Healing our Trauma

As someone who has spent a great deal of time diving deep into my behavior patterns and where they stem from I can honestly say that the most beneficial undertaking is that of trauma healing. I've put great effort into my healing journey for much of my adult life and always hit a wall, wondering why I would continue to stumble back into old behaviors that do not serve my highest good. One way that trauma has been expressed in my life is through my relationship with food. I have lost tons of weight only to regain it all and more, over and over again. I have a B.S. in Health and Wellness and an M.A. in Health and Wellness Coaching so it certainly isn't due to a lack of knowledge surrounding how to eat well or move my body. It baffled me for years and finally I am seeing the forest from the trees. Unhealed trauma is stored in the body and when trauma is triggered it expresses itself in many coping mechanisms that likely once protected us but is no longer helpful. If you're like me this leads to shaming ourselves and compacting the pain and frustration even more but does not lead to changed behavior. We cannot shame ourselves into reacting to life in a more healthy way long-term.

Now trauma can stem from a lot of things besides for the most obvious experiences such as abuse or witnessing horrific events. It can come from neglect or a lack of security as far back as infancy. It can come from being raised on shame or even being bullied without having a loving parent to confide in. I highly suggest looking into the teachings of Gabor Mate. You can find his videos on YouTube and he has excellent books that are incredibly insightful. I hope that with the help of him and others we begin to revolutionize the way we view addiction and how our health and criminal system treats those who struggle. Again addiction can be much more than using substances. It can show up as codependency or workaholism. Our relationship with food and even shopping can also fall under this term. Trauma is the actual gateway drug. The unresolved pain, the ways we relate to the world around us, and the inadequate healthcare system that often fails to treat the root of the problem leads to hopelessness and a desperation to escape the present moment and the feelings that go along with it.

Trauma happens when we cannot handle the intensity of our emotions. We cannot completely comprehend what is happening and our minds and bodies protect us in whatever ways they are able. This brings us to the Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn response. Different situation develop different reactions. This can also create our future responses to similar stimuli. Neural pathways are always being created and develop our knee-jerk reactions and behaviors. Fortunately, neuroplasticity also means that we can rewire our brains at any time with repetitive and deliberate changes in thoughts and behaviors. We can create space to choose differently through mindfulness practices and turning towards the feelings that are coming up for us. We can rewrite our stories. Self-compassion is vital to this process and honoring how much we can handle letting in at a time is as well. Working with a qualified licensed professional who you trust can help this process unfold in the safest possible way.

Now, I am not saying that our efforts towards growth and change don't count until we get to our work around trauma. I'm just saying that processing the trauma will help stop us from hitting that road block that seems to keep popping up out of nowhere. I have not lost all that I've learned through my trials and error. If anything I have grown dramatically and have a well of experience and knowledge about myself and what works for me that I can pull from at any time. Healing trauma allows us to go further than we may have thought possible and frees us in ways we may have never imagined. I know that I have felt stuck, unable to create the life of my dreams many times over. I have only just begun the work of trauma processing and I have a renewed sense of hope and outright faith that I will now be able to bring that life into fruition. I have an understanding of why I have struggled and a deep compassion for how those struggles came to be. I write this today as I felt strongly called to bring this subject up. As a society we do not talk about it often enough. If I can touch even one person and help them believe they deserve to feel true peace and content than that is enough. I wish you all the best and send my love to each and every one of you. Namaste.