In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness

Unraveling Trauma in the Body, Brain and Minda Revolution in Treatment

In this culmination of his lifes 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.

This book stands as a worthy sequel to Levine's groundbreaking Waking the Tiger. He expands his concepts of the neurophysiological basis for trauma with a thorough review of the science of trauma and his own creative theories, providing rich insights for application to the business of healing. Valuable case studies illustrate the whys of the behavior of the trauma victim, and useful tools help the therapist enlist the body in the process.
Robert Scaer, MD, author of The Trauma Spectrum and The Body Bears the Burden

Peter Levines approach to understanding and healing trauma is innovative, vital and thoroughly creative. The map for therapy that he introduces is very helpful to any healer of trauma. Once again Levine reminds us that our evolutionary ancestors are not so removed from us. That we and the other animals are all one family and that we should learn from them, as our survival and sanity depends on it. Levines suggestion to change post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) is much more realistic as we are healing the hurt and not the disorder.
Mira Rothenberg, author of Children with Emerald Eyes and founder of Blueberry Treatment Centers