How To Regulate Your Nervous System For Stress, Anxiety, And Trauma | Peter Levine

Sep 5, 2025 1h 10m 13 insights

The creator of <a href="https://www.somaticexperiencing.com/about-peter">somatic experiencing</a> shows Dan how to heal trauma through the body. Peter A. Levine, Ph.D., has spent the past 50 years developing <a href="https://www.somaticexperiencing.com/">Somatic Experiencing</a>. He holds a doctorate in Biophysics from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in Psychology from International University. His work has been taught to over 30,000 therapists in over 42 countries. He is the author of the new book, An Autobiography of Trauma. Content warning: This episode includes discussions of rape and violence. In this episode we talk about: <ul> <li>How to do somatic experiencing. You'll see Dan play the role of guinea pig + make weird sounds</li> <li>The difference between somatic experiencing and talk therapy</li> <li>Somatic experiencing practices we can implement into our lives</li> <li>Why some people feel horror/terror at the thought of re-occupying the body and how to overcome those fears</li> <li>What the research says – and how these practices around body awareness have gone from the fringes to entering the scientific mainstream</li> <li>And how to move through ancient wounds – and enrich our lives (whether we have trauma or not)</li> <li>Practices to fortify us in times of difficulty</li> <li>Facing mortality </li> </ul> This episode was first published in April 2024. Related Episodes: <ul> <li dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/become-an-active-operator-of-your-c16?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> Become An Active Operator Of Your Nervous System | Deb Dana</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/what-science-and-buddhism-say-about-98d?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> What Science and Buddhism Say About How to Regulate Your Own Nervous System | Deb Dana & Kaira Jewel Lingo</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/how-to-live-with-the-worst-things-df4?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> How to Live with the Worst Things That Ever Happened to You | Stephanie Foo</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/an-ace-therapist-gives-dan-a-run-8d3?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> An Ace Therapist Gives Dan A Run For His Money | Dr. Jacob Ham</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.danharris.com/p/how-to-get-out-of-your-head-willa-a21?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> How to Get Out of Your Head | Willa Blythe Baker</a></li> </ul> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/willa-blythe-baker-399"> </a> Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more <a href="http://eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025">here</a>! On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up <a href="https://www.nyimc.org/event/heavily-meditated/">here</a>! Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter <a href="https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ">here</a> Follow Dan on social: <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J">TikTok</a> Subscribe to our <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD">YouTube Channel</a>

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Actionable Insights

1. Regulate Nervous System with ‘Voo’

Take an easy full breath, then on exhalation, make a ‘voo’ sound from the belly, letting breath and sound go all the way out. Wait for the next breath to come in, filling belly and chest, then repeat. This helps change signals from the guts, allowing trauma sensations to recede and opening to good sensations.

2. Release Body Tension Gradually

Explore what happens if you gently increase tension in areas like your shoulders (e.g., raising them slightly towards your ears), then slowly let go. This process helps release locked energy in the body, leading to feelings of vitality, aliveness, and presence.

3. Affirm Aliveness with Body Awareness

Say affirmations like ‘I’m alive’ and ‘I’m real’ while consciously noticing any bodily sensations, such as warmth or a feeling of dropping into your belly. This practice helps you feel more settled, alive, and connected to your deeper self.

4. Cultivate Interoceptive Awareness

Practice becoming aware of your body’s internal sensations, such as your heartbeat, without necessarily feeling your pulse. Research suggests that even simple heartbeat awareness can significantly improve mental and physical health.

5. Practice Body-Focused Meditation

Instead of solely focusing on thoughts during meditation, shift your attention to your body and how it feels in space and time, such as during walking meditation. This helps you re-inhabit your physical container, enriching your life and aiding in moving through ancient wounds.

6. Use Dreams for Body Connection

Write down your dreams and then, with awareness, connect pieces or parts of the dream to what you are experiencing in your body. This practice uses the dream world to enhance body sensing and awareness, stimulating your ‘dream body’.

7. Approach Trauma with Titration

If you find the idea of re-embodying terrifying due to past trauma, approach sensations gradually through ’titration’ and ‘pendulation’ (moving from contraction to expansion). This method, ideally with a guide, prevents re-traumatization and leads to greater connection and expansion.

8. Recall Positive Memories for Fortification

Actively recall and re-inhabit moments from your past where you felt loved, cared for, or supported. These positive memories are always available and can serve as a powerful resource to fortify you during difficult times.

9. Support Children Physically After Accidents

When a child experiences an accident or fright, be present, physically support them (e.g., placing a hand on their back if okay), and be with their reactions. This helps children process and move through the fear and trauma, preventing it from getting stuck.

10. Recognize Reactivity as Trauma

Understand that your reactivity in various situations is often a sign of trauma being reactivated or triggered. Use this awareness as an opportunity to work with those underlying traumas, fostering healing within yourself, your family, and your community.

11. Embrace Imagination and Storytelling

Don’t dismiss your imagination; instead, see where it takes you and allow it to inform your understanding and growth. Additionally, tell your personal stories, whether for yourself or to share with others, as stories are ’truer than truth’ and aid in healing.

12. Live Fully, Leave World Better

Strive to live your life fully and with the intention of leaving the world in a better place than you found it (Tikkun Alam). This approach to life can support a more peaceful existence and a more peaceful passing.

13. Cultivate Curiosity About Unknowns

Approach the great mysteries of life, including mortality, with an attitude of curiosity rather than fear. Trust that parts of you will be present and accompany you through unknown experiences.