Mindfulness is a powerful tool for trauma survivors, as it can increase self-compassion, awareness, and help them regulate their emotions. It is essential to choose a safe and supportive environment that is accessible, inclusive, and welcoming. Many vulnerable and marginalized groups are more likely to experience trauma, and mindfulness can help bring trauma victims back to the present and heal from disturbing past events.
Mindfulness-based treatments may represent an alternative to trauma-focused treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CPT) and Positive Emotional Response (PE). These therapeutic treatments aim to change the patient’s relationship to thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and associated behaviors through an attitude of non-judgment, curiosity, openness, acceptance, and non-judgment.
Mental-informed mindfulness works to avoid triggers and overwhelm while also strengthening a person’s ability to face painful experiences. Mindfulness practices can help trauma victims return to the present and heal from disturbing past events. A mindful cognitive style may reduce ruminative tendencies, leading to reductions in anxious arousal and anhedonia, and a nonjudgmental outlook may be beneficial.
For survivors of trauma, mindfulness can be a free tool to help reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing. Meditation, particularly mindfulness meditation, can relieve painful symptoms of trauma and alter brain structure. Mindfulness can help people train themselves to get unstuck from a vicious cycle of negative thinking, often a cornerstone of trauma.
When coupled with a trauma-informed lens, mindfulness can provide solace to trauma survivors. By understanding when to use these skills without creating unnecessary distress, we can better support trauma survivors in their journey towards recovery.
📹 4 Ways to Heal From Your Past (Traumatic Memories Part 2)
Here’s the thing about trauma: even though the event happened in the past, we work with trauma in the present moment. It causes …
How does meditation heal trauma?
Studies suggest that meditation can reduce symptoms of PTSD, especially in war veterans, by calming the sympathetic nervous system. However, the first time meditation was attempted, painful flashbacks of rape flooded the mind, turning quiet meditation sessions into nightmares. Despite this, the author was determined to continue practicing meditation. Trauma can make meditation difficult initially, but there are steps to experience its benefits and aid in recovery. If struggling with meditation due to PTSD, consider the following suggestions:
- Practice deep breathing exercises to reduce stress hormones and calm the sympathetic nervous system.
- Engage in deep breathing exercises to reduce anxiety and improve focus.
- Engage in mindfulness meditation to reduce stress and improve focus.
How does mindfulness help trauma?
Mindfulness can help traumatized individuals remain grounded and focused on the present moment, which can help process intrusive memories of past traumas and mitigate emotional numbing symptoms. Exposure to traumatic life events is associated with increased risk of PTSD, suicidal ideation, alcohol use disorder, and decreased quality of life. Mindfulness, which involves attending to the present moment, can help cope with traumatic events by increasing acceptance of trauma-related experiences and decreasing negative affect and avoidance of trauma reminders. This study evaluated whether mindfulness mediates the association between lifetime traumas and mental health.
How does therapy help trauma victims?
Trauma is a psychological and emotional response to distressing events, often characterized by feelings of helplessness, fear, or anxiety. Trauma therapy helps individuals cope with their emotions and responses, manage symptoms, develop coping mechanisms, and work towards healing and recovery. It can take various forms, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Seeking professional help is crucial for effective management and healing.
Trauma-focused therapy is an effective treatment modality for people dealing with trauma-related disorders, focusing on addressing the root cause of the trauma and processing experiences in a safe and structured environment. Benefits of trauma-focused therapy include:
How mindfulness can contribute to the recovery from addiction and trauma?
Mindfulness is a powerful tool for enhancing coping skills, bolstering emotional strength, and providing clarity and calm during addiction recovery. By staying present, processing feelings, and dealing with them head-on, individuals can better cope with overwhelming emotions and memories. Mindfulness can also reduce stress by avoiding worries about the future or past regrets, enhance emotional regulation by identifying emotions as they arise, and boost self-awareness by fostering a deeper understanding of oneself.
Incorporating mindfulness into daily routines can be a transformative step towards long-term recovery, fortifying one’s resolve against relapse. By focusing on the present moment, individuals can avoid getting caught up in worries about the future or past, and improve their overall mental health.
How does mindfulness help healing?
Mindfulness is a practice that enhances our awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and sensations, allowing us to have a more accurate perception of our experiences and feel more grounded and stable. Recognizing and honoring anxious feelings can guide us in our healing journey. Practiced mindfulness also fosters greater self-empathy, as it involves non-judgmental observation without blaming ourselves. This allows us to learn more about our genuine intentions, practice objective observations, and accept ourselves.
