Principlev1
Allow the body to complete interrupted defensive responses
Allow the body to complete interrupted defensive responses through deliberate movement to resolve emotions stored as incomplete action patterns.
Why This Is a Principle
Derives from Emotions prepare the body for specific physical actions (emotions prepare for action), Physical movement can complete physiological action (movement completes action sequences), and Trauma recalibrates the nervous system's threat detection to (trauma recalibrates threat detection and weakens prefrontal-amygdala connectivity). The principle from Levine's somatic experiencing prescribes completing the movements that were initiated but interrupted - the fist that wanted to strike, legs that wanted to run.