Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma

Peter A. Levine brings substantial interdisciplinary credentials to his work on trauma. He holds a doctorate in medical and biological physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate in psychology from International University. His academic foundation spans physiology, neuroscience, ethology, and stress research, which he synthesized over five decades into the creation of Somatic Experiencing®—the therapeutic approach detailed in Waking the Tiger. Levine’s practical experience includes consulting for NASA during early space shuttle development, teaching at multiple universities, including UC Berkeley, and training over 30,000 practitioners across more than 40 countries. His work has earned lifetime achievement recognition from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy and multiple awards for contributions to child psychiatry and trauma treatment. This combination of scientific training, cross-cultural teaching experience, and recognition from professional bodies establishes him as a credible voice in body-oriented trauma therapy.

However, several factors may limit the universal applicability of Levine’s approach. His framework draws heavily from animal ethology—observing how wild creatures naturally discharge survival responses—which, while scientifically grounded, may oversimplify the complex cognitive and social dimensions of human trauma. The book emerged from practices he began in the 1960s, a period when such approaches existed at the margins of mainstream psychology.