This helps us make more conscious choices and balanced states throughout our recovery. Jon Kabat-Zinn emphasizes that the real meditation practice never comes to an end, but rather, it’s our life and how we carry ourselves in each moment. Mindfulness can be practiced in various situations, and yoga is a great way to begin incorporating it into our daily lives.
How does mindfulness help with emotions?
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can improve mental stability, reduce stress, promote immune health, and increase gray matter in areas of the brain involved in memory, learning, empathy, and emotional control. It allows individuals to slow down and notice their emotions, thoughts, and urges, leading to healthier eating choices. Mindfulness training improves concentration, attention span, and memory, while regulating emotions and increasing empathy. Regular practice can also increase the capacity for empathy, as it increases activity in neural networks that make individuals more sensitive to others’ struggles.
Relationship satisfaction can also increase with mindfulness, as couples who engage in mindfulness training report higher satisfaction and closeness with one another. Parents can benefit from mindfulness practice during pregnancy, as it can help them become more patient and self-forgiving. Research suggests that mindfulness can decrease symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma disorders.
Despite its long history, mindfulness has only been incorporated more into mental health treatments in recent years. Research shows that areas of the brain associated with mind-wandering, learning, memory, and anxiety can change within a few weeks of starting a mindfulness practice. Focusing on the moment in mindfulness has numerous health benefits, whether used alone or as part of mental health treatment.
How therapy helps with past trauma?
Your therapist can assist in developing stress management skills, including relaxation, sleep, and exercise, to manage stress and control lasting fear after a traumatic event. You and your mental health professional can discuss the best therapy or combination of therapies, including individual, group, or both. Group therapy can provide a connection with others experiencing similar experiences. Additionally, medications can help alleviate symptoms of PTSD.
What are 3 psychological benefits of mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a practice that focuses on focusing on the present moment without judgment, aiming to reduce stress, improve mental and physical health, and increase overall happiness. In today’s busy world, it’s easy to lose connection with the present moment, missing out on activities and feelings. Mindfulness is a key element in stress reduction and overall happiness, as it helps individuals focus on the present moment without judgment.
It’s essential to recognize and accept the present moment, as it can help us feel well-rested and appreciate the present moment without judgment. This practice is now being scientifically examined and is a key element in enhancing overall well-being.
How does mindfulness reduce suffering?
Mindfulness is a technique that facilitates the transformation of suffering by modifying the manner in which the mind processes information.
How do victims cope with trauma?
In order to cope with traumatic events, it is essential to recognize that the symptoms experienced may be normal and to maintain one’s usual routine. Furthermore, it is crucial to take time to resolve day-to-day conflicts in order to prevent further stress.
How does mindfulness help patients?
Mindfulness has numerous health benefits, including reducing anxiety, depression, and improving sleep. Studies show that mindfulness-based treatments can lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and help people cope with pain. For many chronic illnesses, mindfulness meditation improves quality of life and reduces mental health symptoms. One of the first mindfulness-based therapies was used for depression, and many studies have shown its effectiveness for some individuals.
📹 6 ways to heal trauma without medication | Bessel van der Kolk | Big Think
Conventional psychiatric practices tell us that if we feel bad, take this drug and it will go away. But after years of research with …
Here are the all things I have done during my stress out. KBT, curator, preast talking, anxious group, stress group, sleep group, pshycodoctor, pshycoterhaphist about psychosis then about HSP, pshyconurse, ADHD group, stresscoach. I live at the house I started my rehabilitation it is not developing for me. I have read books about brain strong, an ADHD book from my group therapy, done two brain scans, gone to places I have experienced hurtful emotional things, listen to music to get healed, done meditation, yoga, running, promenades, read about HSP, reading about all empaths, leasing about people I hate most narcissists, pshycophats, sociopaths as manipulators. I do not need medicine at all. I do not need any more therapy. I have healed from bullies, and mind games people. I do not understand their thinking. I do not understand manipulators, I do not understand gaslight people, I do not understand gossipers as I got used against in school. Can a person just say? Ellen, you are good you are enough what a strong person through that hell. Just give me a hug, give love and say I believe in you. I can never use it as I have written to a man, I can never use Twitter, or Snapchat because a man triggered me there when I was burned out, and I can never use Instagram again. I have had detoxes from social media. I do not take drugs, I very Shelden drink alcohol, I do not smoke, I do not snus. I try to be healthy. I try to take contact with some friends I have. I try to be ready for dating a new man.
