Trauma turns your life upside down.
Trauma can make you feel like part of you is lost, stuck in the past, or gone altogether. The beauty of life has been replaced by fear – or you might not remember a time when you weren’t afraid. Your most sacred resource – your trust in yourself – has been stolen or was never given the sense of security required to anchor and flourish properly.
You find yourself constantly on edge, scanning for threats, having intense reactions to minor stressors, or feeling nothing at all. These are the marks of trauma: its residue, its energetic footprint.
Did you know that “live,” spelled backward, is “evil?” This captures how I think about trauma. Trauma is the reverse manifestation of life; it separates, stagnates, and cuts us off from our life force. It creates freezing energy, leading to withdrawal. Indigenous psychotherapist Eduardo Duran frames trauma as a soul wound, a shattering force that disconnects a piece of the soul from its core.
Trauma recovery is about retrieval, integration, and circulation – reversing that stuck, frozen, fractured “evil” energy back into a “live” and vibrant force, reuniting the part with the whole.
Overcoming trauma requires a holistic approach.
Trauma affects the whole person, meaning its symptoms ripple through the mind, heart, body, and soul.
Our approach to dealing with trauma must be integrative, addressing all these levels. The approach I use includes four modalities designed to help you explore how trauma impacts your mind, body, and your view of yourself and life.
Learn to develop a new narrative.
I use Narrative Therapy to help you explore how your narratives about yourself and the world have been shaped by trauma. Such narratives have the potential to expose you to lingering PTSD symptoms.
By examining and reframing these narratives, you can free yourself from thought patterns that trigger symptoms, address the root of the trauma, and gain new perspectives that promote healing, resilience, and new possibilities for your life.
This approach empowers you to reclaim your identity and agency, reshaping your relationship with the past and creating space for a more fulfilling future.
Engage with all parts impacted by trauma.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is designed to help you identify and engage with the different parts of yourself affected by trauma.
What defense mechanisms has your system adopted to protect itself – such as hypervigilance, social anxiety, depression, or addiction? These behaviors are often limited forms of protection that may no longer serve you. By identifying, understanding, and nurturing these parts, we can facilitate healing and integration within your internal system.
IFS fosters self-compassion and understanding, helping you navigate and reconcile internal conflicts related to your trauma.
Connect mind and body.
Somatic Inquiry teaches you how to focus on the bodily sensations and memories associated with your trauma.
By tuning into your body’s signals and practicing mindfulness-based techniques, you can release stored tension, increase your tolerance and resilience to stress, and promote physical healing.
This approach encourages a deeper connection between your mind and body, facilitating the release of trauma and enhancing overall well-being.
Dig deeper to identify the connections.
Traumatic experiences can impact your beliefs. Through Spiritual and Existential Inquiry, we will explore the deeper meanings and beliefs surrounding your traumatic experiences.
Examining your relationship with concepts like purpose, connection, and loss can help you find clarity and healing.
Such exploration fosters a sense of meaning and resilience, helping you navigate your trauma with greater insight and hope.
Therapy can help you process your trauma.
Trauma can feel like the end of the world as you know it; however, your journey of recovery offers a profound opportunity for transformation. By identifying the disruptive roots of trauma and understanding how they affect your connection to life, you can begin to heal.
Using the modalities described above, you can reclaim your narrative, nurture your inner self, release physical tension, and explore deeper meanings behind your experiences. This holistic approach not only empowers you and fosters self-compassion but also opens the door to post-traumatic growth, allowing you to emerge from your struggles with newfound strength and perspective.
Remember, recovery from trauma is not just about reclaiming lost parts; it’s about reintegrating them into a fuller, more vibrant existence. As you embark on this journey, know it is a testament to your resilience and commitment to living a genuinely vibrant life.
Get started by booking a free consultation!