Description

What is Trauma?

Trauma, according to Gabor Maté and Peter Levine, is viewed not just as a specific event, but more importantly as the response of the individual to the event and its long-lasting impact on their emotional and physical health.

Gabor Maté’s View on Trauma:

Gabor Maté, a renowned physician and trauma expert, believes that trauma is the result of an experience or a series of experiences where an individual feels overwhelmed and helpless, particularly during early childhood. According to him, trauma is not simply the event itself but how the individual internalizes and responds to it. He states:

• Trauma is about disconnection: Maté emphasizes that trauma arises from an emotional or psychological disconnection from oneself, often due to early childhood experiences where a person’s emotional needs were not met.
• Long-term effects on health: Trauma can lead to a variety of physical, emotional, and mental health issues, including addiction, anxiety, depression, and chronic physical ailments.
• Unresolved trauma is passed on: He argues that unresolved trauma can be passed down through generations and can influence behavior patterns, leading to self-destructive tendencies or unhealthy coping mechanisms.
• Healing requires connection: For healing, Maté suggests that individuals need to reconnect with themselves, their bodies, and their emotions in a safe environment, often through a supportive relationship.

Peter Levine’s View on Trauma:

Peter Levine, a psychologist and the developer of Somatic Experiencing (a body-based trauma healing modality), defines trauma as the result of experiences that overwhelm an individual’s capacity to cope and process, leading to a disrupted response in the body. He views trauma as a physical and physiological process.

• Trauma is stored in the body: Levine believes that trauma is not just a psychological issue but is also stored in the body. He explains that when a person’s fight-or-flight response is activated but not fully discharged (for example, when they are unable to run away or fight back), the trauma becomes “frozen” in the nervous system.
• Incomplete biological response: According to Levine, trauma occurs when a person’s natural survival mechanisms are not completed, causing an incomplete response that remains trapped in the body and leads to physical and emotional dysfunction.
• Healing requires releasing this trapped energy: Levine’s Somatic Experiencing therapy focuses on helping individuals safely discharge the trapped energy in the body and complete the trauma response. This process involves gently guiding the person to reconnect with their bodily sensations and allow the natural healing process to unfold.

Key Similarities in Their Views:

• Both Gabor Maté and Peter Levine agree that trauma is not just about the event itself but the body’s and mind’s response to it, with long-term impacts if left unresolved.
• They both emphasize disconnection (either from emotions, the body, or the self) as a core element of trauma.
• They highlight the importance of healing through connection (whether it’s emotional, relational, or somatic) in overcoming trauma.

In summary, Gabor Maté focuses on how early childhood disconnection and unmet emotional needs shape long-term trauma, while Peter Levine focuses on the body’s physiological response to trauma and the importance of releasing stored traumatic energy for healing. Both approaches highlight the importance of healing through reconnection, either emotionally or somatically.