Trauma

“Trauma is not what happens to you, it’s what happens inside of you as a result of what happened to you.”

- Gabor Mate`

Trauma is the present experience of the past. Trauma feels like “too much,” “too fast,” or “too soon” for our bodies and minds to keep up, resulting in a fragmentation of our experience. The rupture between mind and body happens when we dissociate from it or blame it. Also important to note: We exist in a society where we are taught to override our natural instincts from a young age for a number of different reasons.

For those with anxiety, depression, and PTSD, the body and nervous system can feel like the enemy. However, they are your greatest ally. They want to heal and move forward as much as you do. In fact, they are designed to.

Whether you are seeking to integrate overwhelming emotions, stress, or a traumatic event, deeper healing happens when you welcome your body and nervous system into the experience. They have a lot to say and often just need to be heard and supported in their own natural process, like a river that needs help getting unblocked.

Many people feel shame or regret about how they did (or didn’t) respond during overwhelming experiences. “Why didn’t I say no?" “Why did I lash out?” “Why did I not tell anyone?” The truth is: your body made a choice for you without consulting with your ego first.

Our bodies and their inner workings are brilliant. They make split second decisions that aim to keep us safe from perceived threats (physical, mental, emotional, and relational). When they can’t keep us safe, they aim to offset harm as much as possible, ie. an animal who plays dead because they know they can’t outrun a predator.

When we approach the experience of our body’s natural response with curiosity and compassion, we lift the veil of shame and leave room to truly meet ourselves from a place of love and understanding.

Once we become aware of what is happening inside of us, we can focus on integrating emotions and experiences by titrating the body’s natural responses to a perceived threat. When we build up the capacity to truly be present with ourselves in overwhelming moments, we can complete the response our bodies likely didn’t get to act out in the moment(s) of traumatic impact. With attunement, compassion, and care, we can appropriately place the past in the past and bring our whole system into the present.

The result? Embodiment. Vitality. Security. The energy that once was bound up inside to keep you safe can be released, calming the nervous system and opening you up to options you didn’t have before. The once blocked river of energy is now free to flow in its natural course.