trenchant observation about him self and his co-workers when huddled against the wall in a building being shelled by mortars. He noted that, in response to the concussion of an exploding mortar shell, each person in the room startled and assumed a posture in which their shoulders and hips contracted toward each other as if they were going into a ball. He intuitively recognized this as a universal response to danger and therefore instinctual in all of us. With his expertise as a therapeutic body worker, David realized that repetitive activation of the muscles that create this flexion could result in tension building up in these muscles. He also surmised that releasing this tension could have many beneficial effects. With careful analysis, David determined that one specific muscle, the psoas, played a large role in this process. The result is the groundbreaking Trauma Release Process (TRpTM) described in this remarkable book. Application of these exercises throughout the world has allowed clients to achieve a sense of release,

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relaxation, and calmness. Often, even emotional states from old trauma are mitigated. I met David several years ago through an organization devoted to fos tering resiliency and health in returning Iraq veterans. When David told me about his work, I immediately recognized the rationale for the effectiveness of his exercises in healing trauma and chronic back pain through discharging the tension in muscles. Since then we have corre sponded and collaborated on many projects devoted to the healing of trauma. I personally have used and taught the Trauma Release Process to friends and patients with consistently remarkable results.

The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process is the result of David's longj ourney of discovering and perfecting this novel an d widely applicable form of trauma therapy. It serves as a useful manual for learning these exercises on one's own. One of the unique features of the exercises is that they can be learned and practiced as a therapeutic self-help skill, as well used as an adjunct to other forms of trauma therapy. Helplessness is a universal state in the trauma victim, and gaining control of their symptoms, their body, and their life is an essential part of the healing process. This book shows how to achieve this. - Robert Scaer, M D , Author of The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma,

Dissociation, and Disease, and The Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resiliency.

PART I

Mal