Thank you thank you please have a nice day and you know yeah I mean you know it doesn’t resonate with me but it resonates with the other side the other side needs to hear this law enforcement site those two a woman and a male yeah they they join together to do everything and you know yeah them they need it but Jim goddess and the cousin and you know but not the ones that I know but the ones that I know you know I’m helping them they’re the innocent ones but yeah thank you
Why why is life like this, my past memory makes me feel SO bad about life and myself I really hope someone can reply to this and agree I don’t want to feel alone anymore, I want to tell my parents but I’m so scared. Life could be SO much better if I just talked about it to my mom I don’t know what to do 😢😢😢🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭
When I was 11 years old. I was on my front porch two guys were on mopeds. A car pulls up smashes into both guys one guy gets up and starts running they shoot him. We were throwing out a old mattress. When he made it to the sidewalk. I put the mattress down. The other guy had gasoline poured on him. He was also shot. The guy stopped because my dad turned the front porch light on and screamed for me. This was there and the 80s I am now 41 years old. And I wonder if I would’ve never seen the men
I desperately want to die. I notice, in my life, all I do is navigate my way through the world… Doing my best, moment-to-moment, to endure the least amount of suffering as possible… And I keep doing that every day, just waiting to die. There’s no joy, no hope, no happiness in my life. It’s just pain and trauma and survival and misery. I live in poverty. I am ashamed of my life. I have severe (c)PTSD. My heart is shattered. Rage and grief consume every cell of my being. I pray to heal from, and be released from, the prison of: – poverty – aches and pains – an inflexible mind and body – diabetes – PTSD flashbacks – (c)PTSD – suicidal depression – homicidal rage – grief – guilt – regret – loneliness – heartache/heartbreak – repression/suppression – soul rape – a silenced voice – a lack of boundaries – perpetual aloneness – obesity – trauma – obsession/rumination – the past – spiritual attacks and curses I MUST DO MY BEST TO REMEMBER: When I am feeling/being victimized, I am over-valuating what I don’t have, and under-valuating what I do have! 😊
Can a person remember dying twice, remember coming back to life once, but not remember the exact circumstances that lead to his demise? Can a person have memories that doesn’t belong to him? Like places you never been to, people without a name, vivid experiences of strange surreal events… all fragmented.
My heart goes out to everyone who has experienced childhood trauma. I have childhood PTSD too, so I know what it’s like. It’s especially painful to learn that once your childhood is over, once you turn 18 and you’re finally “free” from your abusers, the struggle isn’t over, but it’s only just begun. The path to healing is a long and lonely one, but it is worth the fight. Keep pushing up that mountain. Don’t give up. Know you ARE loved. You ARE worthy. You DO deserve good things in this world. You DO deserve to feel happy. I hope you find your way my friend, because remember you are never alone. In love and light. ✨
I’m a veteran, was actually addicted to alcohol and cigarettes. Got severely traumatized, i also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got diagnosed with cptsd. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.
“Medications” nearly killed me. They are also the reason I remained sick and unhealed into my 40’s. I am off of all “medications” that I now consider to be nothing but poison. I have been doing EMDR, acupuncture, massage, complete diet change and exercise to heal my mind, body and spirit. I finally feel free from the bondage of C-PTSD. I’m going to finally be ok. I also couldn’t have survived all I did without my higher power. There is hope and healing without the need of pharmaceuticals or self medicating. I also have over 14 years of sobriety from my alcoholism and I was also able to quit smoking cigarettes. Please never give up. The healing process is actually quite horrible but it’s supposed to be in order to heal. No one ever was honest with me about the extreme pain I would endure during the healing process. I would cry so hard, that I know I sounded like a dying animal. I scared people off to the point I had to heal completely alone. My own mother even turned her back on me. We live in a world where we are not allowed to react to life’s traumas with human emotions. It does get better. The pain must come to the surface, so it can be released once and for all. Please never ever give up. Keep fighting for yourself… you’re worth it!! I hope and pray everyone here who is suffering finally heals!! ❤️🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
His description on self compassion and seeing your reactions as understandable really hits home for me. The turning point in my mental health came when I was having a panic attack at work from being overwhelmed. I ran to the back and sat down to wait for it to pass while tears streamed down my face. Even if my coworkers tried to offer kind words or advice, the overly critical voice in my head would twist it into something awful. “You’re doing a great job” (You’re pathetic for wanting praise). “Try drinking some water” (You can’t even take care of yourself).”Take some deep breaths” (You can’t even control your own emotions). “Things will get better” (You’re overreacting. Stop acting like a child). “Go take a break” (You’re a burden. They were depending on you and you’ve failed them). The only one who left the voice silent said something along the lines of, “Yeah, it can get pretty hectic out there…” There was no expectancy to calm down. It was the first time anyone ever gave me affirmation during a difficult time. I think that’s what lead me to start trusting how I felt more and accepting myself, disorders and all. I’m still thankful to him to this day
I was diagnosed with Trauma since my teenage, spent my whole life fighting ADHD. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. This is something that really need to be use globally to help people with related health challenges.
