Healing From Significant Trauma

This meditation is created to offer some relief for those who are experiencing significant trauma and are perhaps overwhelmed by the crippling effects left behind after a profoundly damaging event.

Due to the nature of this meditation, there will be very little space between directions. It is my hope that you will feel well-supported through this journey. And of course, further work with a therapist can be effective to support your emotional wellness journey. You are not alone.

I will begin with a talk about trauma, and explain the purpose of this offering. I hope that you can find some relief and as always, I welcome your feedback.

Transcript

Hi,

My name is Karen.

This meditation is created to offer some relief for those who are experiencing significant trauma and perhaps are feeling overwhelmed by the crippling effects left behind after a profoundly damaging event.

Due to the nature of this meditation,

There will be very little space between direction.

Here is my hope that you will feel well supported through this journey.

And of course,

Further work with a therapist can be effective to support your emotional wellness journey.

You are not alone.

I will begin with a talk about trauma and explaining the purpose of this offering.

I hope that you can find some relief and as always,

I welcome your feedback.

We often think of trauma as an event or series of events.

I suppose that might be because we often link the word traumatic to try to adequately describe an event that may have caused injurious or harmful outcomes as a result of a wound,

Whether it be physical or emotional.

We use the word trauma to associate with something that is categorically explained as devastating and perhaps unsalvageable.

But what is trauma?

In fact,

Trauma is the response to a negatively impactful event,

Whether physical and or emotional.

In other words,

We sustain some kind of impact which in turn causes our perspectives to alter in a negative way and our decisions,

Reactions,

Interactions with our universe are now informed from an emotional place of fear,

Distrust,

Pain and confusion.

The trauma continues to cause great suffering.

A broken arm,

The body will heal in time.

The bone will knit together.

There may be scarring if there was damage caused to the soft tissue,

Etc.

So in this meditation,

The word trauma refers to a person's psychological response to an event or series of events that threatens a person's physical or emotional safety.

So how did you react to the moment when perhaps your arm was broken?

How did you begin to behave and respond differently as a result of that injury?

Science speaks of traumatic injury,

Life altering as it alters the body,

Cancer,

Surgery,

Possibly chemo.

And chemo likely causes hair loss.

These are simply the facts.

But how you see yourself in the mirror when the hair has fallen out,

This may be the emotional trauma that you're experiencing.

This can lead to difficulty coping and of course long-term mental and physical struggle.

Emotional trauma is expressed through an altered state of perception which has been created through the association of pain,

Whether physical or emotional,

Which continues to negatively impact our lives.

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will have lingering effects.

And we aren't able to process trauma while we are experiencing it because while the event is impacting us in that moment,

We shift into the sympathetic nervous system.

Fight,

Flight,

Freeze.

In this state we are simply able to react to whatever is happening in that moment.

We move to survival mode.

This is an evolutionary coding in our internal operating system,

Our software if you will.

Our software is coded to survive at all costs.

It is instinctual.

It is what made it possible for your ancestors to survive and it is the reason that you are here today.

You are also experiencing the inherited trauma of all your ancestors and that's a lot to carry.

Our friends and family tell us to be strong.

Perhaps they are also suffering through their own personal trauma.

They may tell you to just get over it.

They may feel threatened that you are attempting to deal with your own trauma and may not be available for theirs.

Codependent suffering.

Or they might feel that in taking the choice to work through your trauma,

They are faced with their own inability to work through theirs.

And it is,

Of course,

So much easier in some respects,

Tidier if we all pretended to be emotionally stable.

It's no wonder people try to avoid dealing with trauma.

But this coping mechanism can create unwanted repercussions later.

And the body is talking to us always because this is where we hold our pain.

If you are shifting into a place of readiness,

The realization that you are ready to confront your past.

This is not a simple one and done fix.

But it is so important to understand that the negative impact of trauma on the quality of your current life will continue.

So it is understandable that the journey begins with the choice to move forward with an awareness of the trauma we carry in our bodies,

In our bones.

So how do we heal the resulting damage?

Bones knit.

Wounds close.

A scar remains.

How do you heal what lies beneath the surface of the bone?

The scars.

We need to get to what lies beneath the surface.

We need to allow ourselves to sit in that emotional discomfort or pain.

And it is the emotional pain that we store in our body.

Our emotional pain can be felt,

Truly felt,

Experienced in our bodies.

Left unresolved,

It can be a key factor in the development of dysfunction in our intestinal gut health.

Scientific evidence has plausibly linked chronic stress to breast cancer in women.

Studies indicate that elevated levels of cortisol,

A hormone which is produced in long-term stress,

Increases cholesterol,

Triglycerides,

Blood sugar,

And blood pressure.

Stress can generate a buildup of plaque deposits in the arteries.

