Healing Trauma: Navigating the Journey with Understanding and Care

February 26, 2024

Trauma is a complex and deeply personal experience that can have a profound impact on individuals. It is essential to approach the topic of trauma with empathy, understanding, and sensitivity. While the effects of trauma can be long-lasting and challenging, it is important to remember that healing is possible.

While talking about your experiences and emotions can be a significant part of the healing process, it may sometimes trigger negative feelings and worsen the situation. It’s essential to take the time to understand what feeling safe and comfortable means to you. This resource will be essential as you navigate through the healing journey.

It is also important to recognize that healing from trauma is a journey that looks different for everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and it is okay to take your time and be patient with yourself. Remember, you are not alone in your experiences, and there are resources and communities available to support you along the way.

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A Somatic-Oriented Approach to Healing

February 19, 2024

A somatic-oriented approach is a powerful tool for self-discovery and personal growth. By listening to the body, we can uncover deep-seated emotions and beliefs that may be influencing our thoughts and behaviors. Observing body sensations allows us to connect with ourselves on a visceral level, gaining insight into our innermost experiences.

Befriending the body’s autonomic state is a practice of acceptance and compassion towards our physical responses, fostering a sense of harmony and peace within ourselves. Understanding our unique story, including past experiences and traumas, can help us make sense of our present reality and pave the way for healing and transformation.

As we learn to listen and understand, it often leads to looking at the relationships around you. Moving towards or away from connection is a crucial aspect of somatic-oriented work, as it allows us to explore our relational patterns and preferences, guiding us towards more fulfilling and authentic connections with ourselves and others.

Embarking on a somatic-oriented journey is an invitation to cultivate self-awareness and deepen our understanding of both ourselves and the world around us. It is a path of discovery, growth, and connection that can lead to profound insights, lasting change, and maybe even a little fun.

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Trust Your Journey

February 12, 2024

It’s completely normal to feel anxious when facing unfamiliar situations or trying something new. Anxiety can often act as a barrier to stepping out of our comfort zones and embracing new experiences. However, it’s important to remember that growth and self-discovery often lie beyond our fears.

One way to overcome anxiety is to break down the task or situation into smaller, more manageable steps. By taking things one step at a time, you can gradually build your confidence and reduce feelings of overwhelm. Additionally, practicing mindfulness and deep breathing exercises can help calm your mind and body, allowing you to approach new challenges with a clearer perspective.

Remember, it’s okay to feel anxious, but it’s also important to not let fear hold you back from exploring all the wonderful opportunities that life has to offer.

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Relaxing at a Red Light

December 13, 2023

About six years ago on a Monday morning, I was on my way to work and stopped at a red light. While I waited, I could see myself looking at my hands. They were gripped tightly around the wheel at ten and two. My hands had probably done that countless of times before, yet this time felt different. I tracked the tension in my fingers wrapped around the wheel, then up into my forearms, through my upper arms, and finally into my shoulders where they held tight and close to my ears.

If my hands had words, they would say “anxious”, “worried”, and “uncertain.” My body was bracing for something in the future. To be fair, my body knew what a Monday at work would be like; chaotic, fast-paced, and many other unknown variables. Thank you body for watching out for me! However, as I experienced this body awareness moment, I also sensed a choice point emerging. I could continue to ignore what my body was telling me or I could listen and respond in a caring and supportive way. I chose the latter.

To begin, I slowly and gently began to ungrasp the wheel and then wiggled my fingers every so slightly. The small movement sent a flood of information through my arms to my shoulders that it was okay to let go and relax. The light turned green and off I went to work, slightly more at ease and a lot more aware.

For the year that followed, I took small steps that allowed me to move in a direction with work that was more aligned for me. I valued my mental, physical and emotional health, a sustainable career, and most importantly, my body’s wisdom. With each step I took, I was communicating back to my body, “I’m listening and I trust you.”

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Experience Life Just As It Is

January 30, 2023

What would things look like if it did not have to be perfect?

I have been exploring this question in different ways- morning pages, meditation, and yoga to name a few. The more I practiced, the more I noticed a pattern.  At first glance, it was a desire to have consistency and discipline in my life. When I dug a little deeper, consistency and discipline meant that I was a good person doing the right things. If I was a good person doing the right things, it meant I would not feel distressed or hurt. I took a pause there. Gotta love self-awareness.

So lately, instead of using those practices to get rid of [insert distressing feeling here], I have been dedicating my practices to welcome and invite in whatever was present. The experience can be intense so when I needed some extra help, I used the Welcome the Wave exercise from the Hacking Your Nervous Card Deck. There are a few steps to the exercise but my favorite part was the phrase, “I will take care of you for as long as you need to stay. You are welcome and safe here.”

