Do you ever wonder how you got to be where you are today? My journey has been an amazing one that has led me to a fantastic life where I get the privilege to assist others toward healing in their lives. If you had asked me 5 or 10 years ago if I would be helping people heal trauma, I would have said no way! The wonderful part of this journey is that I can shepherd others toward healing because of my work.
Reflecting on my path, I can see the stars that led me to where I am today. One of the most amazing things I get to do in my writing, films, plays, and trauma coaching is to help others find the path to the place that makes their hearts sing.
I think one of the places this journey started was when I studied how trauma affects the body. I WASN’T GOING FOR MYSELF when I attended STAR training in 2015. I was attending because I was curious about how Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) would assist educational communities. I never thought about how I was affected by traumatic experiences in my own life. I learned that trauma is the body’s response to danger. In my mind, I did not experience trauma because trauma is enormous, like a big car crash or sudden death.
I learned that my body protects my emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. I did not understand when I re-felt old feelings in my body; it was a response. When challenged, THAT is when these feelings arise; it is the remembering of a hard time that is lodged in my body and my response. This information was mind-blowing; how can trauma be as minor as an emotional response to an email?
I began to learn about myself by interrupting those feelings to heal the past harm.
What was troubling to me? How about the pesky email from a rude co-worker or the person who reminds me of that one relative who made fun of me as a child?
The issues were so subtle that they were not a big deal, just annoyances. How many times do we hear “Get over it,” “suck it up, buttercup,” or “Don’t be a baby about it”?
The wellness tools I needed to give myself began with acknowledging how I felt in my body, mind, and spirit. Recognizing the subtle noticeable annoyances and irritations led to the beginning of keeping the energy I wanted and discarding what did not work for me anymore.
If you are curious about discovering energy that does not work for you, check out the resources I used to begin my healing journey.
Meditation:
Deepak Chopra: Relief from Stress and Anxiety
Books:
Healing Through the Chakras Cyndi Dale
There is Nothing Wrong with You, Cheri Huber
Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience ( Carolyn Yoder, 2001)
From the Center for Justice and Peace Building