And these are key risk factors for heart disease.

And so yes,

People do actually die as a result of a broken heart.

The result of emotional trauma has devastating long-term effects on our health,

Which in turn has profound effects on our wellness.

Why do we avoid discussing or thinking about traumatic experiences?

The signs of unresolved trauma are very real.

Depression,

Anxiety,

Often both.

A desire to check out emotionally,

To distract or disassociate.

Poor memory,

Which is of course a result of trying to distract or detach.

Irritability.

Sleeplessness,

Or perhaps when sleep arrives,

It includes nightmares,

Feeling emotionally overwhelmed.

Chronic pain.

A sense of frustration.

Flashbacks.

A flashback is a vivid experience in which you relive some aspects of a traumatic event or feel as though it's happening right now,

In the present moment.

There may be a sense of a lack of self-identity.

This is a long list.

And these signs can be experienced in combination.

And the impacts of not processing the trauma,

The emotional and physical reactions it triggers can make you more prone to serious health conditions,

Including heart attack,

Stroke,

Obesity,

Diabetes and cancer.

The list goes on.

With trauma it's common to try and tamp it down,

To push it down and to simply move forward with your life.

This is because it can be difficult and painful to sit within the hurt and confusion.

And avoiding it may seem easier.

So we choose to stay afloat rather than fall apart.

The question remains,

How do we heal from the emotional trauma caused by the path taken to simply allow us to get through something?

The first step is to acknowledge the trauma.

By acknowledging the signs of trauma we validate our symptoms.

These symptoms are our response to trauma.

Acknowledging the signs,

The depression,

The anxiety,

The sleeplessness,

Or perhaps recognizing addictive behaviors which we choose as distraction from our pain,

Alcohol,

Drugs.

There are so many destructive ways and behaviors to refuse to acknowledge what is there.

Processing trauma starts with validating our symptoms as a response to that trauma.

So if you would like to join me,

I recommend that you sit down in a place that's quiet,

A place where you feel safe physically and emotionally to the extent that you're able.

If you're comfortable,

Close your eyes.

And if that doesn't feel available today,

Just soften and lower your gaze.

If at any time this meditation feels too much to bear,

Know that you can simply open your eyes to recall where you are in this present moment,

Grounding to the present moment into tactile sensations of the chair or the floor,

The weight of your hands on your lap,

Or gently tapping on your chest.

Let the sensations draw you back to the present moment and the literal place that surrounds you.

Become aware of the sounds around you and notice the movement of the air against your bare skin.

Remind yourself that you are here right now and that you are safe.

Let's begin with a deep breath in through the nose and a slow exhalation out through the mouth.

And if you're noticing that your breath isn't reaching all the way down to your deep belly,

Don't worry.

Take what breath you can.

Perhaps lay your hands on your belly.

You might imagine just breathing into your hands,

Not forcing the breath all the way down,

But instead imagine that your hands are the entry point of the breath and just allow your breath to find its natural rhythm.

Let's just stay with that breath,

Breathing in and out.

No agenda.

Just feeling the breath,

Gently opening up whatever space is available,

Not forcing.

Instead,

Patiently waiting for the body to trust,

To find ease,

And allowing the breath to change.

Let the body and the breath find each other.

Our breath is such a beautiful thing.

It inspires us with energy.

It opens up all the tight places in the body.

It can heal us.

Let the breath,

Your breath,

Breathe for you.

And with each exhale,

Notice how the breath's tone,

If you will,

Changes.

How lovely and gentle it feels.

We don't need to let go of anything right now.

We're simply breathing.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Let's check in for a moment.

Become aware of your thoughts.

Not one specific thought,

But all thoughts.

So many thoughts,

Not all difficult,

Not all clear,

Not all important.

Just bringing awareness to the quality of your thoughts.

And for now,

If one thought or another is pulling for your attention,

Just acknowledge it.

And then invite the thought to leave,

Letting it go.

Noticing how thoughts change so quickly.

Now become aware of your emotions.

Emotions bubbling up just like thoughts.

Rising,

Falling.

Like bubbles that form when water and oil are shaken together.

No patterns.

Just rising and falling.

Perhaps there is a sense of anxiousness in your emotion.

Awareness of what we are about to move into.

Acknowledge that.

You're safe.

Let your awareness now shift to your body.

Do you notice any areas of tension?

Places of discomfort?

Perhaps there is a sense of congestion or feeling of something being blocked or trapped.

That's all right.

We're just looking at what is present right now.

Become aware of what is supporting your body.

Notice where your hands are resting.

Perhaps feeling the texture of the fabric of the chair.

Or the warmth of your hands resting in your lap.

Open your awareness to any sounds around you.

Not searching for the sounds,

But allowing them.

Acknowledging them.

And then letting them go.

