Essay: Do You Have Unresolved Trauma?

What is Trauma? 

‍

Trauma is not the event we experienced but the response inside us.

Trauma can be experienced physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This means we can transform and heal our trauma, even if we can’t change that the event or experience took place. The experience(s) can take on a whole new meaning and sense for us internally once we begin our healing journey. It is always possible to heal; even the deepest traumas. I want more people to know this and to feel a sense of relief and hope. In my experience, the thing I feared the most was that the traumatic experience and therefore my pain, could not be removed; that I was somehow tainted for life. This is not true. And realising the falsity of this has made me far more resilient.

We are all unique, so an experience that may be traumatic for one person may only be disturbing for another. As trauma specialist David Berceli writes in The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process: ‘Whether an experience proves to be traumatic for a particular individual depends on such factors as the person’s age – think of how much more vulnerable a small child is, or an elderly person – the severity of the threat, the degree of physical harm that may be inflicted, the possibility of escape, how accustomed to coping with difficulties the individual is, and the cumulative effect of previous trauma.’

I would add to this that if an individual is highly sensitive and/or neurodivergent i.e. ADHD or Autistic; it can make them more susceptible to deep, chronic or long lasting effects from the traumatic experience. In fact trauma is a key element in the development of neurodivergence. Looking at the brain scans of a traumatised person, you would see very different patterns to someone who is not carrying the marks of psychological trauma.

We cannot stop bad things from happening in life, but we can create more capacity and resilience and lessen the effects. One way we can do this is by cultivating regular, daily habits that support nervous system regulation. Another way is equipping ourselves with tools and knowledge, so we are prepared when these events take place and can take preventative steps.

With the knowledge and tools I have now, if I experience a shock now, I know that one of the worst things I can do - and what I have done after all my major traumatic experiences - is to isolate for a long period. The likelihood of trauma solidifying in the system is increased hugely by being alone in the close aftermath of the traumatic event. Just having a relatively safe or empathetic person present with us can drastically change how the experience will be registered within us and therefore how it will impact our lives. A 'safe person' may look like a therapist/practitioner, family member, or friend. If safe people are not available, it is important to seek them out.

And... If you do find yourself alone, there are still many ways to create safety. Connecting to Spirit and to the deeper, un-harmed part of yourself, is one way and is partly how I healed my trauma. Paired with embodiment tools that ground you into your own physical body and/or environment. This is obviously complex and each unique situation and requirements is different.

What are some symptoms of unresolved trauma?

Trauma is overwhelming; it can overwhelm our ability to cope. Unresolved trauma takes us out of the present moment. The present is too much to bear or handle. Trauma locks our physiology into the past.

• It feels easier to shutdown than socialise, even though you desire to be sociable.
• Regularly feeling overwhelmed beyond the capacity to cope.
• Regularly unable to bring compassion to emotions.
• Parts of the body are numb, or chronically painful.
• Longstanding autoimmune problems e.g. Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue.
• Regular brain fog.
• Procrastination, inability to make clear plans and decisions.
• Inability to trust intuition.
• Continued difficulty in relationships and in feeling seen and understood.
• Constant emotional triggers. (Daily, weekly.)

There are different states we can enter and stay in chronically when we have unresolved trauma.

These states are known as: dissociation/freeze, fight/flight, and fawning. It is okay to enter these states in acute situations, however it can be extremely detrimental to remain in these states for chronic lengths of time.

‍Dissociation and the 'Freeze response'

‍

'Dissociation is the essence of trauma.'

– Bessel Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

Dissociation is something many people experience and do not know they are experiencing. There are varying degrees of severity. I would suggest that the average person experiences mild dissociation at all times. This is because we are, as humans, conditioned out of our full capacity when it comes to sensation and a sensual experience of life and our bodies. Severe dissociaton is usually a symptom of unresolved trauma or PTSD, and can be as extreme as depersonalisation or derealisation. It is common to experience dissociation a times when we are overwhelmed, for example in a social setting where there are many people, noises, lights etc, especially if you are a highly sensitive person or neurodivergent. Chronic stress and dissociation disorders can lead to increased inflammation and weakened immune function, making someone more susceptible to illness and infections.‍

Some symptoms of dissociation:

• Out of body experiences
• Memory gaps
• It feels like there is a glass wall between you and others/the world
• Lack of solidity
• Heaviness
• Regular lethargy
• Depression
• Lack of presence
• Glassy/blurry eyes
• Brain fog
• Dizziness
• Regular sensations of inner collapse
• It’s as if your energy or what makes you ‘you’ is outside of your body
• Numb body parts
• Some parts of the body feel too big or too small (hands, feet etc)
• Inability to connect with others
• You feel ‘stuck’ or frozen in a collapsed state

Some symptoms of Fight/Flight

Here I am going to list some symptoms of the fight/flight response. Fight/Flight is more commonly understood than dissociation. This is the response that turns on as a protective mechanism and can be traced back to a time when it was very helpfully protecting us from attack, i.e. from a tiger in the wild. These days we are under different kinds of attack and even if they are not physical, we are turning on these protective mechanisms. Instead of a tiger, it might be a email from a colleague, or loud cars in the street. If we are neurodivergent and/or carry unresolved trauma then we will be more likely to be triggered into this kind of response. Of course, there are still many instances of physical attack, especially if you are a woman, in which the fight/flight response is a potentially life-saving one. In the case of women, in for example a physical or sexual assault, the most common response is freeze and/or fawning. Freeze happens when we don't perceive a possibility of flight or fight. The same with fawning. Fight/flight, Freeze and Fawning, all put a lot of pressure on our systems. In fight/flight, the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, can put pressure on the internal organs, whilst the body goes into abnormal functioning to optimize physical performance in response to danger.

