Navigating Trauma Mindful and Embodied

To say that we are collectively navigating a highly traumatizing time is an understatement.  

The pandemic, racism, political strife, a country divided, wildfires consuming forests and communities, millions out of work, a broken and corrupt system, the impacts of social isolation, businesses and schools shutting down again….to just skim the surface.  

Trauma is in the field and must be worked with.  

If we choose to ignore what’s surfacing for us, what’s moving through our bodies, our hearts, and our souls, to allow our nervous systems to remain on high alert, to become so stressed that we become ill, we are unnecessarily zapping our potential as humans.

We can indeed meet these times whole and intact with ourselves yet it requires an immense amount of awareness and work to sustain.  

This is my life’s work.  I am passionate and committed to supporting others in their healing so that they may navigate life in a way that is compassionate, awake, present, embodied, and whole.  

No matter what has unfolded in your life, the level of trauma you have experienced in your world, the amount of angst that you are currently feeling, I promise you that shifts are possible.  You can heal yourself from the inside out and begin to navigate your life on the whole from an integrated and embodied place.

Honoring the magnitude of the world of trauma, trauma response, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), this blog is offering a starting point.  We must begin exactly where we are in order to meet ourselves authentically and open up the possibility of healing sustainably.  

Let’s begin with a definition of trauma.  At its foundation, trauma is a deeply disturbing experience of any magnitude.  It is an emotional response to events that occur in our lives.  

Trauma occurs to varying degrees and cannot be discounted no matter how seemingly minor. We could have a response to a difficult conversation or to something more magnified such as witnessing an accident or a death.  Bottom line, trauma exists in our human experience, it is what we do with these experiences that makes a tremendous difference in how we function.

Trauma has the potential to become embedded in our cells and the tissues of our bodies and can greatly inhibit our ability to show up for our lives.  If ignored, it also has the potential to grave health implications and stress responses.  This is why we must bring conscious awareness to these patterns and actively work to release that which has taken hold.  

It is important to note here that trauma surfaces in layers.  The path to healing is certainly not straight and narrow and requires a consistent attunement with oneself and creativity in how one works with the layers.  We must glean endless tools in our toolbox to meet these varying moments and remembering that the human experience on the whole is diverse, vast, and unique.  

With each experience that emerges we have the opportunity to feel into, unwind, and heal a layer.  This is not to say that that layer will not show itself again but I can attest that the flavor will be altered and a new approach may be necessary.  

This is the dance.  We are impacted by a traumatic experience, we take it into our being (or not), and then we work to unwind it.  

Trauma doesn’t have to run the show and it is critical to treat ourselves with reverence as we move through the various layers.  It is a process and requires patience, a commitment to oneself and our unique path, perseverance to keep going when it gets hard, and an unwavering devotion to healing and wellness.  

We cannot talk about trauma without breaking down our nervous system function.  Our nervous systems are greatly impacted by the effects of trauma and it is critical to work within this framework in order to create a system of stability and ground. 

I would imagine that most of you have heard about the “fight or flight” response (Sympathetic) as well as the “rest and digest” (Parasympathetic) components of our nervous systems responses to stressors.  The key is to find that balance between the two and to not allow our sympathetic nervous systems to become the leaders of our ability to manage our experiences.  

Doing whatever we need to to create practices and opportunities to bring our systems back into “rest and digest” and tap into the wisdom of our parasympathetic nervous systems is essential to avoid the negative impacts of trauma and stressors.  

The first step is to bring awareness into the system and your ways of meeting varying experiences of input.  We begin to track our state of being in regards to our nervous system response and begin to take action to calm ourselves through various means. 

The Sympathetic Nervous System is in direct relation to that of a gas and brake pedals being pressed and released rapidly and sporadically.  Just envision yourself operating by that scenario and how that feels.  I imagine most of us can feel that in our beings as a direct result of this year’s unfolding.  

Now imagine oneself tapping into the calm of the Parasympathetic System. Can you feel what the possibility of what that feels like to be meeting challenging moments with equanimity and an unwavering sense of inner peace?  I honor that this may be quite far-fetched for you in this moment, however, I assure you that it is possible with longevity of practice and a strengthening of inner muscles that are accessible to all.  

Let’s dive into some basic, simple, and tangible ways of working with trauma, stressors, and overall nervous system regulation.  I want to say here that varying degrees of trauma involve varying responses.  

This journey is not a one-size-fits-all path.  We are all individuals who respond in varying ways to everything in life.  

Allow this to be an exploration of your own personal and unique pathway towards balance and wellness.  

·      Slow Down: We must slow down and feel ourselves in order to meet our lives with fullness and presence.  When we are working with trauma, the tendency is to want to go into hyper-mode so as to avoid feeling what is surfacing. By slowing everything down we give our systems an opportunity to reset, our minds the platform to shift gears, and our bodies the space to feel what they need to feel.  This is not the time to be pushing through tasks, rather it is the opportunity to bring mindfulness into our movements in the world.  

·      Breathe: When we are faced with a challenging and traumatizing experience the natural response is to unconsciously hold our breath.  We begin to breath shallow from our neck up and do not allow ourselves to breathe into our bellies.  This keeps us out of the present moment and exacerbates our nervous system function.  It is impossible to relax into an encounter when our breathing is short and inhibited.  A tremendous piece of working with trauma and learning how to navigate these experiences embodied is in attaining the skills to breathe properly.  Breathing properly takes practice and a willingness to take some deep breaths in midst of challenge – to re-train our systems to meet life with the whole of us. 

