TRAUMA
"Trauma is not what happens to you, it's what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you."
Dr. Gabor Mate
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Hillary McBride, therapist, researcher, and author says, "Trauma is a Greek word that means 'wound.' In the therapy community, trauma is defined by how a person experiences an event, not by the event itself.”
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Trauma activates a protective response to something perceived as potentially dangerous. This perception can often be inaccurate in a traumatized body. A trauma response can be intense and sometimes lead to intense emotions because the body believes it is re-experiencing the trauma as if it were happening here and now. Trauma can occur as the result of one terrible event, or a series of smaller events over time. All humans experience a certain degree of trauma, but it is the degree to which the trauma negatively impacts life.
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“Our bodies exist in the present. To your thinking brain, there is a past, present, and future, but to the traumatized body there is only now. That now is the home of intense survival energy.”
Resmaa Menachem
It is important to know that trauma is subjective. Two people can experience the same event and one person might be left traumatized while the other person might be unphased. Listed below are some of the warning signs that trauma may be affecting your life. ​
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Anger
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Hypervigilance
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Addiction
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Irritability
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Feelings of fear, helplessness, overwhelm
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Intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks
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Aggression, recklessness, self-harm
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Difficulty concentrating
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Isolation
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Sleep disturbances
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Mood changes
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Fearfulness
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Shame
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Lost of interest in things once enjoyable
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Increased sensitivity (sound, sight, touch)
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Anxiety, depression, guilt, fear, numbness
“You need to let your wounds go down into your heart. Then you can live them through and discover that they will not destroy you. Your heart is greater than your wounds.”
Henri Nouwen
Wherever you are in your journey dealing with trauma, it is important to have someone walk alongside you as you heal the wound and release the pain from your body. I offer therapeutic practices including grounding, guided imagery, healing prayer, silence, mindfulness, and movement/exercise.
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