• Feeling always 'switched on’.
• Hyper-vigilance– continuously scanning the environment for cues of danger.
• Fluttering in the chest.
• A regular knot in the stomach.
• Addiction to taking action; in  constant state of ‘doing’.
• Inability to be still and/or quiet and needing constant distraction.
• A sped-up feeling inside the body.
• Anxious or racing thoughts.
• Overwhelming fear.
• Bodily movements feel ‘out of sync’ with a natural inner rhythm.
• Aggression or rage.
• Anxiety and/or panic attacks.
• Breathlessness, irregular breathing.
• Heart palpitations.
• It feels like you are not properly digesting your food (when you eat it may feel like tightness in your stomach.)
• Lack of appetite or excessive appetite.

Some symptoms of Appeasement, Fawning

Appeasement is a coping mechanism that can emerge in response to conflict, stress, or threats. This is used to avoid confrontation or to gain safety, particularly in situations involving power imbalances. The effects on the nervous system and overall health are similar to dissociation. Links have been made by Gabor Mate between women as prime, conditioned, people pleasers and the fact that 80 percent of all autoimmune diseases are ascribed to women.

• Lack of boundaries.
• Collapsing internally when you try to state your needs.
• A feeling of disappearing or collapsing when you do state your needs.
• Managing the emotions of those around you.
• Autoimmune issues/diseases.
• Suppressed anger, or even a lack of anger - it’s unfamiliar or inaccessible

What does a regulated nervous system feel like?

• You feel pro-social, wanting to engage with others and feel safe to do so.
• You feel safe to express yourself and your needs.
• You experience enhanced creative expression and confidence to innovate.
• You have a sense of having enough time to pace yourself with tasks.
• An embodied sense of self – feeling all parts of the body.
• Being present with emotions as they come and go.
• Awareness of how the body is moving in space.
• Ability to tune into different parts of the body whilst feeling the body as a whole.
• The feeling of looking out on the world as part of it, rather than separate or set back from it.
• A calm and regular heart beat.
• Regular and deep belly breathing.
• Ability to read cues of safety and danger from others and our environment more accurately.
• A sense of joy is easily accessible.
• Ability to feel sadness and anger with compassionate awareness.
• It is easy to rest and digest (food is digested easily and calmly).

What is TRE® (Trauma Release Exercises)?

TRE® was developed by Dr. David Berceli, PhD and stands for Trauma and Tension Release Exercises. I trained with Steve Haines at The Body College. Practicing TRE® establishes a sense of safety in our bodies and therefore our lives. We can release stored trauma patterns and stress from our systems through the activation of an in built tremor mechanism. The sensation in the body can range from small vibrations to a full body shake.

Some examples of how can TRE® help to regulate your nervous system:

• Can lift us out of fight/flight + dissociation.
• Can assist in healing certain injuries.
• TRE gives us a gentle workout, releases tension from the muscles, and adds to balance and posture. TRE can benefit our yoga practice or gym workout.
• Reduces our risk of disease through the reduction of stress and tension.
• Gives us higher energy levels.
• Tones the vagus nerve and brings us into a ventral vagal state, in which the vagus nerve is working at its optimum and working well to regulate blood flow, digestion, speech, temperature, all facets of the autonomic nervous system.
• Helps us feel pro-social.
• Heightened creativity and innovation.
• Supportive of a deep spiritual practice, allowing us to open and connect to spirit.
• New clarity.
• We can reduce the signs, symptoms and appearance of ageing in our bodies. When we release tension, we lengthen our lives. Undischarged stress and tension put pressure on our organs, leading to disease. TRE discharges stress.
• TRE, when practiced with a practitioner, can bring us into a state of safe co-regulation. This is the same with any practitioner or person who is safe and can be trusted as a witness to our healing process.

• In a session, a practitioner will guide you in various ways during your tremor/shake, and may use touch and prompts. They may ask you what you are feeling and to describe the sensations, this is part of a deeper embodiment process, connecting the brain and body through vocalising sensation.
• We move away from the trauma story and over-identifying with it.
• The more we practice, the less we live in our minds.

How is TRE different from other shaking techniques?

• Unlike, for example, Osho’s Biodynamic Shaking Meditation, which is a ‘cathartic method’, TRE is mindful and slow. The emphasis in TRE is on grounding and safety, rather than catharsis and intensity.
• TRE is about slowing down and witnessing states in our body. Many healing techniques take us into states of intensity. Overwhelm is what happens when we are traumatised. We do not want to do this in our healing space; instead we want to find safety as an anchor we can always return to. We want to go slow enough that we know what we are doing, rather than being carried off in blissed out states or intense feelings. We do this so that we can make conscious choices.

Lastly, what is the benefit in working with a trained, trauma-informed practitioner?

• This person will likely be a safe nervous system for you to co-regulate with. Simply being in their presence can support you in finding safety in yourself. Having a space well-held allows us to relax and release.
• When trauma informed we view a person through a particular lens: that lens is more objective and more compassionate. To be trauma informed is to see each person according to their physiological states and psychological?. There is no blame or shame in this space. We can see, quite quickly, why certain actions were taken from a compassionate and scientific perspective that sees what led to a certain habit, pattern, experience etc.
• Trauma informed practitioners are trained to look out for particular cues in their client; they can assess whether the client is slipping into a state of mobilisation (fight/flight) or immobilisation (shut down/freeze/dissociation).

‍

‍

‍