·      Orient to the Present Moment:  Cultivating present moment awareness can look so many different ways.  The basics are to hone in on something in the moment through integrating your senses.  It could be a vision, a sound, a taste, an encounter. Anything that drops one down into our bodies and gifts us with the experience of being in the present moment.  When we are present, the impact of trauma cannot enter our systems.  We have choice in those moments of presence and are able to decipher what is truth and what is story.  We have the opportunity to be our own hero and take the wheel of our own lives.  

·      Make Contact: When we are having a trauma response, we become disoriented.  To reorient we need tactile contact.  This can look many different ways including contact with oneself through touch, seeping our bodies into a hot pool or bath, or putting a weighted blanket or stack of pillows on our bodies.  If possible, we can also make contact with others in a safe environment through appropriate hugs or holding, sitting on the floor back-to-back, or skilled bodywork.  Nature is a beautiful way of making contact with ourselves and can be highly supportive during times of disorientation from trauma.  We can lean against a tree, lay on a large rock, even just the act of holding a rock in our hands or putting a hand on a tree can work wonders. 

·      Rest: Rest gifts our systems with the opportunity to reset and recalibrate.  When we are navigating trauma, it is natural to feel overwhelmed and drained of energy.  It is our bodies cry to rest and restore.  Quite often when moving through trauma our bodies demand more rest.  Honoring this call and giving ourselves the time and space to consciously rest will expedite our unwinding and healing from trauma.  

·      Movement:  Connecting to our bodies through times of trauma and challenge as well as in the aftermath of such events is a critical component of navigating life embodied.  Creating movement practices that are fluid and honoring of each unique moment in our journey, movement practices which meet us exactly where we are in our process, and provide the platform and ground to unwind are important components of this process.  Experimenting with various ways of moving embodied incorporating breath and presence in our movements, getting creative, and training our systems to respond to our choices is pivotal in keeping the energy moving in our being.  

·      Creative Outlet: Tapping into a creative outlet while navigating through trauma and challenging life experiences generates the opportunity to move through these moments more integrated and attuned with who we are.  It is a channel to the Divine and opens one up to new possibilities of living, being, and moving through life.  Our creativity is a platform. It is an experience of inner ground while the swirls of the outer world continue.  Creativity is an opening where we have the possibility to receive answers with subtleness, authenticity, and a deep connection to our inner truth.  

·      Nourish:  Anytime a stressful experience occurs the natural response is to shut down and to disconnect.  Many will unconsciously begin to deprive one’s system of nourishment through food and water.  Simple, yet so important to recognize that when we are in a trauma response what our bodies need are grounding and nourishing foods and significant hydration.  Bringing awareness to this basic need and making sure that you are eating nutrient rich foods regularly and drinking a significant amount of water.  Remember, our bodies are our vehicles for change and we need them to be healthy and vibrant to meet whatever life presents us with.  

·      Trust Your Process: This too shall pass.  Everything has the potential to shift and morph and change at any moment.  If we can stay awake during this process, do the practices that provide us with access to our bodies, our hearts, our minds, and our souls, we create the platform for infinite possibilities.  

At the core of this process is the essentialness to get out of our heads and into our bodies.  When we can orient to the present moment, calm our systems to be able to remain in the present, cultivate the capacity to feel our bodies, our hearts, and our souls expressions and needs in midst of a heightened experience, this becomes our gateway. Our pathway home to ourselves and one that we begin to access with greater ease over time and with practice.  

We can stay awake and create a much difference storyline while in midst of trauma.  

I will share with you an abbreviated story about my own near-death experience vs. other traumatic encounters that I have faced and my personal reflection of the impact of these experiences. 

I am no stranger to trauma having experienced a house fire, abusive relationships, a hideous court encounter, and a near death incident.   Without getting into tremendous detail I wanted to share a piece of the unfolding of my brush with death and my responsiveness to this moment.  

While moving through the other aforementioned events, I felt highly imprinted.  The trauma became a part of who I was, it interfered with my ability to be present, it haunted me at night, it impacted my ability to mother, partner, and engage with the world on the whole.  It had embedded in my cells and despite all of my years of personal work and practice, it had lodged and was steering the wheel of my life. 

On my 43rd birthday while traveling alone in Mexico, I found myself at the scene of a “hit” by the Mexican drug cartel.  As the first gunshot pierced the air, I oriented my being into the present and was completely awake and remained as such throughout the ordeal.  I had a moment in the wake of that initial explosion, of recognizing exactly what was happening and that (FINALLY!) all of my hours of sitting on my cushion were aligning.  I did not disconnect and was in the most peaceful state of my life despite hiding on the floor of a dirty Mexican hotel room not knowing if I would make it back home to my beautiful son.  

That twinkling was pivotal in my personal awakening and literally shot me back into my body and gifted me with a much-needed moment of perspective.  

I emerged from this brush with death embodied, awake, present, and grateful.  The trauma did not enter my being and I did not have any PTSD as a result.  While the previous experiences that I had endured took residence in my being, this encounter did not.  

Why?  Because I was present, I was right there, I was accessible to myself.  

I share this with you as an example and hopefully inspiration to do the practices that keep one awake and embodied.  To work with your systems to regulate and resource so as to remain connected to your being, no matter what is surfacing around you.  

As we continue to move forward during this year of twists, turns, ups, downs, and high trauma and drama, may we choose to work with our nervous systems to attain balance, equilibrium, and an unwavering presence with ourselves to ride the waves with grace and love.