Peter A. Levine - Trauma Through a Childs Eyes

From Peter A. Levine

O f my teachers, none have been as important as the children I have worked with over the years. They have shown me, through their courage, enthusiasm, spontaneity, vitality, and transparent spirits, how to evoke the ordinary miracle of healing. I thank Maggie, for her steadfast collaboration and enduring creative partnership, and for her passionate dedication to childrens healing and welfare. Thanks also to Lorin Hager for his help developing the rhythms used in the later sections of the book and for Juliana DoValle who, at age eleven, drew the illustrations for those poems. Professionally, I want to acknowledge Richard Grossinger, the entire creative staff at North Atlantic Books, and especially Kathy Glass and Shannon Kelly for their talented and diligent editorial work. Finally, I acknowledge myself for trusting my dreams and intuitions; and my parents who, though flawed from their own pain, have always done the best that they could and have supported my growth and education, and fostered the gifts of curiosity and creativity.

From Maggie Kline

F irst, I wish to acknowledge Peter Levine, my mentor since 1994, who has been my inspiration and unwavering guiding light. He taught me how to access my own instinctual wisdom and creative juices. His gifts to me have been passed on one hundredfold to children and families that I serve and to the professionals whom I teach. I thank my parents, Marge and Jim, for giving me these gifts: my father modeled that work is another way to love; my mother told me that I was a writer. Next, Id like to express my gratitude to the courageous children who have taught me so much with their candor, curiosity, courage, and spontaneity, and gave me permission to write their stories so others would benefit. I would be remiss not to thank their parents as well, who are willing to grow side-by-side with them. I consider it a blessing to have worked in the inner-city schools of Long Beach, California, the most ethnically diverse city in the nation. I drew strength from witnessing my students overcome obstacles that no child should ever have to endure. I am blessed to have encountered so many dedicated teachers, counselors, and principals who made my job a joy. I am grateful that I was able to bring Beijo, my therapy dog, to school to comfort teens torn apart by gang violence. I wish to thank Kathy Glass, our editor, for her talent, tenacity, and diligence in making this book shine with her lovely polish. I am grateful to the many professionals to whom I have taught the principles of Somatic Experiencing for their heartfelt enthusiasm, talent, and wisdom that have enhanced my learning. I thank my many friends for their support and good humor, especially Carolyn for sharing her story that became The Power of Cool in these pages. There are many SE friends Id like to thank in particularAlexandre Duarte, Patti Elledge, and Karen Schanche for their direct contributions to the book; Abi Blakeslee, Sara Petit, Melinda Maxwell-Smith, and John Amodeo for their astute editorial suggestions; and the assistants in my SE trainings who have dedicated themselves to healing trauma. Last, but not least, I wish to express my deepest appreciation to my son, Jake, for demanding of me to be my best, having patience, and forgiving my shortcomings. He showed me what a child needs and taught me how to be a better parent. I would also like to thank him for his Guy Friday errand running, cooking, and technological support during my computer crises on any given day of the week over the course of the writing of this book.

, by Gabor Mat, MD

PART I:

Chapter One:

Chapter Two:

Chapter Three:

Chapter Four:

Chapter Five:

PART III:

Chapter Six:

Chapter Seven:

Chapter Eight:

Chapter Nine:

PART IV:

Chapter Ten:

Chapter Eleven:

Chapter Twelve:

Chapter Thirteen: