What the Body Teaches us about Trauma
What the mind suppresses the body expresses.
Have you ever gone through a painful or traumatic experience and felt it physically in your body? Maybe you thought it was just a coincidence that your muscles started to ache, your stomach felt a bit off, or fatigue suddenly increased around the time of the event.. For some, the emotional impacts may have a delayed physical manifestation. Though it may seem coincidental, studies have proven that there are indeed physical impacts of trauma and emotions may be stored in the body, which may manifest in a variety of ways.
Here at TCLM, we do not separate emotional states of being from the body. Rather, we view emotions as real experiences that impact the body, just as much or even more than physical triggers to our physiology. Emotions have been described as "energy in motion." Energy that has no space or opportunity to be moved is energy that becomes trapped and stagnant. When this pattern perpetuates, just like physical triggers we can see with our eyes, the trapped emotional energy has the opportunity to take on physical attributes. Some of the manifestations are more straight forward than others, as a direct cause and effect pattern can be displayed.
For example, a person who is grieving may notice they are holding their breath throughout the day. This is a common manifestation of stress or anxiety. Therefore, they may be feeling more light headed or dizzy. In other circumstances, we have seen in many of our patients, the development of long-term physical pain or even symptoms of Fibromyalgia after suppressing a major traumatic experience for years. Once the person is able to develop healthy coping skills and slowly process the emotional impacts of the experience, symptoms often begin to improve. Breathing patterns regulate, cells in the body receive more oxygen, nutrients from food begin to absorb more efficiently, rest and quality sleep increases, and circulation improves. A beautifully healing ripple effect in the body occurs when we allow ourselves to feel, process, and heal from traumatic events and painful experiences. It is often the most challenging emotions to confront that are often those that contribute to illness. The anger that grows into a deep and bitter root of resentment, or sadness that lead to a slow growing state of gray or depression. With support, tools, and a safe space to be heard, we can begin to peel back the layers in order to heal.
Though we cannot control the external events that we experience, we can control how we respond to these, and whether or not we allow them to destroy us or develop us. This is by no means making light of painful experiences; if you have experienced loss, whether it was the loss of a marriage, a business, or worse—a loved one—you know the pain that grief causes. Most of us were not taught how to cope with overwhelming pain or even develop healthy coping skills in response to daily triggers. We do not, however, have to remain gripped by the physical effects of the emotions we feel and often suppress. We can allow ourselves to go through it, even though the logical part of our brain tells us to avoid doing so, in order to heal and grow.
What better way is there to do so than with a group of like-minded individuals who prioritize their mental and physical health in a safe, non-judgmental environment? We have specifically designed one on one and group mind-body medicine visits in order to create this space, where members are given an opportunity to share, discover healing tools, and implement mind-body medicine activities in order to start their healing journey. Contact TCLM to see what options are best suited for you. We are in this together.
