Waking the Tiger Summary

Why do humans suffer long-term effects from traumatic events while wild animals recover seamlessly? The answer lies in how we process and release built-up energy.

1. Traumas' Physical and Emotional Scars

Trauma doesn’t just affect the mind—it imprints itself on the body and nervous system, creating physical and emotional challenges. People may experience symptoms like anxiety, flashbacks, or chronic pain, often without relating them to past stressors. These effects are deeply rooted in the unprocessed energy that trauma leaves behind.

Trauma carries both "fight-or-flight" and "freeze" responses within the body. When fight or flight is inaccessible or unachievable—such as in overwhelming situations—the body resorts to freezing. Freezing serves as a survival mechanism by numbing feelings and detaching from the immediate danger. While animals naturally release this pent-up energy after a freeze state, humans often fail to discharge it.

This unprocessed energy becomes "stuck," affecting our ability to regulate emotions, focus, or feel engaged with life. It can result in states of hyperarousal or hypoarousal—either feeling constantly on edge or entirely shut down.

Examples

• Chronic pain in someone who experienced childhood neglect but never connected the physical aches to emotional suppression.
• Soldiers with PTSD exhibiting hyper-alert states from unresolved trauma.
• A dissociated state felt years after an abusive relationship, leading to difficulty trusting others.

2. The Stress Response System: Fight, Flight, or Freeze

Our bodies are hardwired to handle danger with the fight, flight, or freeze responses. These responses prepare us to engage with or escape a threat and are part of a biological survival mechanism.

When faced with a threat, the body gears up—heart rate increases, breathing quickens, and blood rushes to the muscles. This is the stress response system kicking in. If neither fighting nor fleeing seems possible, the body may drop into a freeze response, characterized by immobility and a slowed heart rate to "play dead" or momentarily block emotional pain.

Animals successfully discharge freeze energy through natural behaviors like trembling or shaking; humans, however, may suppress these impulses. This suppression mentally disconnects us from the physical process necessary for releasing tension and recovering.

Examples

• A deer escaping a predator shakes off stress and resumes grazing calmly moments later.
• A polar bear, tranquilized and waking up, goes through visible shaking to reestablish equilibrium.
• Humans responding to stress by "pushing it down," avoiding physical opportunities (like crying or moving) to expel the tension.

3. Unresolved Freeze Response Creates Lasting Trauma

Our habitual suppression of freeze responses traps stress within our bodies. This "stuck" energy shows up as trauma symptoms, which persist for years and alter brain structure and functioning.

Holding onto unresolved energy causes an ongoing imbalance in the nervous system. Chronic hyperarousal—being on edge—keeps individuals anxious and irritable, while hypoarousal—numbness—leaves a lack of vitality and motivation. Over time, this imbalance may distort brain pathways involved in memory processing, emotional regulation, and decision-making.

Trauma also fosters dissociation, where individuals disconnect from their sense of being or bodily sensations as a way of coping. This robs people of feeling fully present, blocking both recovery and life’s joys.

Examples

• Someone constantly startled or restless, unaware it's linked to being bullied years prior.
• Depression tied to suppressed anger from lifelong personal conflicts.
• Forgetting parts of a traumatic event due to the brain shutting down and failing to catalog the memory properly.

4. Healing Begins in the Body

Trauma may leave mental scars, but the key to healing starts by reconnecting with the body. The body's ability to store trauma means somatic (body-based) techniques are effective for recovery.

Somatic experiencing, a practice that involves working with physical sensations, helps "unravel" the energy stored in the nervous system. By gently reintroducing awareness to the body, people start to rebuild a connection and release tension accumulated through trauma. This approach contrasts with solely cognitive therapy, which often bypasses physical elements.

These methods encourage grounding—a practice of using present awareness to create safety—and gradually reintroducing stressful sensations in tolerable "doses" called titration. Over time, these shifts allow the nervous system to reset to a calm state.

