It is natural to experience significant emotional or physical reactions to a frightening occurrence. However, in the vast majority of cases, these responses will eventually go away as part of the normal healing and restoration process that occurs within the body. There are several things you may do to assist in coping with and recovering from such an incident. A traumatic experience is any occurrence in life that presents a threat to our safety and perhaps sets our own life or the lives of others at risk. As a result, a person suffers significant degrees of emotional, psychological, and bodily anguish that momentarily interrupts their capacity to function properly in day-to-day life.
Beginning The Journey of Recovering From TraumaÂ
There is no such thing as “getting over” a traumatic experience with the snap of your fingers. The process of trauma recovery typically entails doing a series of chores in sequential order. Therefore, in this article, we have compiled for you some reminders that are essential to be kept in mind during different stages of trauma recovery. Read on to get to know them!
1. Trauma Experiences Are Unique
When we are faced with an imminent threat, our responses are fairly consistent with one another; yet, once the danger has passed, our responses might vary widely from person to person. Even within members of the same family, there can be a wide range of reactions to the same experience. You are the only one who can determine how a terrible experience will affect you. You are the only one who can accurately describe how it feels to be in your own body. Nobody else can truly understand (or convey to you) what it is like to be in your shoes.
2. Trauma Remains Within the Body and Senses.
Physical (sleep, eating, digestion), emotional (feelings of pain, rage, humiliation, guilt, survival guilt), mental (difficulty focusing and storing knowledge), spiritual (meaning of life, God), and social systems can all be affected by trauma (relationships with family, friends, strangers). In some respects, we absorb stress and trauma like a sponge. And like a sponge, we absorb it until there is no more room to absorb it. Trauma produces what we can term an “emergency motorway” in the body on a neurological level. When our fight-or-flight-or-freeze response system is activated, sounds, images, scents, thoughts, emotions, and movements are all muddled together. We have been endowed with this rudimentary survival strategy to deal with adversity. When this ability is active, we run faster and fight harder.
However, once constructed, this roadway is permanent. Some individuals have difficulty leaving and preventing themselves from returning. Every time we smell, see, hear, taste, or feel something that reminds us of what happened to us, we are immediately transported back to the emergency roadway. Typically, we are unaware of when our emergency reactions are activated. We’ve traveled this roadway so frequently that it’s like second nature.
Keep reminding yourself that even though it’s OK to visit that road, it can harm you if you overdo it. And if you’re unable to stop yourself from doing it, its time to consider a healing therapy.
3. Personal Accounts of Traumatic Events Are Not Always Helpful.
After experiencing a traumatic event, it is natural to feel the need to recount and retell our tale. Back in the day, therapists thought this was useful and encouraged clients to engage in extended “debriefing.” However, research has shown that retelling the traumatic event does not help alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may even be counterproductive or even dangerous. When we recount our experience, it’s as if we’re reliving it all over again, which cements the memory in both our minds and our body.
Therefore, to deal with the signs of trauma effectively, you must refrain from retelling the event again and again.
4. It is not Always Useful to Hear Someone Recount a Painful Experience in Their Own Words
It is normal to feel the desire to recall and replay our story after going through a distressing experience since this helps us process what happened. In the past, therapists believed that this was beneficial and actively encouraged their clients to participate in prolonged “debriefing.” However, studies have indicated that recalling the traumatic experience does not assist in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that doing so may even be counterproductive or even hazardous.
When we talk about what happened to us, it’s almost as if we’re reliving the incident all over again. This helps to ingrain the memory in our head as well as our body. It is therefore better to opt for a healing session from an expert than go over your trauma again and again.
5. Trauma Survivors Are Resourceful
The minute you faced trauma, your survival system called upon extraordinary resources to help you survive. The majority of survivors are unaware of the resources that allowed them to survive. These resources are not always perceived as “positive,” but they are beneficial, such as the fear reaction that makes you cautious when crossing a busy street. These resources are always there, and they manifest dramatically in times of crisis to help you survive. The finding of these resources after trauma, which therapists refer to as posttraumatic development, occurs at its own pace, sooner for some than for others. If you belong to the latter category, consider the following: What personal resources have enabled me to persevere through life’s most difficult times? What gives me the strength to carry on? The answers to these questions may assist you to recognize resources you were previously unaware you possessed.
We all have resources just by being alive. When we fail to acknowledge our resources, it is not because we lack them, but because we lack self-compassion. Following trauma, we frequently experience feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, remorse, and fixation on “should as/would as/could as.”
6. Feel Your Feelings.
It’s crucial to express your emotions regularly. Harboring your feelings, especially negative ones, causes greater emotional pain and keeps you in the past. I used loneliness to feel closer to my mum when she died. In hindsight, this left me alone and in a loop of unhappiness and unreasonable expectations.
Therefore, one of the steps to getting through emotional stress is communicating your feelings effectively. If you don’t have somebody close enough to talk to, express your feelings through non-verbal ways. This might be painting, writing, or playing your instrument. Creativity is a great way to let go. Throughout my upbringing, a mixture of these activities helped me recognize, comprehend, and release my emotions.
7. Mindfulness.
Practicing mindfulness is one of the greatest tips for healing from trauma. To live more immediately, be observant of your inner world (thoughts, emotions, body sensations, breathing) and the outside world (environment, behaviors toward others). For five minutes, focus on your breathing for four seconds in and four seconds out (you can do this for longer if you have more time). This is a fast and effective approach to quiet your mind and relax. Most significantly, it helps you stay present. Mindfulness may also be practiced by observing your thoughts and feelings. We can think of numerous things in seconds. Most of our ideas are past or future-oriented, pleasant or negative. Thoughts make a reality. Be conscious of your ideas to generate a pleasant world instead of one full of conflict.
I exacerbated my health problems by convincing myself I couldn’t get better. Mindfulness calmed these unpleasant thoughts. My emotional condition affected my illness and recovery, even if medical care helped. Nature may also refocus you. Take 30 minutes to stroll or relax in your garden or trees. Listen to the wind in the trees, leaf litter crunching, birds tweeting, and insects buzzing harmoniously. These noises and the emotions they evoke might help you appreciate the present. Walking reminds me that the earth is my soul, the trees are my natural beauty, and the sun is my inner brilliance. Nature reflects you well. Immersing yourself in it may increase confidence and remind you of your beauty.
Concluding Words
You are not doing the best that you possibly can in any given situation. If you had been given a choice, you might have reacted to the traumatic events in a different way. However, your systems for survival kicked in, and they assisted you in doing whatever it required to keep you alive. Therefore, its no use holding on to that guilt, fear, or emotional pain your trauma caused you. Therefore, its no use holding on to that guilt, fear, or emotional pain your trauma caused you.
Yet if you are still feeling trapped and can’t deal with your feelings even though you really want to, theres no harm in asking for help and contacting a professional. Book a consultation with Jacqueline Kane today and get going on your holistic healing journey!
