Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma

In the myth of Medusa, anyone who looked directly into her eyes would quickly turn to stone.

traumatic anxiety, a state that pervades the trauma sufferer’s every waking (and sleeping) moment.

Another means by which traumatized people can attempt to stabilize or suppress symptoms is through drug therapy. We often try this approach at the recommendation of a doctor, or we may attempt to self-medicate (substance abuse).

According to Mircea Eliade[5] (an important scholar of shamanistic practice), “rape of the soul” is by far the most widespread and damaging cause of illness cited by shamanic healers.

The condensation of an entire event into a single image is characteristic of trauma.

Traumatized people have a deep distrust of the arousal cycle, usually for good reason. This is because to a trauma victim, arousal has become coupled with the overwhelming experience of being immobilized by fear.

While you are doing this, say “this is my head, neck,” etc. “I welcome you back.” Another similar awakening is to gently slap

When our physiology responds to an event or stimuli with arousal, we do not move into an orienting and defending response like a healthy human. Instead, we move directly from the arousal into immobility and helplessness, bypassing our other emotions as well as the normal sequence of responses. We become victims, waiting to be victimized again and a

As I have mentioned repeatedly, the perception of threat in the presence of undischarged arousal creates a self-perpetuating cycle. One of the most insidious characteristics of trauma symptoms is that they are hooked into the original cycle in such a way that they are also self-perpetuating. This characteristic is the primary reason why trauma is r