Recovering from trauma is a deeply personal journey that often doesn't follow a straight path. It's a process filled with ups and downs, but there's a hopeful saying that fits well here: "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
In the world of trauma recovery, this saying shines a light on the moment you're ready to start healing, and how practices like trauma-informed mindfulness, yoga, and meditation can be powerful tools in your healing toolkit.
What’s Often Misunderstood about Trauma Recovery
One thing that often creates a barrier to engaging trauma recovery is the fear that you will have to talk about the trauma and relive it.
When using a trauma-informed approach to trauma recovery, we do not go back into the trauma as this often re-traumatizes the survivor.
Instead, I focus on what you experience in the here and now. I teach ways the nervous system is functioning that at times prevents you from being in the present moment safely and securely, leading to disconnection and a lack of engagement in your life.
Through this work, we can integrate the whole of you. This quiets the mind and body, helping you feel empowered to both recognize what you need and move towards what you want in your life.
The Healing Process
Getting Ready with Trauma-Informed Mindfulness
Trauma-informed Mindfulness is all about living in the moment and noticing what's happening within you without judgment. It’s especially helpful for trauma recovery.
By paying attention to your thoughts and feelings, when you are ready and grounded, you start to recognize and accept how the trauma impacts you.
This is a crucial first step. Trauma-informed mindfulness teaches you to treat yourself with compassion, understand and work with your emotions, and feel more comfortable and safer in the body, paving the way for healing.
How Trauma-informed Yoga Helps
Yoga has eight limbs that are more than just using physical poses and breathing. The philosophy of yoga offers tools to connect the body and mind. It offers a way to release built-up tension and emotions. It’s like a gentle teacher, showing you how to listen to your body and find a sense of control and safety again.
Trauma-informed yoga can be especially helpful if trauma has made you feel disconnected from your body. It encourages strength and flexibility of the body, mind, and emotions, changing the way you approach life and experience stressful situations.
The Calm of Trauma-Informed Meditation
Meditation offers a quiet space in the middle of life’s storms. It’s a practice where you can find calm and stability, which is so important when you’re dealing with trauma.
However, due to the challenges created in the nervous system regarding a felt sense of safety, it is important you have certified teachers to guide you in any meditation practice for trauma recovery.
Once you know how to anchor in the present moment, sitting quietly and observing your thoughts can be transformative. This can truly be a game changer, making your mind a more peaceful place, your body a safe haven, and helping you handle difficult emotions more easily.
Tools for the Journey
When you're ready to heal, trauma-informed mindfulness, yoga, and meditation can be like guides on your path to recovery.
Each one teaches something valuable:
- Mindfulness brings awareness and kindness.
- Yoga helps you reconnect with your body and mind.
- Meditation brings you peace.
Together, they offer a well-rounded approach to healing from trauma.
Starting these practices can be a big step, one that requires you to be ready to explore new opportunities that require effort and focus.
It’s not for the faint of heart. And it’s not necessary to do this alone.
Having a trauma-informed teacher by your side can assist you in committing to the practices and working through traumas that have held you captive for too long.
The journey through trauma recovery is unique for everyone. But whatever your path looks like, trauma-informed mindfulness, yoga, and meditation can be powerful allies, ready to help you move forward with strength and peace.
Remember, the process takes time, and it’s okay to take it one step at a time, at your own pace.
If you are ready to begin the journey to heal from trauma, I offer Trauma-informed Mindfulness and Yoga that is highly effective. I offer this via Zoom so I can reach you no matter where you are.
Get started today!
