Waking the Tiger

includes a deep biological knowing which, given the opportunity to do so, can and will guide the process of healing trauma. While the growing emphasis on attending to these instinctual responses was healing my clients, my inquisitiveness was paying off in understanding. People were immensely relieved to finally understand how symptoms were created and to learn how to recognize and experience their own instincts in action. Somatic experiencing is new and is not subject to rigorous scientific research at this time. What I have to support the validity of this approach are several hundred individual cases in which people report that the symptoms which once impaired their ability to live full and satisfied lives are gone or greatly diminished. I usually work in a one-to-one therapeutic context and often in conjunction with other modalities. Obviously, this book cannot replace individual work with a trained therapist. However, I believe that many of the principles and much of the information offered here can be used to facilitate the healing of trauma. If you are in therapy, it may help you to share this book with your therapist. If you are not in therapy, it is possible to use this book to help yourself. However, there are limitations. You may need the guidance of a qualified professional. THE BODY AS HEALER THE BODY IS THE SHORE ON THE OCEAN OF BEING SUFI ANONYMOUS Section 1 of this book introduces trauma and explains how post-traumatic symptoms begin, develop, and why they are so compelling and persistent. It lays a foundation of understanding that dispels the tangled web of myths about trauma and replaces them with a simple, coherent description of the basic physiological processes that produce it. While our intellects often override our natural instincts, they do not drive the traumatic reaction. We are more akin to our four-footed friends than we might wish to think. When I speak of our organisms, I refer to Webster's definition of a complex structure of interdependent and subordinate elements whose relations and properties are largely determined by their function in the whole. Organism describes our wholeness, which derives not from the sum of its individual parts that is, bones, chemicals, muscles, organs, etc. It emerges from their dynamic, complex interrelation. Body and mind, primitive instincts, emotions, intellect, and spirituality all need to be considered together in studying the organism. The vehicle through which we experience ourselves as organisms is the felt sense. The felt sense is a medium through which we experience the fullness of sensation and knowledge about ourselves. You will gain a more clear understanding of these terms as you read through the material and do some of the exercises. Section 1. The Body as Healer offers a view of trauma and the process that heals it as natural phenomena. It addresses the innate wisdom to heal that we all have and weaves it into a coherent whole. We'll take a journey into some of our most primitive biological responses. You will emerge from Section 1 with a fuller appreciation of how your organism operates and how you can work with it to increase your vitality and well-being as well as enhance your overall enjoyment of life whether or not you have trauma symptoms. In this section I refer to exercises that will help you begin to know the felt sense through your own experience. These exercises are important. There is really no other way to convey how this fascinating aspect of the human being operates. Entering the realm of the felt sense is for many people like entering a strange new land a land they've often visited without ever bothering to notice the scenery. As you read and experience this section you will find that some of what is said about the...