Yes, healing verbal, physical or sexual trauma is possible. The recovery process requires a multifaceted therapeutic process, facilitated by a professional who is trained in mind, body, spirit healing. Traditional therapy focuses on treating symptoms. Treating symptoms focuses on the symptomatic coping mechanisms the person used to survive the pain, i.e. drug/alcohol abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, co-dependency, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headaches, arthritis, cancer, MS, sexual addiction, etc. The goal of traditional therapy is to create better coping mechanisms. While better coping mechanisms help the person feel better, coping is coping and the person has to struggle to keep the coping mechanisms in place. In contrast once the emotional pain associated with the experience has been identified and healed the person is free to life their life as they choose without struggling to keep coping mechanisms in place. In order to heal, the root cause of the emotional pain needs to be accessed, processed and healed. Treating 'root cause' focuses on the experience the person endured" ?the emotional, physical or sexual trauma" ?and the ensuing aftereffects. Thus, uncovering the experience that created the pain and healing the emotions associated with it is the key to restoring a person to natural wholeness in mind, body and spirit. The Stages of healing are: Victim, Survivor and Thriver. Each stage has specific issues and unique needs and challenges. STAGE 1: Victim Person identifies everything within the context of the trauma, resulting in difficulty functioning in daily life.
" Establish a therapeutic foundation with the professional.
" Educate and support the individual for the recovery process.
" Grieving process needs to focus on specific details of the abuse experience.
" One needs to GO into the Pain to GET OUT of the Pain. The majority of professionals neglect this important recovery process" ?thinking the person will be 're-traumatized.' If done effectively there is immediate release and relief.
" Identify 'triggers and diffuse them.'
" Identify barriers in treatment and overcome them.
" Process Anger/Rage, Sadness, Shame, Guilt, Humiliation
" Identify themes in the trauma experience and how it impacts the person's functioning. STAGE 2: Survivor Person identifies abuse as past and is functioning moderately, but maintains primary identity with the trauma.
" Establish a foundation for deeper work.
" Process Anger/Rage, Sadness, Shame, Guilt.
" Address difficulties with partners/family and develop strategies to deal with them.
" Identify long-term stress and complicated coping mechanisms" ?replace coping mechanisms with healthy effective behavior and attitudes. Dispel the chicken or the egg dilemma.
" Identify and restructure belief system.
" Prepare for and confront perpetrator(s) and co-perpetrators(s).
" Therapeutic tools include: Guided imagery, therapeutic journal writing, meditation, dream analysis, hypnosis/regression, exercise, dance, music, movement. STAGE 3: Thriver Person no longer primarily identifies with the trauma" ?new awareness regarding trauma is integrated with the remainder of personal history resulting in healthy functioning.
" Establish foundation for the thriver stage.
" Individual develops healthy strategies for living life, able to deal with life's issues with ease.
" Individual lets go of trauma identity and forgives perpetrator(s) and co-perpetrators(s).
" Individual develops strategies to deal with some 'flare ups' of old behavior patterns.
" Individual integrates the trauma with other life experiences" ?able to talk with ease about the experience of verbal, physical or sexual trauma and by whom. Many people who come to me have been in traditional therapy for many years" ?twenty, twenty-two, and thirty years are the highest number of years anyone had been in traditional therapy. Within three sessions in mind, body, spirit healing, they were amazed to notice they felt better than they had felt for as long as they could remember. |
