An Autobiography of Trauma

Sister Efu grew up in the village of Nganjoni - Marangu, in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Currently living in Brazil, she is an SE™ Faculty member for the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute and a valued member of Dr. Levine's SE Legacy Faculty with the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education, as well as co-creator of AFYA, a Holistic Healing Center in João Pessoa, Brazil.

During the past fifteen years, Efu has integrated the traditional medicine of her family clan (the Nyaki clan) with her SE trauma healing work. She specializes in shock trauma, natural disasters, trans-generational trauma, emotional, developmental, social traumas, and Family Constellations, massage, reflexology, Reiki, and mud therapy. She teaches SE throughout Brazil and has offered her SE skills in Haiti, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Egypt, India, South Korea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, China, and Spain. Prior to becoming an SEP, Efu trained and worked as a Mathematics and Science teacher at Chanjale Junior Seminary in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In 1990, she left teaching and joined the Maryknoll Sisters Religious Community. Her first Mission was assigned to Brazil in 1993. Seven years later she co-created Afya, which means healing in her native language of Swahili; a Women's Holistic Healing Center and a Non-Government Organization (NGO), serving women in the poorest communities of the city of Joao Pessoa. Afya was so successful in its healing mission that it naturally expanded to include women and their entire family unit and is now celebrating twenty years of successful community healing and transformation.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Sister Efu Nyaki is the co-founder of Afya Women Holistic Center. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. Sister Nyaki has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Sister Efu Nyaki has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.

Peter A. Levine, PhD, holds doctorates in both medical biophysics and psychology. The developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a body-awareness approach to healing trauma, and founder of the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, which conducts trainings in this work throughout the world and in various indigenous cultures, with 26 faculty members and over five thousand students. Dr. Levine was a stress consultant for NASA on the development of the space shuttle project and was a member of the Institute of World Affairs Task Force of Psychologists for Social Responsibility in developing responses to large-scale disasters and ethnopolitical warfare. Levine’s international best seller, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, has been translated into 22 languages. His recent interests include the prevention of trauma in children, and he has co-written two books, with Maggie Kline, in the area: Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes and Trauma-Proofing Your Kids. His most recent book: Trauma and Memory: Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past, was recently released to rave reviews. Levine’s original contribution to the field of body psychotherapy was honored in 2010 when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy (USABP). Levine was also honored as the recipient of the 2020 Psychotherapy Networker Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Peter Levine is the founder and president of the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education, the president and editorial director of Ergos Institute Press, and receives a consulting fee from the Meadows Addiction Center. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Levine receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Peter Levine is a senior clinical fellow and advisor to the Meadows Addiction Treatment Center. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Humanistic Psychological Association, and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.