This man wrote “the body keeps the score” and it was one of the best books I’ve read, dealing with the topics on trauma and holistic healing. One of the books that would truly enlighten and change lives. Edit: Wow what a year! Thank you all so much for the replies and kind words. I came across an extremely profound book recently titled “Letting Go” By David Hawkins. It spoke to me, gave me many closures, and understanding about myself. This book speaks to you on a conscious and subconscious level. I highly recommend it to you, Hope it can provide you with what you need on your journey. Happy healing and have a blessed new year.
Hey you. Yes, you. You’re probably scrolling through the comments, like I am, reading all these motivational comments. If you are reading this at night, you should get some sleep, and don’t stress about everything going on in the world, or what you are going through. Don’t dwell on things from the past, don’t stress on your future. Just live your life, because you only get one. Do whatever makes you happy, not what other people want from you. For me, I’m gonna wake up tomorrow morning, get hit the gym, and cherish life for the amazing blessing that it is. I hope you do the same and have an amazing day as well!
I am a trauma survivor from both childhood and from two wars. I am currently in my clinical master of Psychology and have read his book “The Body Keeps the Score,” which is very powerful. I am hoping to give back one day from my own experiences. to everyone suffering, I can tell you this, Better days are ahead!
Mushrooms made me realize it is pointless to waste my mind away dwelling on past trauma and being too afraid to overcome my social anxiety. I’ve never actually felt love the way I did on a 6 gram trip with some friends, it was incredible. Delta-8 THC has also been a major help with dissolving anxiety and allowing me to relax.
This guy wrote a book about this called The Body Keeps the Score, and it absolutely revolutionized my life. It has taught me so much about my mental health and the mental health of people around me. I have more empathy and compassion for myself and for other people, because I understand how trauma disrupts our lives. And finally, I have toolset to heal from my own trauma, and I am able to communicate with my therapist better, because I am making clearer and deeper connections about my actions now and what happened to me in the past. I really really cannot recommend this book enough. It is the reason I, at age 40, have decided to go back to school to become a mental health worker.
I’ve been about 3 years sober now so I’m staying away from any drug or substance to deal with my trauma (aside from CBD) I have found that practicing gratitude, even when your not feeling grateful encourages the mind to think positively and with hope. It brings you out of yourself and connects you to being grateful for the ways of the earth and universe.
Studying narcissism has freed me from a life of trauma. I’m an empath and was a target for narcissists. They are very dangerous people. They choose a target then systematically set out to destroy their targets life. They are like robots with a computer program to destroy. The way I heal is to be present in the moment. See things for how they really are (the best I can), bake and jog. I find things to do that I love everyday. And boundaries are crucial for healing. I can spot a narcissist now and I STAY AWAY from them. For me it’s a matter of life and death.
My doctors scoff at how I cured myself of the effects of long term, chronic stress. Eye movement exercises, vagus nerve reset, yin yoga, c1-c5 strengthening, and all weather, outdoor experiences transformed my mind and reconnected me with my body. Please continue to push for these treatments! I had to figure it all out on my own, while I was broken! 22 years of misdiagnosis/inappropriate pharmaceuticals led me to near death.
I’m an advanced EMDR Therapist in Los Angeles and a fan of Bessels work for many years now. I’m also a Yoga Therapist, Trauma and Addiction Therapist, and love to witness patients healing. It’s real, and it is experimental, many ways work the same, but some people require different approaches. No matter what, if you’re on the journey to healing, don’t stop! 👊🙏
My former husband and I both, if you can imagine, had PTSD from an ‘incident’ in Belfast from where he originally comes. I could write forever on the impact this had on us and our lives but I imagine you are all well aware. I started reading a lot of Eastern philosophy and psychology and learned that several thousand years ago, when Lao Tzu was writing, there was this concept of gentleness that had become so hard for me. To be self-compassionate. To deal with our issues with gentle lovingkindness. I also did shiatsu, where I learned the power of the body to heal us emotionally and spiritually in the most direct way. I realised that we don’t just suppress the darker emotions such as fear and anger but also love and kindness and warmth. This helped me actually re-experience those things and were immensely helpful. We have this cultural tendency in the West to scorn emotion and are more focused on ‘Awakening the Giant Within’ (no offense to the author, some people do need that). PTSD can be an opportunity to become congruent with ourselves in a way that nothing else does. Not that we wouldn’t benefit from never experiencing it, of course. In some way, I believe, we all suffer trauma. Maybe not Trauma or TRAUMA but trauma or emotional disconnection from ourselves. Kindness to all of you!
