I was talking with a friend last night and the topic of trauma came up. For her it wasn’t a topic she’d considered relevant to herself, until recently. My friend’s experience is like many, she didn’t understand what trauma is and how it can impact our everyday lives.
A common misconception is that trauma comes from horrific circumstances like war, extreme violence, catastrophic disasters and other extreme events. “My life hasn’t been that bad”. The truth about trauma is that it comes from regular events in our daily lives too.
Trauma is not a dirty word. It is a label that helps us to understand at a deeper level how our life events have affected us.
I think of trauma as a wound that requires our attention to cleanse it, heal it and avoid it in the future.
Unattended our wound may heal, but it will leave a scar in one way or another. Sometimes the scar will be visible, and at other times invisible beneath the surface.
Some wounds are minor scratches that hurt at the time but heal quickly and with ease. Other wounds cause damage beyond the surface and take time to mend. Wounds that happen over and over can stop us in our tracks, take our breath away and our ability to function.
The wounds of our life can debilitate us. Scratches can become infected if left unattended. Wounds below our skin never fully heal the way they were before the injury. Long-term injuries can cause secondary damage in other areas of our body.
Read the last two paragraphs again and replace the word ‘wound’ with trauma.
TRUTH ABOUT TRAUMA
All humans experience trauma in their lives, that is a fact.
The misconception that a catastrophic event is the only cause of trauma can delay your healing, as was the case for me.
It can create a sense of shame, “I just need to get over it, it’s not that bad”.
Comparitinitus can sneak in “They’ve been through more than me, what am I complaining about?”
Understanding that trauma comes from our life experiences, and all humans experience it can help remove the stigma. Acknowledging that you carry trauma can help your healing process. Speaking about it from the perspective of trauma helps you, and others, to see the impact it has on your life.
Trauma is not a dirty word.
Healing Our Trauma
When I began to look at my life through the lens of trauma, I uncovered the repetitive theme of rejection and abandonment.
- I saw how my ‘big’ life experiences of rejection and abandonment had impacted me in ‘small’ ways all through my life.
- I saw why I behaved in certain ways, how I responded to situations and how I saw myself because of my experiences.
- I saw the collateral damage my wounds had caused.
- I saw how infection set in from the invisible wounds I carried, long after the wounding occurred.
I still see it show up at times, but now I recognise it.
Seeing your trauma wounds is like walking into the emergency department and a doctor assessing your condition. Once the injuries are known treatment can be applied and the healing can begin.
Trauma is not a dirty word.
“Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood and untreated cause of human suffering” ~ Peter Levine.
And it doesn’t have to be that way.
Trauma
- Can be healed, but it starts with acknowledging you carry it.
- Can be a powerful elixir of change, but it begins with understanding it.
- Can be the greatest heart opener, but you first need to bathe it with love, cleanse it with gentle attention and compassionately remove the dead tissue.
Trauma is not a dirty word.
Further reading
- What is Trauma?
- Trauma Triggers
- The Childhood Conditioning of our Identity
- Afflictions of Judgment
- The Complexity of Strength
- Science & Soul
- Life After Trauma
- Our Childhood Shapes our Identity
- Soul Authenticity
- Your Who Am I
How We Can Help
At Journey Home to Soul we help people to heal from their trauma, using a variety of ways.
