About Peter
Peter A. Levine is the originator of Somatic Experiencing® (SE™), a body-oriented approach to healing trauma he has refined over 50 years. His core insight: animals rarely suffer lasting trauma because their bodies naturally discharge survival energy after a threat. Humans, he found, often get stuck in the freeze response — and that trapped energy is what drives lasting trauma symptoms.
SE™ doesn't ask clients to relive or retell their story. It works with body memory, gently guiding people to notice and release the frozen survival energy held in the nervous system, restoring a felt sense of aliveness and groundedness.
Levine holds doctorates in Biophysics (UC Berkeley) and Psychology, and founded both the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education and Somatic Experiencing International, which has trained practitioners in over 54 countries. He is the author of Waking the Tiger, In an Unspoken Voice, Trauma and Memory, and his 2025 memoir An Autobiography of Trauma.
Background & Training
Practicing since 1969
PhD in Medical and Biological Physics / University of California, Berkeley
PhD in Psychology / International University
Offerings
Recreating Songlines from Trauma Trails
3 days / In person
In-person workshop weaving Indigenous Wisdom, Somatic Experiencing®, and Collective Healing. Co-led with Prof. Judy Atkinson (We Al-li), Maggie Kline, and others. Held in Bundjalung Country, Australia.
SE™ Master Class: Imagination, Dreams, and Somatic Experiencing®
4 days / In person & virtual
Multi-day master class with Dr. Levine exploring imagination and dreams through the lens of Somatic Experiencing®. Available in-person and online.
I Can Help If You're Navigating
PTSD & Complex Trauma
Nervous System Dysregulation
Childhood Trauma
Anxiety & Overwhelm
Stress Management
Sexual Trauma
Birth Trauma
Depression & Low Energy
Grief & Loss
Ancestral & Intergenerational Trauma
Shadow Work & Inner Child
Addiction & Recovery
Deepening Spiritual Practice
Chronic Illness & Pain
Narcissistic Abuse Recovery
What Clients Say
★★★★★
"I have patients who are off all of their medications…who no longer suffer from panic attacks…who are no longer haunted by traumatic visions. I am trained in other techniques…SE is the only method I have found that consistently helps people reorganize their nervous system and greatly reduce, if not completely erase, their trauma symptoms. Although I understand that the SE techniques are grounded in biology, the results are nothing short of miraculous."
Shirley I., PhD, Psychologist, SEP
★★★★★
"As a healer, it has always been essential for me to be the change I want to see in others. The practice of SE has allowed me to heal emotional and physical traumas that I'd thought were untouchable. It allows me to be available for the same kinds of miraculous shifts within myself as those I witness in my clients."
SE Professional Training Graduate, LMFT
★★★★★
"From my first encounter with Somatic Experiencing, my life's journey shifted profoundly. Not only did I undergo deep healing, but I also became rejoined with my body to truly experience life to its fullest. Somatic Experiencing has opened a new world where science, the psyche, and spiritual growth come together. Anxiety and Depression are not a life sentence, but temporary discomfort. Healing is not only possible but inevitable."
Sergio O., LMFT, SEP
★★★★★
"Somatic Experiencing has been a super effective tool for transformation. Clients connect deeply with their own aliveness and find the creativity and flow within. SE is a model that empowers clients to develop a relationship to parts of their neurology that regulate, balance, and bring them into a sense of their potential. Unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors change over time, by working through their corresponding patterns in the body."
Christina M., BCST, LMT, SEP
Reach Out to Peter
Send Peter a message
Tell them a bit about what you're going through. No commitment, no pressure.
