Understanding Trauma
I caught up with a friend from my designer days recently, and was reminded of the stigma and lack of awareness around ‘trauma’.
As I was explaining my new purpose and passion with her, she also shared about reading an article on the signs of trauma. She didn't consider herself to have experienced childhood trauma, but could relate to everything that was on the list.
Many people think it doesn’t apply to them and only associate it with catastrophic events and deeper levels of abuse. There may be big ‘T’’s and little ‘T’’s, but, as Peter Levine said “trauma is a fact of life”.
We've all experienced various levels of trauma, we just don't realise, or how deeply it affects our daily lives.
This can start as early as the time spent in our mother's womb. Even then, we are experiencing and absorbing whatever she is feeling and what is happening in the outside world.
We may already have formed the beliefs that we are not safe, or wanted, or loved for example, before we are even born.
Trauma is any situation or event where the brain's ability to cope is overwhelmed. As a result, the brain starts to develop coping mechanisms for the future to try and prevent feeling overwhelmed again.
We try to keep ourselves SAFE and avoid the fight, flight, freeze response in our nervous system.
Unhealed Trauma can manifest as physical, emotional, behavioural and cognitive symptoms.
Examples are:
Physical – headaches, muscle tension, body pain, tight/grinding jaw, stomach issues, sleep difficulties, changes in appetite, shallow breathing.
Emotional – grief, frightened, anxious, overwhelmed, fear, shame, anger, rejected
Behavioural – avoiding and blaming others, comfort eating, addictions (alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping), short temper, accident prone, self-harm, procrastination, distraction
Cognitive – worrying about the past/future, racing thoughts, panic attacks, problems concentrating, forgetfulness, unable to think clearly, unable to make decisions, paranoia
Trauma also looks like:
🧡 People Pleasing (inability to say no)
🧡 Co-dependancy
🧡 Unhealthy Relationships
🧡 Being a fixer/saver
🧡 Taking things personally
🧡 Lack of boundaries
🧡 Never feeling good enough
🧡 Needing to be liked
🧡 Needing to be in control of people or situations
🧡 Abandoning yourself and your own needs
🧡 Fear of confrontation or difficult conversations
🧡 Experiencing uncomfortable triggers
🧡 Being judgemental
Notice if you can relate to any of the above?
Notice if you feel it anywhere in your body?
Notice if any thoughts, memories or situations come to mind?
“The paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect”. Peter A. Levine
Although we may have experienced traumatic events in our lives, we also have the power to heal ourselves from them.
These experiences leave us feeling disempowered, but having the courage to go in and meet ourselves and our pain through a journey of self-love and acknowledgment, we are able to heal and take our power back.
But, you have to be courageous. You're the one you're waiting for!
Self-awareness and taking responsibility for all of our experiences and behaviours are the keys to healing and growth.
We can't move forward if we're still waiting for someone else to save us or say the words we've been waiting to hear.
Do you love yourself enough to take charge of your own life and happiness? 🧡
Transformational Self-Love Coaching sessions can help you to overcome childhood and past life trauma, however that has manifested in your life.
The “I Love You, Me” Method I use in these sessions was the key to me connecting with all those ages of me that was still feeling unsafe and traumatised.
It's been the most incredible, empowering journey!
If you would like 1:1 support in addressing any of these symptoms and behaviours, then reach out. 🧡
📷 @earthartlab
