“Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the event itself. They arise when residual energy from the experience is not discharged from the body. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.”
What is Trauma?
As Peter Levine says in the quote above, it is not enough to process a traumatic event with our minds. The trauma is experienced in the body and it is there that the experience will reside, affecting us daily, until such a time as we are ready to release it. Our nervous system has evolved over millennia as a tool to keep us safe. But when we have experienced something that overwhelmed us we can often get stuck in a heightened fight, flight or freeze state, continuing to experience danger even though the initial threat has passed. This leaves us little energy to enjoy our life and our relationships as we are fighting a daily internal battle to feel safe.
There are multitudes of trauma that can occur in our lives such as birth trauma, traumatic events, including accidents, bereavement, violence and war, developmental trauma where a parent was unable to care for us in the way we needed, or repeated stressful incidents that culminate in a traumatic way of experiencing an aspect of life. These traumas become trapped in the body because when they happened we simply didn’t have the resources to process and release them. With support and guidance these experiences and associated emotions can be released from the body, freeing us to enjoy a full, connected life, free of the symptoms of trauma.
The Tools
The tools I have found most effective for working with trauma of any kind are CranioSacral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing® and The Safe and Sound Protocol.
For more information about The Safe and Sound Protocol, please click here.
CranioSacral Therapy works directly with the nervous system of the body to release trauma, from the tissues. The gentle touch of CranioSacral Therapy is often able to support the body in releasing stored emotions and physical tensions and restoring a deep level of well-being. To read about research regarding CranioSacral Therapy and trauma, please click here
Somatic Experiencing® was developed by Peter Levine and is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. Using body centered dialogue and gentle exploration of physical sensation, trauma is gradually released from the body. Below is a video of Peter Levine explaining the approach. For more articles and videos about SE, please click here
Putting it all together
In working with trauma I like to explore with you which of the approaches above will work best for you according to your individual needs, schedule and inclination. The Safe and Sound Protocol and Somatic Experiencing® can both be done remotely over zoom whereas CranioSacral Therapy needs to be in person. If you would like to explore how this combined approach might work for you, I am happy to offer a free consultation. Please call 808-889-0777 to schedule. I look forward to hearing from you