Lots of people live with trauma. From traumatic incidences or abused in childhood, to events or circumstances that cause PTSD, it causes our body to stay in a permanent fight-flight-freeze moment. It means our brains can’t process the fact our traumatic incident/s is now a memory, not a current threat.
Recovering from trauma takes time, and at Watersedge we use a variety of techniques to help our clients heal, like narrative therapy and the Richard’s Trauma Process, which utilises hypnotherapy to re-wire the brain. No matter what you have gone through, the goods news is that there is always hope and healing. Your brain and your body are incredible. They have kept you alive this long, and they will adapt as you move from survival to thriving.
On that note, Janina Fisher, PhD and the team at My.Therapist.com recently sent out a list of Practices for Recovering from Trauma. The free download (available here) offers us 10 way to process and heal from trauma in everyday life. We loved it so much, we want to share it with you! This week, we will share five of Janina’s tips. Next week, we will finish the list. Here is what she has to say:
- How to respond if you’re body keeps saying, “Watch out!”
When you get overwhelmed, scared, angry, or ashamed, assume that your body is reacting to some trigger, even if you don’t know what it is. Where in your body do you feel the triggering? What sensations tell you that you’re triggered? To turn off the warning system, try to focus on something that isn’t triggering.
- How to respond when you think “I don’t need anything”
When a child’s needs are exploited, punished, or humiliated, it’s safer not to have them. Now, years later, you may not know what you need or prefer – until you feel hurt or angry when someone else has not met your needs. Be patient with yourself and those in your life. It takes time to learn what you truly want when you only know from what disappoints you.
- Remember slower is faster
When it comes to trauma recovery, most survivors are understandably in a hurry to get the healing over with or to never think about their trauma ever again. However, trying to push through the memories too quickly or to avoid the past completely can actually slow down your recovery.
- Remember to ground yourself instead of spacing out
The ability to flee to a safer place in your mind was once an essential element in your survival. However, the automatic habit of going away can become a problem when life is safe and stable. Triggers can cause you to space out even when you don’t want to.When things feel overwhelming, practice staying with yourself instead of disconnecting.
- Remember you are doing the best you can
Traumatic experiences can leave behind automatic assumptions that make survivors feel like they are failing, defective, stupid, or inadequate. To challenge trauma-related beliefs, practice building new assumptions, like “I’m doing the best I can” or “The belief that I’m stupid helped me to survive.” Practice these new beliefs, even if you’re unsure they are true.
Check back next week for 5 more practices that will help you heal from trauma. Thank you to Janina Fisher, PhD and the team at My.Therapist.com for providing this free content to the public. We have published a condensed version on Watersedge. To read the original version visit my.therapist.com here.
Do you live in survival mode? Have you experienced a traumatic event or felt threatened and unsafe as a child? We would love to help you. Contact Colleen on 0434 337 245, Duncan on 0434 331 243 for a FREE 10-minute phone consultation on how we can best help you, or press book now and make an appointment.
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