For me, it’s less about the outcome and more about softening and starting to open physically, mentally, and emotionally to whatever is arising. The spaciousness of the present moment lends itself to experience life just as it is. All of it is welcome.

I encourage you to give that question some thought and notice what you become aware of.

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Listen to the Body, Notice the Mind

August 23, 2021

Our body talks to us through sensations like temperature (warm, cool) or muscle sensations (trembling, fluttering). When we go through a stressful situation, our body has a stress response cycle (fight, flight, freeze, appease). If something blocks that cycle’s completion, stress and tension stay in the body. By listening to the body sensations around a particular situation, it can support the completion of the stress response cycle and reduce or relieve the stress and tension that it previously held. Give yourself a moment to try this.

Now shift your attention to your mind as you continue to listen to your body. Notice the quality of the thoughts that are connected to that sensation. You might see the tendency to judge it, analyze it, label it as “good” or “bad.” If it’s helpful, write it down so you can stay curious and observe what’s coming up.

This mindful awareness of body sensations and thoughts is a resource to you like anything else. It’s not meant to make what you’re feeling go away entirely, the intention is to lean into your body’s innate wisdom for healing.

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Journaling from the Heart

April 23, 2021

One thing that excites me and makes me curious about journaling is the unexpected “Aha!” or “Oh shit!” moment that can happen. Today was an “Oh shit!” kind of experience. As the words hit the page, I saw myself guarding and protecting my heart so I didn’t go very far into my writing after that. I felt a squeeze and a wobbly sensation in my chest so I slowed down so I could be present with what was coming up. The simple awareness and the sensations that arose were enough for me to pause and offer myself some gentleness and self-compassion. In doing so, it was a reminder to my heart that I’m listening and I’m there for her.

I invite you to check in with your heart today.

What comes up for you?

 

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A Springtime View of Stuck

March 24, 2021

I’m stuck again. The frustration is building in my body, the pressure is there, but no release just yet. Then I remember, the feeling of stuck happens more often than not. When I’m in a more open space in my mind and body, I think that I’ve hit the jackpot and that things will always be flowing. I know it doesn’t work that way, but I forget because it feels so good.

Given that it’s springtime, I reflect on the feeling of stuck in a different way. Maybe whatever will emerge from this sensation isn’t ready to bloom just yet and the tension and stuckness is a sign that things are getting ready. A sense of anticipation emerges in my body. Using my imagination at this point, because the sensation is still stuck, how would it move if it could? What are the qualities of it – shape, texture, color, size?

Springtime gives space to hopefulness, play and discovery. As we transition into this season, I invite you to use your imagination and explore what’s happening in your body in relation to those themes. Go outside and let your eyes wander for a bit. Maybe some gentle movement brings another experience. Perhaps it’s about bringing quiet into the space so you can listen to what your body is telling you (i.e. sensations!). Stay curious and be kind to yourself this season and always.

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Working with Big Feelings

January 5, 2021

Over the past few days, I noticed my emotions come up like a slow moving current that was building in speed and intensity. Needless to say I was pulled in, tumbling around with the intense feelings moving through me.

I asked for help but that didn’t work out the way I thought it would so I got swept into the current again. Reaching out was important but it was as if holding on to the emotions was more comforting. I wasn’t ready to let that go of that familiarity just yet.

Speaking of letting go, Yung Pueblo describes it as “the moment when you are no longer reacting to things that used to make you feel tense…when you can release the energy attached to the thoughts.” After reading that, I noticed a spark of curiosity and hope. That was enough for me to take the smallest step back and notice all that was going on.

The same feelings will show up over and over again in different ways. Next time, I can remember to take some time and space to ground myself in the moment. With intention and practice, I can let go a bit more than the time before.

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The Invitation of this Moment

December 17, 2020

I keep declining the invitation to slow down and practice stillness. I can hear the thoughts come easy like a cool breeze through an open window, “not now”, “maybe later”, “after I do this thing”, etc. It makes me sad to think about because the invitation is actually to be with myself. I hear another thought “But I’m with me all the time!” It reminds me of putting my kiddo to bed last night. I’m reading through a work email and she fusses at me to put down my phone to give her my full attention. I know that she’s right and I get irritated because I still want to be right.

Eventually, I surrender to the moment and accept the invitation. I step away from the never ending to-do list and I start to slow down. First, I get water and I realize I haven’t had any all day. Next, I journal. If I’m going to show up, I’m not bringing this freight train of thoughts with me. With each step I get closer to myself and further away from everything else. My senses get a little more alert. I can now notice my breathing and gently guide it to be slower and steadier than before. Sometimes things happen when I get still, sometimes nothing happens. Either way, I’m happy to have shown up.

Give yourself permission to ease into stillness over time and with practice. Accept the invitation as often as you can. When you accept, you build a relationship with yourself that is rooted in trust and patience.

 

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