A Gentle Trauma-Healing Path Part 3: Get Curious About Looking Within

Then again, he supposed the healing process, in contrast to trauma, was gentle and slow... The soft closing of a door, rather than a slam.”

― J.R. Ward, Lover Reborn

Hello, Dear intrepid students and readers. 

Today, we continue on our trauma-healing path with our third baby step: Getting curious about looking within.

Curiosity as an Important Healing Step

Many people suffering from trauma effects can mentally or contextually understand the harm they survived.  Fewer of these folks will embark on a meaningful healing process that helps them stop destructive behaviors or painful symptoms.

Why? Because sometimes the healing process can seem scarier and bigger than the traumatic events themselves. Often, how you relate to the issue IS the issue itself. You may find yourself suffering in your present life because you want to stop feeling the way you are feeling or acting the way you are acting.

The pain you feel is scary and the fear of having to revisit the traumatic event is just as scary.  To heal from trauma, you don't always have to go back to the event or even remember every detail. Some people only have fragments of understanding while other parts are suppressed.  Everyone is different.

The important part is that you can change your relationship with it, which can mean letting go of the suffering and the triggering responses you may be experiencing in your present life.

It’s challenging (to say the least!) to motivate yourself to dive into that time in your life again, because it’s often so painful and uncomfortable. As humans who don’t enjoy pain, we will often default to what makes us feel better right now, even if our long-term outlook suffers as a result.

So, how to begin to open those (closed, locked, barricaded, and buried) emotional doors without being terrified and overwhelmed in the process of trying to get better?

It starts with a look at your support. 

IF you were going to go back “there” with any kind of success, who would you want with you, holding your hand? What kind of nurturing do you suppose you’d require after a foray into your old wounds? How often do you think you’d want to walk those old halls in your memory, and how long would each trip be?

How can you begin to meet your own needs from that time?  How can you begin to forgive yourself?  How can you release any emotions you've been holding on to?

The beauty of trauma healing is that YOU get to decide all of these criteria. You can ask your higher self to go slow with you and only show you what you can handle.  You do not have to force the process, and you can CHOOSE who goes with you, what you need to keep you feeling strong, safe, and awake, and the type and duration of rest and recovery you’ll require after each trip. 

Your healing journey can (and should) be a gentle and self-directed process with plenty of support and just the right amount of visibility for you. 

Because trauma and shame shrink in the light of day and thrive in the shadows, even thinking about embarking on a healing journey can help crack some light in and illuminate your next soothing steps, almost as if by magic. 

One of these supports could be the power of hypnotherapy or calming meditation, which can dial down anxiety and depression symptoms, so you can begin clearing a path to deeper inquiry and self-discovery. 

I'd be honored to hold a safe space for you to journey down the path of releasing trauma and embodying your highest self.  If you feel called to do this work, schedule your session with me now.

In our next Gentle Trauma Health Path piece, I’ll cover how to use your body for acute trauma relief. 

Until next time, be well, Friends.

Sara and Les

The Mindful Movement

*Remember that trauma-healing often requires a mosaic of recovery modalities. Meditation and hypnotherapy can be useful and effective resources as part of a healing path. Please be sure to tell your medical and mental health care team about any new therapeutic resources you’d like to try as part of your trauma recovery journey. Hypnotherapy and meditation are not intended to replace your current medical or mental health care protocols.

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