What is Trauma? |
What is Trauma? |
Trauma
- Trauma is an overload of your system
- Big event or a small experience
- Ongoing or brief
- Current, past or intergenerational
- Only means you are human
- Violations of your mental, emotional, physical or spiritual boundaries
- Experiencing or witnessing inhumanity
- Lack of physical, emotional, mental or spiritual safety
- Lack of support to process something painful, confusing or overwhelming
- Denial or invalidation of your feelings, truth, or felt experiences
- Unreasonable stress or demands on you mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually
- Loss of structures, beliefs or people that have allowed you to feel safe
- Continual uncertainty, unpredictability or lack of control
- Oppression
- Marginalization
- Stigma
- Not getting your basic human needs met
- Not being seen, heard or valued for who you are
How does trauma happen? |
How does trauma happen? |
How does trauma affect us? |
How does trauma affect us? |
- I can never slow down
- I must always be doing and achieving
- I have to make sure nothing bad ever happens
- I can’t cope
- I’m not safe
- I can’t trust myself
- I can’t trust others
- The world is unsafe
- I am alone
- I am fake
- There’s something wrong with me
- I cannot tolerate sitting honestly and soberly with my self, my feelings and my thoughts
- I’m bad
- I’m worthless
- I’m not decisive enough, not easy going enough, not socially skilled enough, not fun enough, not normal enough, not ______ enough
- I don’t ask for help
- I don’t deserve help
- It’s all my fault
- I have no energy
- I can from instantly flip from zero to rage/panic/run/freeze when I get triggered
- My memories are like live wires in my brain and body
- You are seen and heard and understood, and you are not alone
- You are real and your experiences are real
- None of this means anything negative about you as a person
- You are human
- You are not responsible for the inhumane or scary things that happen to you or to your community
- You deserve help
- Memories can become memories and not constant torture or triggers
- You have options and choices and power
- You can learn to tolerate your own feelings
- You decide how much trauma we process
- You decide the pace of our work together
Elements of Healing |
Elements of Healing |