So, how do we heal from trauma? In short, we have to build resources (internal and external) and slowly revisit the trauma to discharge the trauma-energy. I will go into more detail about this process in future posts. To provide a foundation for the discussion, I want to talk about the treatment approach called Somatic Experiencing, which was developed by Dr. Peter Levine. From this perspective, "trauma occurs when the massive amount of energy that we mobilize to protect and defend ourselves doesn't get to complete itself. If we are threatened and can't fight or flee, we will freeze and the energy becomes stuck in the nervous system. What happens is that the intense frozen energy gets bound up with the overwhelming emotional states of terror, rage, and helplessness and does not discharge. The various ways in which we try to control this energy create the symptoms of trauma" (Lumiere, 2003, Healing Trauma in the Eternal Now, in The Sacred Mirror: Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy).