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Moving Beyond Trauma: The Roadmap to Healing from Your Past and Living with Ease and Vitality
Have you noticed that no matter how much time you spend in talk therapy, you still feel anxious and triggered? That is because talk therapy can keep you stuck in a pattern of reliving your stories, rather than moving beyond them. But, most of all, it’s because trauma doesn’t just reside inside your mind—much more importantly, it locks itself in other parts of your body. When left unresolved, that trauma continues to live there, impacting your life, your relationships, your sense of safety, and your ability to experience joy in very real ways.
In Moving Beyond Trauma , Ilene Smith will introduce you to Somatic Experiencing, a body-based therapy capable of healing the damage done to your nervous system by trauma. She breaks down the ways in which trauma impacts your nervous system and walks you through a program designed to process trauma in a non-threatening way. You will discover a healing lifestyle marked by a deeper connection with yourself, those around you, and with everything you do.
In Moving Beyond Trauma , Ilene Smith will introduce you to Somatic Experiencing, a body-based therapy capable of healing the damage done to your nervous system by trauma. She breaks down the ways in which trauma impacts your nervous system and walks you through a program designed to process trauma in a non-threatening way. You will discover a healing lifestyle marked by a deeper connection with yourself, those around you, and with everything you do.
254 pages, Paperback
Published April 27, 2020
144 people are currently reading
1115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 11, 2020
I found this to be a very thoughtful, informative, and useful book.
The way Ilene broke down the different types of trauma was interesting. There are some surveys aka quizzes in this book that help someone get a base of their trauma and than how to approach it.
Ilene helps guide the readers into identifying their trauma and then how to approach it. The first step is acknowledging your trauma. This means even the enduring the pain. Once, you embrace the pain then you can start to go down the path to recovery.
This book is not a one fits all. Which I like as every person is different. Yet, if anything people can take away from reading this book that you will have bad days but there will be more good ones along the way.
The way Ilene broke down the different types of trauma was interesting. There are some surveys aka quizzes in this book that help someone get a base of their trauma and than how to approach it.
Ilene helps guide the readers into identifying their trauma and then how to approach it. The first step is acknowledging your trauma. This means even the enduring the pain. Once, you embrace the pain then you can start to go down the path to recovery.
This book is not a one fits all. Which I like as every person is different. Yet, if anything people can take away from reading this book that you will have bad days but there will be more good ones along the way.
January 17, 2022
A good book to get introduced to body work but isn't enough to get excited about it.
It's great that the author shares her experience and she isn't afraid of sharing some things that are hard to read and often to accept. I enjoyed the thoroughness in the explanation of how our neurological system works and that there is a variety of reactions that we have to our own trauma. The assessments and the exercises provided can give you the starting point from where you can identify what you need or don't need.
However, throughout the whole book, it felt like the author is trying to convince us of the benefits of this therapeutic approach a bit too much. The repetition of what we wouldn't gain through talk therapy became upsetting very quickly and, together with the success stories and a lot of "I" (the author) in them, it didn't help make the topic attractive.
Once again, it's a good book to get the notion of somatic work but it won't make you passionate about it, maximum curious. I would love the book to be less of a "let me prove you wrong and prove myself right" and more of a "one more way to address trauma so that you get more options" one.
It's great that the author shares her experience and she isn't afraid of sharing some things that are hard to read and often to accept. I enjoyed the thoroughness in the explanation of how our neurological system works and that there is a variety of reactions that we have to our own trauma. The assessments and the exercises provided can give you the starting point from where you can identify what you need or don't need.
However, throughout the whole book, it felt like the author is trying to convince us of the benefits of this therapeutic approach a bit too much. The repetition of what we wouldn't gain through talk therapy became upsetting very quickly and, together with the success stories and a lot of "I" (the author) in them, it didn't help make the topic attractive.
Once again, it's a good book to get the notion of somatic work but it won't make you passionate about it, maximum curious. I would love the book to be less of a "let me prove you wrong and prove myself right" and more of a "one more way to address trauma so that you get more options" one.
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December 22, 2024It feels weird to rate a self-help/psychology book as there is no way of knowing if it has helped me in such a short amount of time. But I really liked this book! It shifted my view of a few key concepts for sure.
I recommend it to anybody tired of modern speech-based therapy. Somatic experiencing seems really interesting, and I'd love to give it a try after I'm done with this round of CBT.
I recommend it to anybody tired of modern speech-based therapy. Somatic experiencing seems really interesting, and I'd love to give it a try after I'm done with this round of CBT.
July 18, 2020
**I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. Readers of this review should also note this review is being authored by a psychologist who works primarily with survivors of traumas.
Ilene Smith created a book in which she integrated the basics of trauma treatment knowledge with basics of Somatic Experiencing therapy. Regarding the former, I really enjoyed how Ms. Smith does a lovely job explaining the impacts of trauma in general, the impacts of trauma on the body, and the differences between bottom up and top down approaches. I also liked the integration of assessments along the way. About the SE side of the book, I'm not trained in the therapeutic model, but do have an interest in it. Ms. Smith does a lovely job explaining about the therapy.
Overall, I truly think anyone who has experienced trauma, treats trauma, or who has a loved one who has experienced trauma could benefit from this book. It's a pretty quick read, which I also appreciate. This allows for those with poorer attention spans to make it through.
#Netgalley #Movingbeyondtrauma
Ilene Smith created a book in which she integrated the basics of trauma treatment knowledge with basics of Somatic Experiencing therapy. Regarding the former, I really enjoyed how Ms. Smith does a lovely job explaining the impacts of trauma in general, the impacts of trauma on the body, and the differences between bottom up and top down approaches. I also liked the integration of assessments along the way. About the SE side of the book, I'm not trained in the therapeutic model, but do have an interest in it. Ms. Smith does a lovely job explaining about the therapy.
Overall, I truly think anyone who has experienced trauma, treats trauma, or who has a loved one who has experienced trauma could benefit from this book. It's a pretty quick read, which I also appreciate. This allows for those with poorer attention spans to make it through.
#Netgalley #Movingbeyondtrauma
January 19, 2022
This book is short but full of the exact information that I expected from it. Ilene Smith goes through the simple explanations for how trauma is stored in the body, what things can be trauma and how we can work with that trauma to heal from it.
In my experience many books about trauma say that the body is a key to healing trauma but they end up not giving exercises and practices to follow. This one has a whole chapter filled with those exercise that can be followed right after assessing which ones you need to implement the most.
I think for people that don't have Somatic Experiencing therapy accessible to them this is an amazing way to start implementing it.
In my experience many books about trauma say that the body is a key to healing trauma but they end up not giving exercises and practices to follow. This one has a whole chapter filled with those exercise that can be followed right after assessing which ones you need to implement the most.
I think for people that don't have Somatic Experiencing therapy accessible to them this is an amazing way to start implementing it.
June 10, 2020
In Moving Beyond Trauma, Somatic Experiencing practitioner Ilene Smith shares her own experience with trauma and both cognitive and somatic therapy, explains how trauma affects our nervous system, offers assessments to help readers better understand their own reactions to trauma, and suggests healing exercises. She accomplishes this in a friendly, easy to understand style accompanied by references to peer-reviewed journals and other professional literature.
I thought this book offered a particularly good discussion of nervous system dysregulation, and I appreciated all of the case studies the author presents. I was already familiar with most of the concepts discussed, and yet I felt like I gained a better understanding of how I have been affected by trauma and why I react the way I do at times.
Part of what sets this book apart are the research-based assessments, which were interesting and really helped me perceive where I am struggling most, as well as the areas that are more of a strength for me. My only disappointment is that the suggested exercises are a very small portion of the text and not connected to the assessment results as clearly as I might have hoped. I do like the exercises offered though; they were easy to understand, and I like that the author encourages readers to get curious, start slowly with small changes, and celebrate small victories.
The assessments can be taken online for free. I like this option because the scoring is done for you. However, you will be asked for your email address.
I think most people could benefit from reading this book. Even if you think you haven’t experienced trauma, you may learn that you have been affected by past events more than you realized. This book will also help you better understand why other people might behave the way they do.
I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review, but I also purchased my own copy.
I thought this book offered a particularly good discussion of nervous system dysregulation, and I appreciated all of the case studies the author presents. I was already familiar with most of the concepts discussed, and yet I felt like I gained a better understanding of how I have been affected by trauma and why I react the way I do at times.
Part of what sets this book apart are the research-based assessments, which were interesting and really helped me perceive where I am struggling most, as well as the areas that are more of a strength for me. My only disappointment is that the suggested exercises are a very small portion of the text and not connected to the assessment results as clearly as I might have hoped. I do like the exercises offered though; they were easy to understand, and I like that the author encourages readers to get curious, start slowly with small changes, and celebrate small victories.
The assessments can be taken online for free. I like this option because the scoring is done for you. However, you will be asked for your email address.
I think most people could benefit from reading this book. Even if you think you haven’t experienced trauma, you may learn that you have been affected by past events more than you realized. This book will also help you better understand why other people might behave the way they do.
I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review, but I also purchased my own copy.
April 2, 2024
An interesting and insightful book about the effects of trauma on the physical body. I'm still surprised by how much I already thought I knew about trauma yet how there is always still so much to learn. This is a logical book to read if you already worked through understanding the roots of trauma, as this book is more focused on the physical effects and how to heal them.
This book is very clear and practical, and very accessible for people who are new to this subject. She explains the different types of trauma (developmental, (c)ptsd, intergenerational, etc.) and gives examples, then goes through the various behaviours we might showcase as a result of trauma. One chapter is dedicated to self-assessment through tests, which makes it easy to find out what is relevant for you and where you might need to work on. The last chapter consists of practical advice and exercises to heal yourself. Ilene argues that somatic experiencing (therapy focused on the body) is enough for healing your trauma and that talk therapy often only retraumatizes people. I don't agree with this point. Though I do agree that often talk therapy is not enough, I think this depends on the type of trauma and varies per person.
I've read a lot about trauma, specifically on the mind, and worked through that in therapy, but have never given much attention to my body in the past. As I've been working on creating a healthy relationship with my body, I'm noticing the effects that physical practices such as mindfulness, yoga and acapunture have on my mind, through my body. This book has been a helpful addition in realizing the detachment I had to my body and how to heal from it. I believe this book could be beneficial for anyone, as trauma manifests in different ways and everybody has some sort of trauma. You'd be surprised of the things you do unconsciously!
[will update this review later w some quotes as I dont have the book with me rn]
This book is very clear and practical, and very accessible for people who are new to this subject. She explains the different types of trauma (developmental, (c)ptsd, intergenerational, etc.) and gives examples, then goes through the various behaviours we might showcase as a result of trauma. One chapter is dedicated to self-assessment through tests, which makes it easy to find out what is relevant for you and where you might need to work on. The last chapter consists of practical advice and exercises to heal yourself. Ilene argues that somatic experiencing (therapy focused on the body) is enough for healing your trauma and that talk therapy often only retraumatizes people. I don't agree with this point. Though I do agree that often talk therapy is not enough, I think this depends on the type of trauma and varies per person.
I've read a lot about trauma, specifically on the mind, and worked through that in therapy, but have never given much attention to my body in the past. As I've been working on creating a healthy relationship with my body, I'm noticing the effects that physical practices such as mindfulness, yoga and acapunture have on my mind, through my body. This book has been a helpful addition in realizing the detachment I had to my body and how to heal from it. I believe this book could be beneficial for anyone, as trauma manifests in different ways and everybody has some sort of trauma. You'd be surprised of the things you do unconsciously!
[will update this review later w some quotes as I dont have the book with me rn]
April 23, 2024
Ilene breaks down somatic experiencing through an educational, personal, and practical lens - which I appreciate as I believe the interventions we apply as therapists have to be realistic and applicable as much as they are therapeutically sound.This gives a brief insight and introduction into somatic therapy through education on what somatic therapy is, the purpose and benefits of it, and some beginner and more advanced techniques to utilize as well. She also advises certain cautions with these techniques/therapy and knows that some things go beyond the scope of this book.
You can feel the peace that Ilene writes this book from as it seemingly comes from her practices of everyday acceptance of herself, her body, and her emotions through leaning into her emotions and pain as opposed to running from it or fighting it.
“When we are in pain and suffering, we want to find relief, a way out. Here’s the thing, though: for as counterintuitive as it may feel, what we really need to find is a way into our psychological pain. The more we try to escape the pain, the worse we make it. We are not allowing ourselves to move through the grief, loss, fear, or whatever else it is that needs to be processed and integrated into our nervous system. Just think about that happens when you push against a heavy object as opposed to leaning into it. When we push, we only get more resistance. It will push back. However, when we allow ourselves to instead lean in, we can relax, exert less effort, and experience far less resistance.”
You can feel the peace that Ilene writes this book from as it seemingly comes from her practices of everyday acceptance of herself, her body, and her emotions through leaning into her emotions and pain as opposed to running from it or fighting it.
“When we are in pain and suffering, we want to find relief, a way out. Here’s the thing, though: for as counterintuitive as it may feel, what we really need to find is a way into our psychological pain. The more we try to escape the pain, the worse we make it. We are not allowing ourselves to move through the grief, loss, fear, or whatever else it is that needs to be processed and integrated into our nervous system. Just think about that happens when you push against a heavy object as opposed to leaning into it. When we push, we only get more resistance. It will push back. However, when we allow ourselves to instead lean in, we can relax, exert less effort, and experience far less resistance.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2024
Ilene breaks down somatic experiencing through an educational, personal, and practical lens - which I appreciate as I believe the interventions we apply as therapists have to be realistic and applicable as much as they are therapeutically sound.This gives a brief insight and introduction into somatic therapy through education on what somatic therapy is, the purpose and benefits of it, and some beginner and more advanced techniques to utilize as well. She also advises certain cautions with these techniques/therapy and knows that some things go beyond the scope of this book.
You can feel the peace that Ilene writes this book from as it seemingly comes from her practices of everyday acceptance of herself, her body, and her emotions through leaning into her emotions and pain as opposed to running from it or fighting it.
“When we are in pain and suffering, we want to find relief, a way out. Here’s the thing, though: for as counterintuitive as it may feel, what we really need to find is a way into our psychological pain. The more we try to escape the pain, the worse we make it. We are not allowing ourselves to move through the grief, loss, fear, or whatever else it is that needs to be processed and integrated into our nervous system. Just think about that happens when you push against a heavy object as opposed to leaning into it. When we push, we only get more resistance. It will push back. However, when we allow ourselves to instead lean in, we can relax, exert less effort, and experience far less resistance.”
You can feel the peace that Ilene writes this book from as it seemingly comes from her practices of everyday acceptance of herself, her body, and her emotions through leaning into her emotions and pain as opposed to running from it or fighting it.
“When we are in pain and suffering, we want to find relief, a way out. Here’s the thing, though: for as counterintuitive as it may feel, what we really need to find is a way into our psychological pain. The more we try to escape the pain, the worse we make it. We are not allowing ourselves to move through the grief, loss, fear, or whatever else it is that needs to be processed and integrated into our nervous system. Just think about that happens when you push against a heavy object as opposed to leaning into it. When we push, we only get more resistance. It will push back. However, when we allow ourselves to instead lean in, we can relax, exert less effort, and experience far less resistance.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2025
I've read a lot of books about trauma, and this is definitely one of the more effective ones. It includes tons of information about somatic experiencing therapy, which is broken down in an easy-to-understand way. There are helpful examples from Smith's practice that also assist in explaining how this modality can be useful for different types of trauma (and the way it manifests in our bodies). I especially loved all of the assessment quizzes that were included. This was an interesting way for me to gauge some of the effects of trauma without getting too bogged down in the science. The writing is personable and educational, and I'm looking forward to doing even more research into this field going forward.