For anyone struggling with trauma- MEDICATION MADE THESE OTHER INTERVENTIONS EFFECTIVE AND POSSIBLE FOR ME. If I wasn’t on medication I would not have been able to benefit from other types of therapy such as yoga, EMDR, etc. Do what you need to do to heal, whether that’s taking medication or not taking medication. ♥️♥️
I’ve found Dungeons and Dragons to be incredibly healing. A bit like with theatre, it allows your body to feel other things. The added level? The ability to react in the moment or improvise and the shared story and memories you have with ther other people at your table. It was a huge turning point and incredibly freeing.
As a childhood trauma survivor, I am very grateful for this website and Dr van der Kolk. Even though I myself have discovered benefits of using substances to view traumatic experiences in a REMOTE way, the chemically facilitated method is short-lived. Re-living trauma through psychotherapy also worries me in that it forces someone to focus on the problem. Gratitude, humility, empathy, re-wiring thought patterns(trauma induced insecurity, self doubt, addiction etc), in my experience, requires looking the other way and investing heavily in re-programming how you perceive your life through repetitive ACTIONS. Until those actions manifest as someone who has subverted all the negative stimuli into advantages, and LIVES a life they can be happy with.
The way I dealt with my trauma was by letting go of all of the resentment I had towards my family. I was so engulfed in what I had went through because of them that it became my primary headspace. I didn’t exist in the present, and couldn’t see forward. I was in hell still trying to find closure, trying to make sense of things, to no avail and and it consumed me. I was so anxious, hyper vigilant, irritable, and insecure. And I felt like I had to be uppity and grandiose to be acknowledged by anyone. In my family, it was just trauma and abuse that was repeating. Much of it could have been controlled but you have to remember that these generations existed before we had instant access to resources and information, and social sciences were still highly flawed and not taken so seriously. A lot of them didn’t know much of anything. They didn’t know how to parent or be healthy partners because they were never shown and couldn’t watch YouTube articles and read studies on command to figure it out. They were just winging it. And the pain that their toxic behaviors caused wasn’t wasn’t (always) deliberate, and that they’re being “punished” too. It’s not an excuse, but it is an unfortunate reality that you have to acknowledge as an adult. Nowadays we’re still behind but we have a pretty good idea of what it takes to be a decent parent and partner. We can use that and learn from the mistakes of the people before us to move forward without allowing the cycle to repeat, or we can just dwell on the past, whine and get upset to no avail.
Bessel is a great spirit. Thanks to him I found the courage to pick up kickboxing and it definitely helping me with CPTSD. Recently I have been able to go to a restaurant for the first time in many years. I know its small for most but for me this was a big step. Yoga, boxing, psyllocobin, self affirmations are some of the things I do that help me bit by bit. CPTSD can be so bad I wish everyone recovery, peace and self-love.
1) Psychotherapy Yes, doing the shadow works is an unbelievable experience. First time I let that happen I thought it was magic. There are things in you that have never seen the light. You think of them so much that you don’t feel they are not addressed, but you’ve never let the light do its thing when all you did is protect them by keeping inside. One time I felt like I slipped over the Grand Canyon, it is a very physical experience and a marvelous one where you get to see the masks you’re wearing. 2) Acting Oh, yes! As an artist I was perusal the article thinking “oh man not another yoga and therapy article”. Sing, dance, act. We all have these needs and these are the ones that bring beauty in life alongside sex, affection and compassion. Just listening to a song and singing it with utmost empathy for the lyrics will make you feel like you’re part of the world and not just floating over it. 3) MDMA I did MDMA first when I was 19. In the meantime I have stopped and I would highly recommend educating yourself about it a lot before trying it unless you can do it in an environment where you are assisted by therapists. It’s MDMA that first put my mind into a place beyond black and white, beyond enemies and victims and beyond self defense. Again, doing it without therapy will help, but it won’t fix the problem. 4) My own advice: Journaling When we feel at our worst is not because we’re too deep within ourselves, it’s because we’ve lost touch with ourselves. Journaling is a beautiful way to take yourself out on a date and to find out that what you really needed was a little bit of your own, focused company.
