Between hurricanes in the southeast, firestorms in the northwest, and everything in-between, this has been a month of significant trauma and drama for many people. Major disruptions in the patterns of our lives shake our sense of security and often activate symptoms of old trauma. Some people have suffered monumental losses; others the loss of trust, routine, and security. Feelings of loss can evoke despair, uncertainty about the future, depression, anxiety and a continumn of physical and emotional reactions that may show up long after the actual danger has passed.
This is perhaps a good time to take inventory of your coping skills and expand your repertoire. Primary is receiving support. Reach out to available resources: friends, family, groups, beloved pets, counseling. Telling your story and expressing your feelings helps to internalize the reality of what happened, so don’t hesitate to do that for as long as you feel the need. If someone tells you to “get over it”, find someone else who is willing to listen. If you are on the receiving end of someone’s story, recognize that you have an opportunity to improve your compassionate listening skills and be of service. Just as the zebra who just barely escapes the lion will stand and shiver and shake for a few moments once he is safe, we need to be able to "shake off" the experience in order to move on. Being a more verbal species than zebra, we often shake off with words. Be gentle with yourself and do not judge.
There are therapeutic techniques including EFT, TAT, and EMDR that can mitigate the impact and symptoms of trauma in helpful ways. There may be a tendency to want to medicate those symptoms with drugs or food. Think twice about suppressing your experience and choose instead to practice self care with exercise, helpful conversations, nourishing food, music, meditation, dance, yoga, favorite animals, hot baths, guided imagery…. review your list of techniques that help you feel grounded and safe. Take the time to do things you enjoy. Open to gratitude for what you have. Explore ways to be of service to others. If you have misplaced your sense of humor, go looking for it. The poet Rumi suggested that if you don’t like what you see, try looking at it from another angle.
Barn burned down.
Now I can see the moon.
Rumi
This is perhaps a good time to take inventory of your coping skills and expand your repertoire. Primary is receiving support. Reach out to available resources: friends, family, groups, beloved pets, counseling. Telling your story and expressing your feelings helps to internalize the reality of what happened, so don’t hesitate to do that for as long as you feel the need. If someone tells you to “get over it”, find someone else who is willing to listen. If you are on the receiving end of someone’s story, recognize that you have an opportunity to improve your compassionate listening skills and be of service. Just as the zebra who just barely escapes the lion will stand and shiver and shake for a few moments once he is safe, we need to be able to "shake off" the experience in order to move on. Being a more verbal species than zebra, we often shake off with words. Be gentle with yourself and do not judge.
There are therapeutic techniques including EFT, TAT, and EMDR that can mitigate the impact and symptoms of trauma in helpful ways. There may be a tendency to want to medicate those symptoms with drugs or food. Think twice about suppressing your experience and choose instead to practice self care with exercise, helpful conversations, nourishing food, music, meditation, dance, yoga, favorite animals, hot baths, guided imagery…. review your list of techniques that help you feel grounded and safe. Take the time to do things you enjoy. Open to gratitude for what you have. Explore ways to be of service to others. If you have misplaced your sense of humor, go looking for it. The poet Rumi suggested that if you don’t like what you see, try looking at it from another angle.
Barn burned down.
Now I can see the moon.
Rumi
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