Trauma, how would you like yours served??

Straight up??

I prefer mine unravelled :)

Trauma - we all have it, we all have parts of our soul and psyche in need of deep healing, and that doesn't mean we should all feel or look like a basket case :)

It's more about the ways our natural ways of responding to and interacting with the world are influenced (exaggerated, inhibited etc) by past events, that in turn gets in the way of us freely expressing and experiencing in the world.

These responses can be totally appropriate in the moment but a dis-regulated nervous system might take us too far for the situation we are actually in (influenced by past traumas), or stay in the response beyond what is needed for safety.
These responses can become overwhelmingly strong, they can also become habitual responses (unrelated to the current event) and get wrapped in our persona - who we believe we are.

One that is missing from this otherwise good diagram is the "fawn' response which refers essentially to people pleasing - obsessive teachers pet, overly trying to please parents/ partners/lovers at the expense of selfhood, leaving us at a loss - perhaps stuck in childlike states that might show up in our voice, behaviours and life choices for example (this is not an exhaustive list by any means).

Here is a great article from The MIghty on these states - especially Fawn.

There are many ways to work your nervous system and heal your trauma, and from my journeys through Yoga and Breathwork, healing our trauma is what I find to be the key that sets us free , allowing us to be present to ourselves, which is a requirement to be fully present in the moment and the world.

If we don’t address our trauma and our shadow, we are very inclined if not driven into the escape methods the trauma in our life has predisposed or driven us to.

Have a look at this great diagram showing the states and behaviours that are our natural trauma responses (fawn is missing - check the link above for that one)

Remember - Thomas Hubl describes trauma beautifully, as the bodies way of coping with overwhelming circumstances, the earliest stages of a natural healing sequence that we can engage with consciously ( by choice) through healing practices such as Rebirthing Breathwork, healing/integrative forms of yoga, somatics/feldenkrais ( I include elements of these approaches in my practice and classes - like slowing down, they are game changers!), acupuncture, gut healing (yes, this has a huge impact on your nervous sytem, and vice versa!)

There are many paths, one important caveat with healing though is that your body and nervous system will heal in their own time frame, even as you consciously engage in self healing.

Pushing can re-traumatize your system - gently does it, and working with sensitive trauma aware therapists that you like is a must.

You and your body have to feel safe and relaxed… no matter how good or recommended the therapy/therapist is, with out feeling safe and relaxed, you will not be able to integrate you triggers and trauma.