What is trauma anyway?

Trauma is simply a distressing experience and your response to the experience. There are different types of trauma including acute (one time event), chronic (prolonged exposure to high stress events), complex (varied and multiple events usually with an invasive or interpersonal nature), vicarious or secondary (being a witness), and I will include Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) which involve a wide range of experiences children encounter before having the means to cope with the experiences. Not many people get out of childhood without experiencing a distressing or disturbing event. If you are wondering if you have experienced trauma, then you probably have. The numbers of adults who were physically or sexually abused or neglected in childhood are extremely high. Add to that the experiences most people normalize like being left in a crib to cry, being yelled at, spanked, ridiculed, punished, guilted, blamed, bullied, rejected, not allowed boundaries, not being heard, experiences of loss, mental health issues in the home, alcohol/drug abuse in the home, etc. and if we are being honest, most of us have some healing to do. I recommend Liana Shanti’s Core wound healing programs Mother Wound and Father Wound.

As time goes on, and emotions and memories are pushed down, repressed trauma shows up as physical health issues, mental health issues, spiritual crises, and risky/unhealthy behavioral choices. It can look so different in each of us, but there are usually some commonalities. Many people with repressed or unhealed trauma tend to self-sabotage and not like themselves very much or see their worth. That may look like avoidance, lack of boundaries, codependency, always saying yes, and not taking time or resources to care for themselves. There is usually an underlying anxiety, depressed mood, or emotional regulation issue (In some it looks like a lack of emotions) and oftentimes people try to cope with the symptoms and numb out with drug or alcohol abuse, food addiction, TV, business, or something else. (Continued)

Trauma not only affects our mental and spiritual bodies but can have drastic toxic effects on our physical body. There are many ways that you can support and heal your body as part of healing trauma. Follow me to learn ways to support yourself holistically while working through trauma.