How would people advise someone who is in a new relationship with someone, and they have anger issues which has only just come to light??? I am going through this now and it’s a big red flag to me as I’ve been in toxic relationships before. I know how hard it is to change yourself, so changing someone else is impossible! I think it might be right to leave but I also feel guilty as I know how much it will hurt both of us. 💙🙏
Focusing in a goal and working for it, also helps you. The point is to get you mind busy, and not let that small voice of anxiety and depression talking to you. It is ok to let yourself think and analyze all you want about your trauma for a day or a moment, but then you gotta keep moving. Also alcohol is not good, it can make things worse. Good luck in your fight to healing.
I have severe ptsd and this is on point. The only therapy that has helped me: psychedelics done responsibly and not in a abusive way, yoga, dance, and acting! I was surprised by the acting because I never made the connection to ptsd. It does help because it can make you comfortable again with your internal vulnerability and internal strength in a safe space a tad bit removed from yourself.
a useful thing i do sometimes, is instead of focusing what i have lost, to realize what i still have. this was inspired by an anime called one piece. this is very helpful, encourages an attitude of being grateful for what you have, realizing things could be much worse, that things are much worse for some people. i suggest you try it when you feel angry and all sorts of bad at what has happened to you.
12y of therapy, 3y meditation, discharged from 2x hypnotherapies 15 psychiatrists, antidepressants, ketamine infusions.. Pff.. Killing the messenger isn’t the way. It took me 5 years to start therapy using mushrooms and dmt and now I’m truly healing. Facing my shadow. Scary as hell, hurts a lot sometimes, but it’s worth it. Along with that diet changes (carnivore), place I lived, people I talked and supplements. Healing is wonderful.
I started EMDR a few months ago and it has been very effective. This is the first actual treatment for trauma that I’ve had since my stress issues first started in 2008. A lot of people, including dozens of medical professionals, kept insisting that my experiences weren’t traumatic enough to cause the reactions I was having. They kept insisting that I just needed to be pressured more, so things kept on escalating for a long, long time. It’s nice that a few people are finally acknowledging that I am indeed as stressed and traumatized as I claim to be, but there are still many, including my own family, who continue to insist that I am overreacting. EMDR works by activating both sides of the brain. That’s what looking back and forth is for. In my case, rather than follow fingers, I look at equidistant stationary objects. Alternating tapping your hands or your feet works too. The idea is to activate both sides of your brain. When you do this while focusing on the memory of your trauma, it gets the subconscious to process that trauma. It’s exhausting and emotionally straining, since the brain is doing a lot of work, but it is effective. It’s important to have someone trained in EMDR guide you, as dangerous thoughts and emotions can surface. Simple traumas only take one session, while more complex ones can take longer.
What I take from this, without Dr. van der Kolk saying it, is that trauma is the experience of blaming oneself for a terrible event resulting in self-loathing–and a cycle of continued blame, shame, anxiety and depression that is imprinted physically in our brains, minds and bodies. The root is not the event itself, but the interpretation of it in ways that wound and continue to damage ourselves. The methods all share the element of re-experiencing ourselves in our minds and bodies (which are, ultimately, one) in ways that are more accurate and thus health-giving.
Hi, I suffered wirh treatment resistant PTSD/alcoholism for 30 years. Recently I discovered lion’s mane mushroom. It’s like a low dose of MDMA – it just makes you feel good and helps you confront and clear out emotional blockages. Buddhist monks have been using it for thousands of years. Let that sink in. Great vid keep up the great work.
Healing from trauma is very different for everyone, my view is that, you never really heal from trauma, but after a long while you learn to slowly move on from the trauma and after you are moving on in a better direction whether it’s working or exercising or even as simple as getting out of the house more often helps you keep the trauma under control, but it never leaves you, you have to learn to let it go
What a great piece this is. It’s so hopeful, his voice (gravely or not) is pleasant to listen to, the lightheartedness is a perfect way to address this issue without triggering traumatic responses, and it’s just nice to see professionals who admit “we thought this worked and it didn’t, so we went back to the drawing board”. That humility creates trust and puts people with trauma at ease. Very well done.
