Treating Trauma with Somatic Healing | Dr. Peter A. Levine | Ep. 39

Treating Trauma with Somatic Healing | Dr. Peter A. Levine | Ep. 39

From Time with Tim Fletcher by Tim Fletcher

May 28, 2026 · 48 min · Episode 39

About this episode

Dr. Peter A. Levine discusses somatic experiencing and its role in healing trauma.

(00:00:00) Intro and welcome (00:00:57) What somatic experiencing is and how Peter developed it (00:02:08) How trauma gets stuck in the body (00:07:40) Shock trauma, complex trauma, and what didn’t happen (00:12:34) Starting with numbness, pain, and alexithymia (00:15:16) Tim asks Peter to guide Andy through a somatic exercise (00:18:16) The “voo” exercise, grounding, and orienting (00:22:27) Taking in the environment and noticing body sensations (00:29:05) Deserving, relaxation, and the inner judge (00:32:19) Family shame, collapse, and anger in the body (00:40:52) Grounding through the feet and finding solidity (00:42:36) Swaying, movement, and returning to flow (00:44:31) Peter’s closing message on healing trauma (00:46:27) Resources, spiritual dimensions, and final reflections Dr. Peter Levine is the developer of Somatic Experiencing, a body-based approach to healing trauma that has shaped trauma therapy around the world. He is the author of influential books including Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma, and An Autobiography of Trauma, and is widely known for helping people understand how trauma lives in the body and how healing can happen through the nervous system. ▶ Peter A…

People in this episode

Host: Tim Fletcher

Guest: Dr. Peter A. Levine

Topics covered

  • somatic healing
  • trauma therapy
  • body-based approach
  • nervous system
  • mental health
  • self-improvement

Keywords

  • somatic experiencing
  • trauma
  • healing
  • body sensations
  • mental health
  • nervous system
  • self-improvement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ergos Institute

Books & works: Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma, An Autobiography of Trauma

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