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that we don't exhale, right? We go [gasp]; we inhale, and we get stuck there. If we're bracing against being hit, say by a caregiver, and that becomes chronic, then we start protecting ourselves like this [gasps and raises shoulders]. When we see injury, our guts go "yuck." Actually, Darwin, in his book The Emotions in Man and Animals, first wrote about that nerve in the 1860s, and he called it the pneumogastric nerve, because it connects with the guts and connects with the lungs. That nerve . . . TL: Now better known as the vagus nerve. PL: That nerve is the largest nerve in the body: it goes from the brain stem, down through the diaphragm, and connects to all of the visceral organs, and also to the heart and the lungs. What's not so well known is that 80 percent of its fibers are afferent. In other words, they're going from the guts back up to the brain. And if something happens, and we go "ugh" [in our guts] that signal gets registered as injury in the brain stem. Then, it goes down into the organs, but it gets sent back from the guts to the brain, where it becomes amplified. After a period of time, it becomes fixed as the symptoms of, for example, irritable bowel syndrome, which is very common for people who have had trauma histories. The key is to break these feedback loops so they're not continuing to send messages back to the brain that say the threat is not over—to get a new signal from the guts. A lot of my work initially was to find out what it takes to change that feedback loop from a positive feedback loop with negative consequences to sending back the all-clear signal. That was the beginning of my understanding. TL: This feedback loop, you said, starts with the signal from the brain to the body, that escalates into a feeling that things are just not OK . . . With our clients, we are, in many ways, telling the body that things are OK—with our hands, with our voice, with the environment. PL: That's right. With our hands, with our voice, with meeting their rhythm with our rhythm, connecting human to human, mammal to mammal. TL: So, what's the difference between healed and unhealed trauma? 30 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k m a rc h /a p r i l 2 0 24 THE SOMATIC EDGE By Til Luchau Dr. Peter Levine is known for his signifi cant impact on our understanding of the nervous system and trauma. With doctorates in biophysics and psychology, he has infl uenced thinkers and practitioners in many fi elds, including psychology, medicine, and bodywork. The developer of Somatic Experiencing, he is the author of several bestselling books on trauma, including Waking the Tiger and the upcoming An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey. What is less well known is that he also trained in and practices Rolfi ng structural integration. Dr. Levine, now in his 80s and whom I met in 1984, kindly took time to speak with me about his experience and advice for hands-on practitioners. This excerpt from a longer conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. 1 Til Luchau: I have two main questions for you today: How would we, as bodyworkers and hands-on practitioners, be likely to recognize trauma? And how can we, in that capacity, be most helpful? Peter Levine: When I started developing the precursors of Somatic Experiencing in the late '60s, I was fortunate enough to not know that trauma was supposedly an incurable brain disorder that could be best managed by medications and by helping people change their negative beliefs. TL: That was the common view at that point. PL: Exactly. So, what happens when we're frightened or feel overwhelmed or we see somebody's been injured, is Trauma and Bodywork A Conversation with Peter Levine TECHNIQUE Dr. Peter Levine, trauma-resolution pioneer. KEY POINT • Bodyworkers and hands-on therapists can play an important role in recognizing and addressing trauma.