The sounds around us can bring us right back to the present moment.

Just as noticing sensations that you feel,

Such as the weight of your hands.

Air moving around you.

Can you feel the air touching your bare skin?

Can you identify,

Locate the place of your pain?

Maybe hidden somewhere in the body.

In the hips.

The shoulders.

The jaw.

Is it in your heart?

Continue to breathe.

Try now to draw breath all the way down to the bottom of your belly.

You're alright.

You're safe.

You are remembering this pain.

And it feels very real.

Validate this feeling.

You were hurt.

Acknowledge that you were hurt.

There is no need to defend this or explain it.

You have been hurt.

And that pain is very real.

When we remember a moment in our past,

We allow ourselves to return to that painful time,

That memory.

And our body will experience all the pain,

Anger and confusion that was present at the time of that moment.

If you're feeling overwhelmed right now,

Begin to gently tap your fingers lightly on your chest.

Can you feel that?

Tapping your fingers lightly on your chest.

You're alright.

You are safe.

You are recalling this time from the past.

Can you feel your feet on the floor?

Breathe in.

And breathe out.

Stay with it.

You're not alone.

You are safe.

Press your back into the backrest of the chair.

Can you feel that you are supported?

Now,

Can you allow yourself to return to that place of hurt?

Remember that this is something that has happened to you.

And that when this painful memory from your past was occurring,

You were not able to process what was happening.

You did all that you knew to do to survive.

And you did survive.

Continue to gently tap your heart space and breathe.

You survived.

And you are here right now.

Can you feel the air moving against your bare skin?

You are here right now,

Recalling this painful point in your life.

You are a survivor.

And you are so brave to return to that moment,

To this pain.

You are so brave to return to this moment,

To this pain,

To allow yourself to process this pain.

You are choosing through compassion to process your trauma.

Breathe in and out.

You are making strides to understand that what happened to you was not your fault.

You are allowing that hurt to speak with you in the only language it has.

As you recall this painful time from your past,

It's as though you are watching yourself.

You are both watching and experiencing it,

Moving in a haze like a dream,

A nightmare.

And part of you has remained trapped in that nightmare.

You're safe.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Simply tap your heart space.

It's okay to cry.

It is okay to scream.

It is okay to give a voice to your rage and confusion.

And it is okay to simply hold space for this pain.

It is okay to feel this pain.

You survived this pain.

Feel your back against the chair.

You are supported.

You are safe.

It wasn't your fault.

Your inner child couldn't understand what was happening or why it was happening.

Sometimes there are moments,

Random moments of agony,

And you did nothing to bring this to you.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Tap your heart space.

You're all right.

Stay in this place just for a few more breaths and continue to connect to the place where that pain exists.

You are all right.

You are all right.

You are safe now.

You survived this.

You are so brave,

So strong.

You are safe now.

You are safe now.

You are safe.

Begin to breathe in more deeply now.

Place your hands onto your lap and begin to gently pat your lap with both hands.

Can you feel your hands patting your lap?

What does the fabric of your pants feel like?

Can you feel the warmth of your hands?

You are safe now.

Gently.

As your breath returns to a more natural rhythm,

Allow your body to relax into the chair.

Invite any tension that's there to soften,

To melt.

You did so well today.

You faced something that has been frightening you for so long,

That has caused you so much pain,

That has caused you to alter your path to avoid further pain.

Breathe in and out.

Can you hear the sounds around you?

Perhaps a clock ticking or birds singing outside?

Can you hear your breath?

Yes.

Listen to your breath.

You are breathing.

You survived.

You are safe.

When you choose to revisit this painful memory again,

It will still hold the pain of what has happened in the past.

But that pain doesn't need to continue to hold power over you.

You survived.

You are here.

When you revisit this memory again,

You will see that the pain,

The monster,

Is not able to hurt you again.

You can look at it in the face and say,

I remember you.

I can look you in the eyes.

My eyes are wide open and I can see that confusion,

That hurt and rage in me.

And I know that it does not define me.

I survived.

I am here.

And I am safe.

Breathe in and out.

Let your body melt away any of the remaining tension as best you are able.

You did so well today.

You did so well.

When you're ready,

Gently open your eyes and re-presence yourself into this space,

Noticing the colors of the walls,

The textures,

The pieces of furniture.

You are all right.

Namaste.

Reviews

I cannot thank you enough for this meditation. It seems like a miracle that I found it. It is exactly what I need, but did not know to look for. You have provided me with an extraordinary tool for healing that I have needed for a long time. Your approach is brilliant. Your voice is calm and soothing, and your physical cues are very helpful when confronting truly difficult issues. I honestly did not realize for so many years how much I needed to do this and I will continue to use it. I simply do not have the words to express my gratitude, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing what you do.