Examples

• Noticing changes in heart rate while revisiting a painful memory in therapy.
• People overcoming deep anxiety after learning grounding techniques like focusing on their feet planted on the floor.
• Stretching exercises helping someone release physical manifestations of fear, like tightened shoulders.

5. The Power of Grounding to Find Balance

Grounding is a simple yet transformative way to pull ourselves out of overwhelming emotions by tuning into physical sensations or surroundings. It centers the body in the "here and now."

Grounding engages the senses to redirect focus toward safety. Fixating on touch (like feeling fabric), breathing, or sounds in the environment gives the nervous system real-world anchors to calm it. This state combats the tendency for trauma to drag someone back into the past or imagined stressors.

Cultivating grounding can turn into a resource for anyone recovering from trauma. It helps create a stable foundation, easing feelings of helplessness and restoring a sense of control.

Examples

• A teacher overwhelmed by classroom stress focusing on warm tea in their hands to reorient.
• Using rhythmic breathing during panic attacks.
• People reducing racing thoughts by walking barefoot on grass.

6. Titration: Gentle Exposure for Recovery

Rebuilding from trauma involves titration, a slow exposure to triggers taken in small, manageable doses. This is key to ensuring the nervous system isn’t flooded.

Rather than revisiting traumatic material all at once, titration involves exploring it bit by bit. The nervous system is slowly exposed to stress, alternating with neutral states to encourage balance. This process prevents retraumatizing the individual while carefully unwinding unresolved freeze responses.

The body's healing systems, when gently guided, can complete the cycle of stress resolution—breaking free from stuck energy.

Examples

• Taking measured steps discussing painful family dynamics with a therapist.
• Visualizing a small detail of an accident instead of the entire event.
• Recalling difficult memories while intermittently pausing to relax.

7. The Felt Sense as an Inner Compass

The felt sense describes an intuitive, physical awareness of any given experience. This body-driven understanding opens a doorway to transform stored trauma into relief.

The felt sense translates emotions—whether vague or overwhelming—into body sensations like warmth, tightening, or fluttering. Observing these sensations leads people to "digest" trauma safely. This non-verbal connection fosters curiosity and eventually insight.

Exploring the felt sense brings reconnection with both buried memories and the present moment, enabling lasting recovery by addressing trauma at its root.

Examples

• Feeling stomach knots during stress and learning to breathe through it.
• Identifying excitement or discomfort when recalling specific events.
• Exploring tension when imagining an unresolved argument to gain clarity.

8. Discharge: Releasing Stored Tension

Discharge is the body’s way of letting go of trapped energy. Practices like shaking, stretching, or deep sighs are natural ways humans can regain equilibrium.

When tension is stored, the body often carries silent stress signs, like clenched muscles. By accessing these areas and encouraging their release, people provide physical relief. This mimics how animals discharge the freeze response.

Conscious repetition of small discharges can undo years of stored stress and permanently restore calm.

Examples

• Athletes instinctively shaking limbs pre-competition.
• Releasing tight jaw tension by humming deeply.
• Performing body stretches that “feel good” post-workouts, unintentionally releasing stress.

9. Mastering Balance for Long-Term Recovery

Healing from trauma requires integrating both rest and activation. Alternating relaxation with stress moments is part of what creates lasting change.

This balance retrains the body to process stressors naturally. By combining grounding, release, and mindful exposure, people rewire their nervous systems to tolerate previously overwhelming events. Continuous application builds resilience and fosters emotional and physical well-being.

This intentional practice reclaims post-trauma vitality and infuses everyday life with deeper connection.

Examples

• Alternating calm, slow walks with brisk activity to manage anxiety.
• Pausing during a difficult therapy session to focus entirely on breathing.
• Regular meditation practice to build resilience against minor day-to-day triggers.

Takeaways

1. Practice grounding daily by focusing on sensations like breathing, touch, or the feeling of your body supported by the ground.
2. Explore the felt sense with curiosity and without judgment by observing how emotions feel at a physical level in your body.
3. Allow your body to naturally discharge stress through activities like stretching, shaking, or rhythmic movements like dancing.