When I found out my husband was cheating and wanted to get a divorce I was devastated!! It was the worse pain I’ve ever felt..I went for a walk,I ran for 3hrs And I started going hiking after that, it really helped me overcome that suffering and horrible experience.. I went to therapy for a few months and went to church and it helped but connecting with nature i can definitely say that..that was the thing that really saved me from going crazy. I never took medication
I’ve been suffering from CPTSD for a long time because of childhood trauma. I hated myself, hated others, was bitter, resentful, and had terrible anxiety around other people. One day I heard that Psilocybin mushrooms and Ayahuasca (not at the same time) can help with trauma and negative self talk. I was desperate and gave both of them a go. It was like all the dark nasty thoughts were washed away and cleaned out of my soul. I saw light and joy in the small things and for the first time in my life I felt unconditional love for myself. After both of them you won’t go from zero to hero, you still need to put in some healing work, but it goes by much faster than conventional therapy.
My journey has included EMDR, TMS, and DMT/Ayahuasca. MDMA makes me very ill. I have done EMDR, but I could have done that for the rest of my life and still needed the therapy. I had a lot of failed medication, which led to me doing trancranial magnetic stimulation (tms) a little over a year ago. And I did DMT and ayahuasca since then. I’m not sure if it was the cocktail or just one of these things that did it, but I’m doing better than ever. I do struggle with emotions and probably always will, but I’m More clear headed than ever. I’m losing weight without trying. And I’m taking real steps toward my future.
10 sessions of EMDR therapy helped me with dealing with the debilitating and disabling effects of PTSD. The best and most profound thing is that after experiencing frequent nightmares for around 9 years, the EMDR has almost eliminated the nightmares associated with the trauma. Having said that, for me the EMDR therapy was an extremely confronting experience and one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to go through. Nonetheless, it was completely necessary and 100% worth it for the end result.
from my own experience, i have been dealing with trauma for 15 years and still counting.. trauma from losing a mother at the young age never be healed, instead acceptance is what is needed. and Bessel was right these methods might not working for every individuals, i refused to take any meds and EMDR was too painful for me, and so i have found my recovery in Buddhism. Thich Nath Hanh help me a lot to understand what is happening inside my inner world. I am glad to say that i found my meds in Buddhism. we need no outside chemical to have compassion towards ourselves and towards others, our mind is the strongest one that effects our lives. may all beings be happy..
A person who has been subjected to frequent and many traumas to the point where he is separated from reality. Healing here is not easy because everything will come out to the surface and you may drown in your pain. Therefore, you must follow up with a specialist to work on your traumas gradually, and you can do it even if the path is difficult and exhausting. You will heal and You learn your message and perform it in this world..and I wish recovery for all of us
I’m pretty sure aside from the desire to be fit that I do crossfit to help me with my past trauma. I joined after I found out my husband was having an affair and that event strangely triggered my childhood trauma which I thought I had worked through. My father sexually abused me for the majority of my childhood. Those two betrayals triggered a very anxious response, I was desperate for love and comfort, I didn’t feel safe, and was suffering a lot of pain that weakened my immune system, it made me very sick to almost what I believe to the point of death. Thankfully, I got physically stronger doing crossfit and that helped me to believe that I am strong and I can get better. Now the goal is to make sure that I don’t carry anything from my past that could hold me back.
I’m so thankful to come across this information. Thank you Dr. Coming from adoption, physical, mental and sexual abuse from family and so called freinfs I’ve sheltered myself, had emotional triggers anxieties and fears my body was effected I’m reading your book to understand more and continue to heal, understand the biology, phycology so I can live a more pea evil joyous life
I think it needs to be said that medications for the treatment of depression can be very effective but you can not just expect to take a pill and your depression will iust go away. It is a tool you use along with putting in the work to change your mindset as well as your lifestyle with the help of your doctors, family, and friends.
As someone with PTSD, the drugs do work for some people. I would not have the level of functionality that I do have without them. They have given me the freedom to pursue what I want without being consumed by hyper-vigilance and obsessive rumination. Without drugs I doubt therapy would have worked. After many years, when I was working out a lot and feeling really well, I had an issue getting refills and I decided to trial to see what I was like without medication. The hyper-vigilance came back after 3 days and the other symptoms soon followed. I don’t care if I have to be on medication the rest of my life because they actually allow me to live life. As for long term unknown side effects, high levels of stress comes with high levels of the hormone cortisol which we know for sure weakens your immune system, damages your memory, and messes up your metabolism causing weight issues and more. It also affects the way your body reads and expresses DNA (see epigenetics) which can cascade into other health problems. As for “big pharma” my pills cost $6 a month. Nobody is getting rich off mental health the way they are opiates.
MDMA made me worse. Music, meditation, and mushrooms saved me. LSD helped me to become aware of my self sabotaging behaviors. Realized I’ve been self sabotaging since I was 10 😬😬. I’m extremely grateful for this research and being able to put a name to what I’ve noticed in family members and experienced myself.
I remember I got prescribed Zoloft, Prozac and sadly I can’t remember the other one. It felt like I was undergoing a huge experiment that my psychiatrist was putting me through with these meds. I was in a endless hell for a whole year trying different medications to see which one was the best. Let’s just say, I never went back to taking those medications and never went back to see that psychiatrist. 🤦🏻♀️ I got more pstd from feeling so ill instead of feeling better lmao.
Psychedelic is what helped. I took a shrooms in October last year, and again in November. Both trips were negative but not in a scary monster way but more internal and seeing my truths. Obviously the shrooms alone didn’t do all the work but they did help me see why I was so down and what I needed to do to change them. Basically, my internal self was so negative and mean and judged everything I did, it shamed me for lying about things and made me feel guilty for things I had done in the past and So I try to be a lot kinder to, and honest with myself and slow down. Since then my relationship improved, I started communicating my feelings better, I got a raise and WFH, I’m going outside more, I’m willing to learn new things again, and I feel like my mental state is restrengthening. I find I’m getting less angry and trying to overwrite bad habits. I have so much time to myself now and and I finally feel like I have time to process, accept and move on from a lot of shit. I’m still processing, by no means am I free yet, but damn if I don’t feel that breeze.
From my almost 30 years of personal experience as a medical doctor I would definitely say that until now I have not seen any quicker and safer method for healing any kind of psychological trauma than EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and Matrix Reimprinting with EFT. If you learn these and try them with your patients, you will be amazed by the results! No drugs, no substances. Homeopathy also is great. Yoga is also fine. But EFT and ecpecially MR work really very deep and in no time. And what is more – you know that sometimes one may not get over the effects of a physical trauma, although there does not seem to be any tangible reason for the pain and discomfort to continue. But there might be a psychological reason for the pain to persist, deeply rooted in the subconscious mind. You can unearth it very quickly with the above mentioned methods and help the person get rid of it.
I really love this article. Generally speaking you won’t be able to find genuine ways of how to heal from traumas, but Bessel’s experience was so profound that it was all making sense. I found little hope from this article. I’ll try the methods shared by Bessel. I want to remind the people whoever is reading this please don’t feel alone. We all are trying. Healing from trauma is an experiment. Give yourself time. Take care
wow #2 really helped me just now. I was feeling anxious and somehow came across this article and clicked it. I lived under a narcissistic parent for many years and the trauma is still there. It doesn’t help that I don’t have too many people around I can trust. But this article was quite useful to try while I felt alone and by my self.
Ive been through so many terrible, horrendous events. Ive almost died so many times. Ive gotten jumped blood pulling underneath my feat. Ive seen people die and get brutally injured. I have Borderline personality disorder. So surprisingly. The most difficult trauma to get over,for me. Was the emotional abuse of being in a relationship with a narcissist. It hurt me to the point. Were i was volatile and distrustful of any one. It drove me into a spiral of redundancy and debouchary.
Early childhood trauma damages the emotional control parts of the brain (hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, amygdala) and their connections to the prefrontal cortex. This happens due to a flood of cortisol in the abused child’s brain during early development. The emotional cortex parts do not EVER grow fully or operate fully and they can be identified on CT scans of ALL adults with early childhood trauma. These brain parts make insufficient serotonin due to permanent damage. Since serotonin cannot pass the blood-brain barrier, it is not a medication. However, 5-HTP (West African bean extract) can be used orally, as it is a precursor to serotonin . I use this (4-6 caps daily). Cannabis Indica is a big help too as a medication. Ask any combat vet about it. I personally, would also recommend dogs, nature, music, dance, art, talking to friends, helping others. Hurt at 7. Doing a lot better at 74. Keep on truckin’.
You can’t heal from it if you’re constantly being put into situations and circumstances against your own will or your own control and absolutely no true help. All it does is keep re-traumatizing the victim’s over and over again. I have complex-ptsd and severe major depression and anxiety and ocd. I went through abuse in my childhood and most of my adult life. Some victims want to change their names for themselves and move somewhere else so they can’t continue to be abused or put into unhealthy situations or circumstances that we have no control over the hands of others. Most victims need money and their own reliable, dependable transportation and a safe place of their own to go to.