How To Reduce + Heal Post-Traumatic Stress From Your Body : Holistic Therapy
A theme that I have been noticing in my client therapy sessions is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and ways to manage and heal. PTSD manifests in different ways that affect our mental and emotional health such as flashbacks, avoidance behaviours, negative or intrusive thoughts, depression, self doubt and more. The mental and emotional piece involves working through that trauma to heal. Additionally, there is the physical impact of trauma experience. Trauma settles into our minds and bodies and we have to work at both to heal them.
Stored trauma
When you think of a traumatic experience that you have had you may notice that you tend to have lingering pain symptoms that are near the location that the trauma occurred. Sometimes it's a matter of how we are physically responding to the trauma that occurred. For example, you may notice that you have back or shoulder pain or that your posture changes. For trauma that has occurred to your physical body you may notice that parts of your body may be holding onto that trauma. For example, survivors of sexual assault may find that they have a lot of trouble with their gut or you have a lot of back pain. It may be helpful for you to do a body scan to determine the places that you feel ongoing pain. The pain in your body could be completely separate from trauma however, if you have experienced a traumatic experience it’s worth exploring if the unexplained continued pain could be a result of that. There may be an overlap in times where you have been putting your body through a lot of energy expenditure which could activate unhealed trauma. I’m going to share some ways that you can begin to release trauma stored in your body so you don’t need to carry around that heavy energy with you. It’s important that you give yourself time, space and willingness to work on your healing. You can begin with body work exercises but it’s helpful to compliment that with discussing the trauma to process it and find clarity. Usually this is done with support such as a therapist or someone else that you can trust to open up to and that has the skills to walk you through releasing and healing.
Begin a body work practice
Body work practice is essentially working your body through different healing techniques that should help you feel energy and trauma release. My number one suggestion for a body work practice is Trauma Informed Yoga. This particular practice is meant to connect you back with your body. When you experience trauma there can be a lot of disassociation to your body and your mind tends to separate from your physical body. There are many great practitioners out there that are offering this tool. It’s a very powerful way to reconnect and realign with your body.
Tune in to your body
Another great way to heal, reduce or release trauma on your body is to things like taking baths, participate in mindful stretching. Taking baths in particular is a great way to connect with the experiences you are having within your body. It’s a way to practice enjoyment and feeling safe within your own body. Baths can remind us of being in the womb which can help us feel a sense of safety. To up the luxury factor in the bath you can add in things like epsom salts, aromatherapy, play calming music, do a meditation or practice speaking self love affirmations.
Embrace yourself
The final tool I find helpful for physical release is a technique that originated from Peter Levine. This technique involves you embracing your own body when you are feeling trauma. You are grounding yourself by holding your body and taking deep breaths. This helps slow your mind down and calm yourself down so you can process what is happening. It’s a good time to remind yourself that you are safe when you are feeling triggered physically. This technique can also be used when you are not feeling triggered as a way to nourish your body and assist with release,
The three tools and techniques above are just some of the ways that I personally recommend to start your healing work. Of course you can also work with a personal therapist or wellness coach. These tools are worthy considerations that could be helpful on your journey.
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