Trauma and the Body
Written By: Dejanae McCarthy, MSW, ASW
Everyone has a trauma story. You’ve had some experience that impacted you so greatly that you can still remember details like it was yesterday. Whether it evoked fear, anger, grief, sadness, embarrassment, or a combination of emotions, it had a lasting impact that may still affect you today. There are probably subtle changes that have occurred like how or why you make certain decisions, places or things you now avoid, or habits you’ve picked up. I want to help you unpack your trauma story, so you can take back control of how it is influencing your life.
We can all afford to grow more self aware. However, not everyone is ready to “open the box” and dig into what can be really hard to unpack. I remember when I was first invited to begin the journey of “opening the box” in my personal life. To open the box is to begin a journey of healing and facing our challenging past to see ourselves more present and free in our day to day and future. It can be a difficult process, but it is worth it.
Your body is holding your trauma story, whether you're conscious of it or not. Your body’s role is to keep you alive. When your survival instincts kick in, you are kept alive by not processing the emotional weight of being in that moment of survival. While you survive it, your body may still react or become triggered by situations that remind you of that moment in survival. It is important to access healing in the body, so your body can continue to accurately assess danger and keep you safe in real moments of danger and not just memories of those moments.
There are practices like EMDR or Brainspotting that can offer this kind of healing to those who have had traumatic experiences. My training in Brainspotting and experience with it as a client has shown me that we can access healing without the emotional turmoil of restating the traumatic event we experienced. We can access memories in the body and experience breakthroughs by trusting our bodies to communicate with us and then offering it a sense of safety.
You can access healing if you have a trauma story that you feel still impacts you today, whether it be having a difficult relationship with your parents, unexpected loss of a loved one, poverty, racism, oppression, religious trauma, or navigating your identity. You already have what it takes to heal from within, and I want you to access those resources. You are worth the time, energy, tears, laughs, and money it takes to see yourself and your experiences from a healed and sacred place.
BONUS:
Here’s a sample of a mindfulness practice I might lead in a session based on your needs and to grow your awareness of how to tune in to the body.
Mindfulness Practice: Slowing Down & Noticing Tension without Judgement
Find a comfortable position. Start to notice your breath. Sense how your chest moves up and down as you breathe in and out. Imagine your lungs inside your chest, expanding and inflating as you breathe. Now take a deep breath and notice the rise of your chest with your inhale. Hold. Then notice your chest lower as you exhale. Do that a few more times and just notice how your body feels as you slow down to take these deep breaths.
Scan your body for any tension you might be holding. Mine is often in my neck and shoulders. I invite you to notice any tension you’re holding in the body without judgement. Once you notice the tension, be curious. What emotion or stress is being held there? Keep breathing as you notice the tension and remain curious about it.
See if you can tune into the body’s needs from that place. Do you need to stretch? Do you need to cry? Do you need to rest? Do you need to offer your body more softness and slowness? Offer your body what it needs. If you’re unsure, offer a word of encouragement or affirmation. While still breathing, send a word or phrase into that space. It can be gratitude for the work the body does to keep you safe and navigate challenges. It can be peace or love to bring softness and permission to a stressed and maybe overworked place. Breathe deep, release tension, and receive care from and for your body.
Roubicek & Thacker Counseling is Fresno’s premier provider of individual, couples, family, and group therapy. We offer in-person and online remote therapy sessions. Contact us today to change the way you feel.