This post is part of a series on adverse childhood experiences. Read the other parts here.

Peter Levine, Ph.D., is a pioneering trauma therapist and theorist. In his classic work, In an Unspoken Voice, Levine presents timeless keys to healing from trauma, drawn from his vast clinical experience, study, and his own experience recovering from trauma. His healing principles readily apply to individuals wishing to heal from adverse childhood experiences.

1. Kindness powerfully soothes and stabilizes the emotions and body, opening the door to recovery. Just as loving-kindness from a caregiver helps the developing brain wire to be calm, a fully present, kind therapist demonstrates that the survivor is not alone and can feel safely “at home” within themself. Such a helper models the kindness that, once internalized, enables the survivor to eventually calmly confront and process the distressing memories from childhood.

2. Stuck energy needs to be allowed to discharge. Shaking and trembling are common, normal reactions following a traumatic event. Mammals in the wild that shake and tremble after trauma can regain their bearings and return to normal functioning. However, following severe or chronic trauma, people often respond with an immobilized (frozen, numb, or collapsed) state. When people are unable to complete the instinctual survival movements of fight or flight (think, for example, of a child pinned down by a powerful perpetrator or........

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