e che vada attraversato per giungere a una risoluzione.

The Children of Raquette Lake: One Summer That Helped Change the Course of Treatment for Autism is an inspiring account of author Mira Rothenberg's experience with eleven autistic and schizophrenic children during the summer of 1958. In order to avoid the regression that often occurred during the summer months, Rothenberg, a trained psychologist, and her colleagues Zev Spanier and Tev Goldsman, decided to bring their young patients to a camp in Raquette Lake, located in the Adirondack region of Northern New York.

As Rothenberg explains, this was a time when severely disturbed children were considered untreatable and often sent to live out their lives in institutions where their needs were neglected and ignored. Many of Rothenberg's patients exhibited signs of abuse and emotional trauma. On the island, Rothenberg, Spanier, and Goldsman discovered that by applying what was then an unconventional treatment of loving care and tolerance, their young patients improved and were able to heal many of the emotional and physical issues associated with their conditions. Written like a narrative journal that follows the children's progress from week to week, The Children of Raquette Lake is interwoven with personal histories and fascinating case stories that demonstrate the healing power of the human heart. The book also provides a valuable list of resources for therapists and parents of autistic children.

Provides practices for overcoming both physical and emotional pain by releasing negative feelings, gaining inner confidence, calming the body and more. Original.

The Somatic Experiencing® process, pioneered by Peter A. Levine, was met with skepticism 30 years ago. Today, it is dramatically changing the way that psychotherapists treat trauma—through its natural, somatic release. In this original audio adaptation of their new book, Levine and pain relief expert Maggie Phillips apply their combined clinical experience to offer a complete series of guided practices that have helped thousands to alleviate and often completely recover from chronic pain—even when conventional medical approaches alone have not been effective.

Survivors of trauma—whether abuse, accidents, or war—can end up profoundly wounded, betrayed by their bodies that failed to get them to safety and that are a source of pain. In order to fully heal from trauma, a connection must be made with oneself, including one's body. The trauma-sensitive yoga described in this book moves beyond traditional talk therapies that focus on the mind, by bringing the body actively into the healing process. This allows trauma survivors to cultivate a more positive relationship to their body through gentle breath, mindfulness, and movement practices.

Overcoming Trauma through Yoga is a book for survivors, clinicians, and yoga instructors who are interested in mind/body healing. It introduces trauma-sensitive yoga, a modified approach to yoga developed in collaboration between yoga teachers and clinicians at the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, led by yoga teacher David Emerson, along with medical doctor Bessel van der Kolk. The book begins with an in-depth description of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including a description of how trauma is held in the body and the need for body-based treatment. It offers a brief history of yoga, describes various styles of yoga commonly found in Western practice, and identifies four key themes of trauma-sensitive yoga. Chair-based exercises are described that can be incorporated into individual or group therapy, targeting specific treatment goals, and modifications are offered for mat-based yoga classes. Each exercise includes trauma-sensitive language to introduce the practice, as well as photographs to illustrate the poses. The practices have been offered to a wide range of individuals and groups, including men and women, teens, returning veterans, and others. Rounded out by valuable quotes and case stories, the book presents mindfulness, breathing, and yoga exercises that can be used by home practitioners, yoga teachers, and therapists as a way to cultivate awareness, tolerance, and an increased acceptance of the self.
 

**Unraveling Trauma in the Body, Brain and Mind—a Revolution in Treatment**

In this culmination of his life's work, Peter A. Levine draws on his broad experience as a clinician, a student of comparative brain research, a stress scientist and a keen observer of the naturalistic animal world to explain the nature and transformation of trauma in the body, brain and psyche. In an Unspoken Voice is based on the idea that trauma is neither a disease nor a disorder, but rather an injury caused by fright, helplessness and loss that can be healed by engaging our innate capacity to self-regulate high states of arousal and intense emotions. Enriched with a coherent theoretical framework and compelling case examples, the book elegantly blends the latest findings in biology, neuroscience and body-oriented psychotherapy to show that when we bring together animal instinct and reason, we can become more whole human beings.

First developed as a short manual for students in a yearlong meditation course, Presence Meditation offers a step-by-step program for increasing self-awareness through simple but revelatory exercises. The practice of presence meditation involves becoming present to whatever is going on and letting things be just as they are. This awareness is characterized by open attention and neutral observation, which increases the capacity to observe without judging, enables transformation without forcing, and opens the way to a more immediate sense of meaning and joy in life. Author Jens-Erik Risom begins by describing the purpose of meditation and the “four introductions” (rootedness, attention to breathing, fullness of feeling, and witness awareness), and then presents the gradual steps for achieving presence, deepening neutrality, opening to trust, sensing spaciousness, and more.

There are many books about meditation on the market, from Western authors like Eckhart Tolle to Tibetan Buddhist teachers. But many people find it difficult to translate the message of these books into an actual experience of deepening awareness. Whether readers are seeking a spiritual practice, a more serene approach to stressful situations, improved concentration, or greater relaxation for better health, this compact manual offers a simple, undogmatic approach to meditation.

