If you have thought about doing “trauma work”, chances are you’re afraid that it will bring up emotions and pain that you’ve been trying to suppress. Nine out of ten people think about therapy but never do so out of fear.
My casual definition of trauma is anything that happened to us in the past that when we think about it brings up negative thoughts, intense emotions, body reactions, and/or physical pain.
Perceived trauma triggers our limbic system, in the subcortical part of our brain, which is where we have our fight, flight, and freeze responses. With that impact, there is always an emotional and physical reaction. Yet, typically, we stuff those emotional reactions as far back in our mind as we try to ignore it. One of the biggest societal lies we tell ourselves is “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”. That is simply not true! What it does do is create new neurological patterns to help you survive in the environment we are in. Usually, those patterns become unhealthy patterns that limit our lives, causing us additional life challenges.
Those unhealthy patterns can make you hypervigilant, afraid, and unable to enjoy the good things in life like peace, contentment, happiness, and living-in-the-moment. You may development addictions, obsessive thoughts, communication problems, anger issues, and/or PTSD. Scientifically it has been found that stressful experiences sensitize people to future traumas that actually increase the likelihood of developing a mental and/or a physical health disorder. The Adverse Childhood Experience Study has shown that those who have 4 or more adverse childhood experiences by the age of 18, without intervention these people statistically will have health and/or mental health issues by midlife.
Trauma work is about illuminating unconscious, unexpressed reactions that show up as triggers in the subcortical brain causing negative thoughts, unwanted physical reactions, pain, health issues, and even dissociation. Possibly, you’ve had Talk Therapy before, and it hasn’t worked. That’s because trauma is recognized by the limbic system in your brain, which doesn’t recognize language or time. The limbic system in the brain is 10x faster than the neocortex which is where higher order brain function resides including thought and language. So, the triggers occur before the neocortex even recognizes them. Furthermore, Talk Therapy never releases what is causing the triggers. Often it is like being a hamster running on the wheel going nowhere. Fortunately, there are psychotherapies that do work with the subcortical brain, reaching the limbic system, and helping to release traumas and the energy around them.
Maybe you have worried about becoming overwhelmed with those memories. The good news is that those same psychotherapies can reduce the disturbance as it is being processed. Plus, you don’t have to talk about the trauma while your body naturally releases it, making therapy no longer a scary thought.
As you heal you will be ready to move forward in creating a life that brings you contentment and joy. You can expand your possibilities and horizon using the same therapies that helped you heal so you can reclaim the activities that you used to enjoy, experience healthier communication, and delight in a newfound passion for life you are creating. As you have released those traumas, Empowering To Thrive is here to help you along this journey with coaching and consultation to expand your horizons as your build the life you deserve and desire.