Trauma and Memory - Peter A. Levine

How the brain and body keep traumatic experiences alive

In Trauma and Memory, Dr. Peter A. Levine tackles one of the most difficult and controversial questions in the field of trauma: can our memories be trusted? Some argue that traumatic memories are completely unreliable and useless; others maintain that our memories are a vital source of information that can help us better understand past experiences. Based on his 45 years of experience treating trauma, Dr. Levine believes there is some truth in both of these beliefs: memory can certainly be trusted, but the only truly useful memories are those stored in the body and not necessarily accessible to the conscious mind.

While trauma therapy often works with explicit traumatic memories (such as intrusive thoughts and flashbacks), significantly less attention is paid to how the body stores implicit memories, or to the fact that much of what we consider "memories" is experienced as a bodily (and usually unconscious) experience. By gaining a better understanding of the complex interplay between past and present, brain and body, we can begin to relate differently to past trauma, feeling more balanced, relaxed, and whole.

Trauma and Memory offers a whole new perspective on how our memories are formed and how they impact our lives and well-being in the here and now.

About the Author: Peter A. Levine
Dr. Peter A. Levine holds doctorates in medical biophysics and psychology. He is the founder of the Somatic Experiencing method. His groundbreaking contribution to the field of body-oriented psychotherapy was recognized in 2010 with a lifetime achievement award from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy.

Dutch | ISBN: 978 94 6316 038 4 - | 268 pages |