VIDEO: Dr. Peter Levine on the future of the Somatic Experiencing Approach

Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. Peter Levine.

Dr. Peter A. Levine talks about how he feels about the future of the Somatic Experiencing Approach since retiring.

Dr. Peter A. Levine: You know, in my age now, into my 70’s, I’ve been grateful to have been able to make a difference and I have tremendous trainees and teachers who are teaching Somatic Experiencing (SE), the term I gave to this work, and I feel a tremendous weight off my shoulders.

You know, for many, many years, I was kind of compulsed, I had to teach this, I had to do this.  But now I see that it’s out, that people are training other people and I’m kind of laying back.  Now that I’ve officially retired, I’ve done probably twice as much every year since I theoretically retired, but it’s the stuff I’m really enjoying and it’s different.

And so I have a tremendous hope … I think that people, when they really see … because Americans are pretty smart, they’re pretty savvy in a lot of ways. We do some pretty dumb things, we elect some really dumb choices, but I think people have a kind of an innate wisdom, if they see something, and they realize it’s important, I think that they will kind of gravitate towards it and support it, and support it. So I’m cautiously optimistic, as they say.

About the Author

Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. is the developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a body-awareness approach to healing trauma, and the Director of The Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. Dr. Levine holds doctorate degrees in both Medical Biophysics and in Psychology. He spent 35 years studying stress and trauma and has contributed to numerous scientific and popular publications. Dr. Levine was a stress consultant for NASA on the development of the space shuttle project, as well as a member of the Institute of World Affairs Task Force of Psychologists for Social Responsibility in developing responses to large-scale disasters and ethno-political warfare. He has authored several books, including international best seller, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma and his most recent book, In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. In 2010, Dr. Levine received the Life Time Achievement award from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP).

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