Trauma can be released slowly and carefully by
focusing on its physical dimension.
The most
current understanding of trauma focuses on the body. Our natural response
to danger is flight, fight or freeze. Trauma is often related to
the freeze response (or
immobility response).
"Trauma in humans can be caused by sexual abuse,
violence, the threat of either, or the witnessing of either,
particularly in childhood. Catastrophic events such as earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions, war or other mass violence can also cause
psychological trauma. Long-term exposure to situations such as extreme
poverty or milder forms of abuse, such as verbal abuse, can be
traumatic."¹ Often these kinds of trauma are classified as
post traumatic stress disorder.
Peter
Levin in his ground breaking book,
Waking
the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming
Experiences, explains how its built into all animals and in our own
physical bodies to become immobile if severely threatened. Animals will than shake after the
danger has passed to release the freeze response and reset back to normal. In humans, trauma is often caused by psychological events or situations, but becomes locked in our physical bodies.
Humans, with our large brains, can
override the shaking response, holding the freeze in our tissues, nerves,
energy and emotions. Cultural and
social values play a large role in holding trauma indefinitely. The physical freeze of trauma can keep us stuck at the time of the original danger. Symptoms can include:
- Re-experiencing the original trauma(s), by means of flashbacks or nightmares
- Avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma
- Increased arousal, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger, and hyper vigilance
Ortho-Bionomy,
Lymph Drainage, Chapman's Reflexes and Energy Techniques can all be employed to unfreeze trauma. These methods help to discharge trauma slowly by releasing
contraction, gently stimulating the nervous system and freeing blocked
energy.
I am
effective in helping clients reduce trauma by helping them to shake at very
small, manageable levels. Often
this requires creating a sense of safety by holding the trauma immobile. I can than carefully support a release into relaxation. Once unfrozen, the client
can become more adaptive and respond to challenges without going back into
immobility.
One key to helpful trauma work is allowing the traumatized area to begin to be felt again. Going very slowly
and steadily is often the best way to sustain the movement back to natural
functioning.