Researchers have shown that survivors of accidents, disaster, and childhood trauma often endure lifelong symptoms ranging from anxiety and depression to unexplained physical pain, fatigue, illness, and harmful 'acting out' behaviors reflecting these painful events. Today, millions in both the bodywork and the psychotherapeutic fields are turning to Peter A. Levine's breakthrough Somatic Experiencing methods to effectively overcome these challenges. Now available in paperback for the first time, Healing Trauma offers readers the personal how-to guide for using the theory Dr. Levine first introduced in his highly acclaimed work Waking the Tiger (North Atlantic Books, 1997).

The number of anxious, depressed, hyperactive and withdrawn children is staggering—and still growing! Millions have experienced bullying, violence (real or in the media), abuse or sexual molestation. Many other kids have been traumatized from more “ordinary” ordeals such as terrifying medical procedures, accidents, loss and divorce. Trauma-Proofing Your Kids sends a lifeline to parents who wonder how they can help their worried and troubled children now. It offers simple but powerful tools to keep children safe from danger and to help them “bounce back” after feeling scared and overwhelmed. No longer will kids have to be passive prey to predators or the innocent victims of life's circumstances.

In addition to arming parents with priceless protective strategies, best-selling authors Dr. Peter A. Levine and Maggie Kline offer an antidote to trauma and a recipe for creating resilient kids no matter what misfortune has besieged them. Trauma-Proofing Your Kids is a treasure trove of simple-to-follow “stress-busting,” boundary-setting, sensory/motor-awareness activities that counteract trauma's effect on a child's body, mind and spirit. Including a chapter on how to navigate the inevitable difficulties that arise during the various ages and stages of development, this ground-breaking book simplifies an often mystifying and complex subject, empowering parents to raise truly confident and joyful kids despite stressful and turbulent times.

Reversing Chronic Pain offers a dynamic framework for joining body and mind to speed the healing of traumatic pain from the body level up. Each chapter presents a body-centered skill set that can be mastered through a broad menu of practice exercises. The resulting interlinked somatic building blocks help readers shift from physical pain to body awareness, and from unstoppable suffering to heartfelt connection and peace.

Building on the AIDS cocktail approach that reflects the fact that chronic pain is complex and no one tactic is likely to solve the problem, renowned expert Maggie Phillips presents a 10-1 pain plan comprised of easy strategies based on somatic experience. Even if the reader's pain is perceived as a “10” at the onset of the program, with 10 being intolerable, the somatic building blocks help shift the pain one point at a time until it gradually diminishes to “1” or even “zero.” Showing how the common professional interventions—medication, physical therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback—may be more harmful than healing, Reversing Chronic Pain stresses self-treatment throughout, involving sufferers in attaining lives not simply endured but actively enjoyed.

Fear, anger, anxiety, negativity, rudeness, information overload — the stressors of modern life can make just getting through the day a daunting task. Since 1985, John Maxwell Taylor has been moving through the collective madness with joy, spirit, and strength. The Power of I Am invites the reader to join him on this journey. Combining principles from martial arts, mindfulness, body-centered awareness, and spiritual and scientific principles, this engaging mix of practical tools, stories, and life lessons teaches personal empowerment through gaining inner strength in social situations and dealing effectively with negative people. The author uses real-world experiences to show readers how to stop being drained by “energy vampires,” how to defuse conflict by boosting energy levels when trouble comes, how to eliminate stage fright and other social anxieties, how to increase personal magnetism and sense of self, and how to tap the existing, but often dormant, power of the mind for personal transformation.

Your child has just experienced a distressing event a bicycle fall,a medical procedure,a frightening encounter with a dog. What do you do? Most of us would try to comfort the child, and then hope for the best. There is more you can do than just hope, teaches Peter Levine. On It Won't Hurt Forever, Dr. Levine offers his 35 years of expertise in healing emotional trauma to show you a better way to help your child. Stress researchers now know that after a painful or fearful experience, children may endure such symptoms as unexplainable pain, nightmares, bedwetting, nervousness, aggression, and other problems. Why? Because all animals, including humans, possess a natural physiological process for discharging the energy of such experiences, explains Dr. Levine. When that process is thwarted, a child may suffer long after the event. Now, with this groundbreaking audio-learning program for parents and caretakers, you can gain the skills you need to help a child recover from frightening events in a healthier, more natural way using the body's own healing mechanisms. Children possess the innate ability to respond and recover from potentially traumatic circumstances. With It Won't Hurt Forever, you will learn how to activate this priceless resource within any child in need. Includes 18-page study guide and ten full-color illustrations

Are you experiencing physical or emotional symptoms that no one is able to explain? If so, you may be suffering a traumatic reaction to a past event, teaches Dr. Peter A. Levine. On Healing Trauma, this respected therapist and teacher brings you face to face with an effective new treatment – not a “talking” cure, but a deep physiological process for releasing your past traumas. Medical researchers have known for decades that survivors of accidents, disasters, and childhood trauma often endure lifelong symptoms ranging from anxiety and depression to unexplained physical pain. As a young stress researcher at UC–Berkeley, Dr. Levine made a remarkable discovery: that all animals, including humans, are born with a natural ability to rebound from these distressing situations. On Healing Trauma, you will learn Dr. Levine's four-phase method of somatic healing. You will learn how and where you are storing unresolved distress, how to become more aware of your body's physiological responses to danger, and specific methods to free yourself from trauma. Now you can learn to address unexplained symptoms at their source – your body – and return to the natural state you were meant to live in, with Healing Trauma.