*Free copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
*Free copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
December 25, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve been in treatment for cptsd for about 6 years and after reading through I realize much of the work we have done has been leading up to starting to see my body as a safe body. I am excited to keep going back to this book and see what has changed for me and also this motivated me to have a conversation about more internationally doing body work in my therapy. Would love more suggestions particularly art based to support some of that work and building my tolerance to being in my body.
July 24, 2024
This is a very basic overview of the effects of trauma and mindfulness exercises to overcome it. As a new mom, this book didn't really touch on the effects of birth trauma. In fact, it talks plenty on how the stress of a pregnant mom needs to be overcome later in life, and says nothing about what a stressed or traumatized pregnant mom can do in the moment to mitigate effects for herself and her baby. If you are looking for basic education on trauma, this book is a pretty good start.
September 10, 2025
This book could have been 15 pages long - hell, it could have been an email. Ilene Smith is repeating the same thing over and over again for 100 pages: yes talk therapy is not enough to fully heal, yes we need to listen to our bodies, but how? The answer is in the last 15 pages through the questionnaire and 8 exercices. The rest is merely therapy fluff. I don’t recommend wasting your time on this, nor getting your hopes up.
August 2, 2020
A bottom-up perspective to trauma therapy. While I enjoyed learning about Somatic Experiencing, I felt the book was bereft on what the actual practice entails, except for some suggested exercises at the end of the book.
A very interesting perspective on trauma treatment, but perhaps there are more detailed accounts elsewhere on SE and exactly what it's practice entails.
A very interesting perspective on trauma treatment, but perhaps there are more detailed accounts elsewhere on SE and exactly what it's practice entails.
November 14, 2020
Simple, moving, honest, and grounded in compassion, Ilene Smith has delivered what she promised: a clear and concise road map to taking account of the wounds that hold you back and the steps to start you on the road to healing. Smith's love and mindfulness jumps off every page; a tantalizing invitation to a life unburdened by trauma and fear.
April 9, 2023
I thought this was had good explanations of what it is like to experience trauma and how it affects our minds/bodies. I liked the descriptions of somatic experiencing for therapy. The evaluations in it were...blah. I don't know that they were that helpful. Other than that I thought it was a very good book.
June 6, 2020
Interesting read, easy to understand, has healthy living tips to deal with stress and trauma.
My Review
My Review
February 26, 2024
A decent introduction to how trauma occurs in and affects the body, but lacks solutions. This is a nice book for people who are new to studying/healing trauma, but will offer nothing new for more advanced healers.
July 25, 2020
A good book about healing trauma that has been unconsciously stored in the body. The author includes assessments and practical exercises.
August 9, 2021
An sich een goed boek over dit onderwerp, maar voor mij persoonlijk stond er weinig nieuws in.
August 20, 2021
Currently on a kick of reading about trauma held/locked in the body and how to process it. This was an excellent addition to 'The Body Keeps the Score' and Gabor Mate's work.
December 1, 2021
Interesting reading
An interesting way (and for me a new one) to look at trauma. Very enlightening and, hopefully, helpful for me.
An interesting way (and for me a new one) to look at trauma. Very enlightening and, hopefully, helpful for me.
June 5, 2022
very useful, my first intro to healing and somatic therapy. I wish the book could be more in-depth and longer
September 5, 2022
Brilliant book that really helped me progress onto a path of healing.
September 23, 2022
Helpful book, very quick read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2024
it’s great as an introductory to body work but it honestly felt like just a lot of talking around the same point with no depth to it
March 23, 2024
Insightful, helped me to make sense of things that have been bothering me. Slightly repetitive. Could have been written shorter.
September 22, 2024
Simple reading and extremely helpful advice on how to move forward
The questionnaires were an eye opener for me
The questionnaires were an eye opener for me
October 1, 2024
4.5⭐️
I’m hopeful some exercises from this book will help me.
I’m hopeful some exercises from this book will help me.
January 2, 2025
Easy read with some useful takeaways!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews