Peter Levine noted in years of research that in the wild animal kingdom, animals even though they go through the same or similar reactions in response to a life threatening event they move quickly beyond the initial event without exhibiting signs of trauma. They move through the entire flight, fight or freeze response before returning to normal and discharging all the pent up energy created by the nervous system.

 

For Humans the situation is different, thanks to our rational brain (the neo-cortex) we override the natural evolutionary responses that work for other animals and interrupt the discharge of the pent up energy that signals the completion of the cycle.

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The Fear, Rage and Terror we experience effectively stops the discharge of the energy we have created and we become locked in a repeating cycle of fear and immobility that prevents the completion of the cycle. Even though the threat has gone, the cycle continues and this lack of completion leads to the symptoms of trauma and PTSD.

 

To heal we need to release this energy by completing the cycle and discharging the energy and to do that we need to understand that this energy remains in the body with nowhere to go. It is in working SOMATICALLY with the body we release this energy that allows healing to occur. The Diagram  illustrates the cycle that leads to trauma and the release of energy that breaks the trauma cycle.

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The BBTRS© process is an incredibly powerful way of releasing that energy in a safe environment, leading to a breaking of the trauma cycle.   

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