Introducing The Tao of Trauma, a new book from Alaine Duncan and Kathy Kain. Order your copy today.
About The Book
The Tao of Trauma: A Practitioner’s Guide for Integrating Five Element Theory and Trauma Healing describes an East-meets-West approach to restoring balance and regulation in survivors of traumatic stress.
This ancient/modern integrative lens illuminates the diverse manifestations of traumatic stress – those ‘strange, rare and peculiar’ symptoms that baffle providers – including odd pain patterns, autoimmune illness, insomnia, obesity, digestive upset, anxiety, depression and cognitive disturbance.
The Tao of Trauma takes principles of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine beyond needles and herbs to inform clinical applications of the latest research from Western neurobiology. It provides approaches that support providers to focus on whole-body balance and regulation and dynamic coherence between systems for five ‘survivor types’.
Experts in Eastern and Western trauma physiology, clinician-educators Alaine Duncan and Kathy Kain combine their expertise to introduce a new map for acupuncturists, medical practitioners, mental health providers, and other body-oriented clinicians to bring peace to trauma survivors, their families and our communities.
Endorsements
Stephen W. Porges
In The Tao of Trauma, Alaine Duncan uses contemporary neuroscience to bridge the classic Five Element model of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine (AAM) with Somatic Experiencing. This integration provides a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the individual’s trauma experience and path to recovery. In this timely and important book the insights and metaphors of AAM are articulately reviewed, interpreted, deconstructed, and linked to the specific neural pathways outlined in the Polyvagal Theory and procedures embedded in Somatic Experiencing. Through this integration a new understanding of traumatic experiences emerges that leads to more effective treatment.
Tara Brach
We are a part of this natural world, and it is nature that heals our body, opens our mind and awakens our spirit. In this pioneering book, Alaine Duncan draws on the wisdom of nature, and charts a rich and trustworthy pathway for working with trauma. By integrating the best of Western thought with the deep teachings of the Five Element Acupuncture tradition, The Tao of Trauma provides a fresh and brilliant synthesis that will be invaluable to both practitioners and lay people.
Jane Grissmer
The notion that human beings participate in nature with its rhythms of night and day; winter and summer was obvious to early Taoist physicians, but is largely unaccounted for in the West. Alaine Duncan has brought these ancient yet modern laws of nature, defined in the principles of Qi, Yin/Yang and the Law of the Five Elements, to her study of Western neurobiology. She has opened new doors of discourse for clinicians and new promise for those suffering from trauma. The Tao of Trauma is a must read for integrative-minded clinicians.
Peter A Levine
In bringing together the Five Elements of AAM, along with a somatically based understanding of trauma, this book fulfills an important role in the deep healing of trauma and stress-related disorders. The insights from this clearly written volume are tremendously important for therapists, bodyworkers, acupuncturists, physicians and other healers. It will also help individuals better understand their perplexing symptoms and find pathways to healing.
Would you like to host a book signing?
Contact me at alaine.duncan@integrativehealingworks.net or 301-806-4003. I would love to share the story of The Tao of Trauma with your office-mates or colleagues.
Webinar
Thank you Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute for inviting me to share the integrative approach to trauma healing described in my book on this webinar.