Healing Trauma is Possible
A naturalistic, and neurobiological, body-oriented approach to healing trauma and other stress-related disorders; restoring the authentic self with self-regulation, relaxation, wholeness, and aliveness.
Healing trauma is possible
Many of us have spent a long time trying to figure out what's "wrong" with us. We've tried so many paths to healing: meditation, counselling, religion, yoga, work, recovery, reading self-help books, attending meetings, and the list goes on indefinitely.
If you are still experiencing a deep, unsettled sense of being in your own body, of being in this world...or if you're experiencing difficulty connecting with others or purpose, then it's possible that Somatic Experiencing can help bring you back to connection with yourself, others, and even purpose.
What is Somatic Experiencing (click here to learn more)
What is Trauma
Personal Trauma could be an acute, one-time event…like a motor vehicle accident, sports related accident, or an attack. Or it could be complex and developmental…like being raised in a home where attentive nurturing wasn’t present and/or abuse was experienced. One could be employed in an oppressive workplace or living in an abusive household and/or relationship. There is racialized and sexualized trauma also…where a person is experiencing continual traumas, or microaggressions, based on their ethnicity, culture, or gender identity. We all experience some form of trauma during the course of our lives.
Systemic Trauma. Again, racism or sexism are inherent in our North American culture (along with other cultures throughout the world). Education, healthcare, finance, legal, support services, and virtually every other system inflict some level on trauma on all people, but often the trauma is more acutely experienced by people of color, women, immigrants, people in the LGBTQ community, and people experiencing poverty.
Intergenerational or Historical Trauma. There is a wealth of information exploring the impact of historical trauma upon generations of communities (Passing down history: How epigenetics play a role in the transmission of trauma - Catalyst (cusjc.ca)). Second and third generation offspring of people who survived the Holocaust (Intergenerational consequences of the Holocaust on offspring mental health: a systematic review of associated factors and mechanisms - PMC (nih.gov)), survivors of war and their children, and people experiencing displacement from their homes due to war, natural disaster, or oppression all are examples of potential historical/transgenerational/intergenerational trauma.
Our world is currently experiencing a perfect storm of overwhelming experiences and potential existential threats: climate change, war, pandemics, economic inflation, overpopulation, skyrocketing housing costs, cultural conflict, and political polarization. For some, especially those on the margins and those without support systems, the challenges of modern life threaten to crush us. Our nervous systems have developed autonomic strategies to help us survive. When the challenges get to be too much, we become overwhelmed. We turn to management techniques to help us navigate and survive.
How We Manage Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
When we experience uncomfortable sensations, often labeled as “anxiety” (could also be labeled anger, irritability, restlessness, heartbreak) OR and inability to notice sensations, often labeled as “depression” (dissociation, checked out, isolation), we have “learned” (subconsciously or consciously) to manage. If we are alive today, we are experiencing some degree of coherence or functionality. Our nervous systems have helped us to cope with trauma.
Some of the ways we have managed our uncomfortable sensations: substance use, working, gambling, praying, sex, journaling, binging on television programs, going to church, fighting, going to 12 step meetings, running away, attending therapy, isolating, exercising, arguing, yoga, eating, meditation, stealing, reading and many more.
Clearly, some of these management techniques are more societally acceptable than others. It seems that the more “productive” ones require a lot of discipline and work. I believe that each of the behaviors is an attempt to soothe, calm, manage a dysregulated nervous system. Some seem to work better than others.
Having worked very hard over many years to manage my irritability, anger, anxiety, and conflict, I utilized and applied the 12 Steps, Yoga, Meditation, Inner Child Therapy, strenuous sport, journaling, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, traditional talk therapy, Non Violent Communication, isolation, religion, and more. Despite the hard work I undertook, I would still find myself compulsively overreacting to stressful situations. If I had an outburst toward someone, I would often say, “Be grateful that I practiced yoga and meditated this morning.”
The use of substances is a particularly “effective” management technique. When we are feeling a high degree of anxiety, agitation, irritability, heartbreak…a drink or pill or pipe can provide a sense of ease. Using the substance is often quick, reliable, consistent, and easily accessible. And it comes with a high cost.
Links and More Information
Peter Levine’s Essay on Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing Session: Ray's Story
Somatic Experiencing © (Diane_Poole_Hellers_Intro_to_SE.pdf)
Six Ways to Heal Trauma Without Medication | Bessel van der Kolk | Big Think - YouTube
Western psychology is also exploring a concept that has been practiced in many cultures for thousands of years known as Post Traumatic Growth. (Post-Traumatic Growth | Psychology Today)
5 Somatic Experiencing Techniques That Anyone Can Use to Stay Grounded
What is Polyvagal Theory?
The polyvagal theory, as developed by Stephen Porges, describes the relationship between the brain’s threat detection system and the responding actions of the vagus nerve (pictured to the left).
Much of what we call the fight/flight/freeze responses of our nervous system are described in more detail through the polyvagal theory. For more information, click on the link below.
