Sara Jane Lowry

Coaching and Consultation

Overcome and Heal on Your Trauma Recovery Odyssey

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Healing trauma Mandala for resilience

Welcome to a space where healing is the focus, and resilience is celebrated. Trauma recovery is a unique journey for everyone. If you’re reading this, please know that you’re not alone. Let’s explore some insights, practical tips, and encouragement to support you on your path to healing.

Understanding Trauma:

Trauma manifests in various forms and impacts individuals differently. It’s crucial to recognize that healing is a process that takes time. Some individuals may have experienced multiple types of traumatic experiences, and researchers have termed this cumulative trauma. Whether you’ve experienced a single traumatic event or chronic stress, acknowledging your feelings and seeking support are essential first steps.

  1. Validate Your Emotions:
    • It’s okay to feel a range of emotions, and your feelings are valid. Give yourself the grace to experience and process these emotions without judgment. Pay special attention to feelings of shame. Trauma that provokes PTSD (and Complex PTSD) is well known to cause deeply rooted feelings of shame that foster over time and damage your self-image in such a way that no other emotion can. In cases of shame, it’s especially important to develop strategies to encompass self-compassion.
  2. The Healing Power of Connection:
    • Reach out to friends, family, or support groups. Sharing your experience can foster a sense of connection, reducing feelings of isolation. Through relationships, trauma survivors can learn to feel safe, trust others, learn new ways of relating to people and develop self-compassion1.

Healing Foundations: Coping Strategies

tree above horizontal line with kaleidoscope of color where roots grow.

Recovery involves adopting healthy coping mechanisms to navigate the challenges that may arise. Here are some practical tips:

  1. Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques:
    • Explore mindfulness exercises and grounding techniques to anchor yourself in the present moment. Planting your feet on the floor/ground, deep breathing, guided imagery, or other simple grounding exercises can be incredibly helpful on the path to healing and resilience.
  2. Self-Care Rituals:
    • Prioritize self-care as an essential part of your healing journey. Establish daily rituals that promote relaxation and bring you comfort, whether it’s a warm bath, gentle exercise, or spending time in nature.
  3. Seeking Professional Help:
    • Consider reaching out to mental health professionals specializing in trauma. Therapy can provide a safe space to explore your experiences and develop coping strategies tailored to your needs.

Celebrating Resilience in Your Healing:

  1. Small Wins Matter:
    • Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Recognize the progress you’ve made and the strength it took to get to where you are today. Resilience is a continuum, sometimes moment to moment.
  2. Creating a Supportive Environment:
    • Surround yourself with people who uplift and support you. Building a strong support system can make a significant difference in your healing process.
  3. Setting Boundaries:
    • Learn to set healthy boundaries that prioritize your well-being and adhere to your own moral compass. Communicate your needs to others and give yourself the space to heal at your own pace.

Moving Forward:

  1. Embracing Growth:
    • Trauma recovery is not just about overcoming pain; it’s also about growth. Embrace the opportunity for personal development and rediscovery.
  2. Patience and Persistence:
    • Healing is a journey, not a destination. Be patient with yourself and recognize that progress may come in waves. Consistent effort and persistence will pave the way for lasting transformation.

Conclusion:

Remember, healing is possible, and you have the strength within you to navigate this journey. Embrace the support around you, explore different coping strategies, and celebrate your resilience. Together, we move forward, step by step, toward a brighter and more empowered future. You are not alone, and your healing matters.

  1. Van der Kolk B (2014) The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma. Penguin Books. [Google Scholar] ↩︎

Childhood trauma impacts you as an Adult

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child walking away from adult female and male hand holding a gun representing childhood trauma.

Childhood trauma impacts a large number of adults struggling in their everyday lives. You are not alone. The trauma may be the loss of a parent through death, divorce, or incarceration. Your parent may have had substance abuse or mental health problems. You may have experienced bullying, or you may have lived in a home with domestic violence, or emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect. This is not an exhaustive list of the kinds of trauma you may have experienced.

Often the reason many people seek out trauma recovery coaching is due to symptoms of anxiety and depression. They have managed to cope with the symptoms for some time, and perhaps even tried short-term therapy. Suddenly, changes in their lives trigger a strong stress response and bring up painful feelings and fragmented memories of childhood events. The feelings are overwhelming and constant. It may be that the coping mechanisms you usually use such as using alcohol, drugs, or overeating to soothe yourself. It might mean that you find yourself avoiding people or being constantly angry or even violent toward your loved ones. Or you could be working too much or find yourself constantly on guard for something negative to happen. If this sounds familiar, know you are not going crazy. You are trying to use strategies you used as a child to survive what was happening to you or your environment.

Symptoms of past childhood trauma impacting you now

Here are some symptoms you may be feeling now that may be linked to your childhood experiences:

  • Anxiety
  • Low mood and depression
  • Relationship difficulties (e.g. emotional and/or physical intimacy, fear of commitment)
  • Body image-related difficulties
  • Problematic eating patterns
  • Substance misuse
  • Self-harming
  • Feelings of isolation
  • Sadness and grief
  • Shame and guilt
  • Self-criticism and feelings of worthlessness
  • Helplessness and powerlessness
  • Feeling numb

Why am I feeling triggered by past trauma?

A trigger is a person, place, thing, or situation that elicits an intense or unexpected emotional response. Any sensory stimulus can be a potential trigger. Essentially, a non-threatening stimulus is triggering an autonomic (fight-or-flight) response. Our triggers are rooted in our past traumatic experiences. In an effort to protect us from further harm, our brains scan for stimuli that might indicate a threat. That means that sometimes, we have outsized reactions to seemingly innocuous stimuli. Traumatic events often live just outside of conscious memory as they are encoded in the brain differently than traumatic events. However, our brain and body keep a record of the threatening experience. When you are triggered, it means that you have a strong, uncomfortable emotional reaction to a stimulus that wouldn’t ordinarily cause that response. While triggered, people may panic, feel overwhelmed, cry, act out, withdraw, or react defensively. There isn’t really a “cure” for triggers. All we can do is identify when we’re upset, try to understand why, and manage our emotional reactions. At its heart, triggers are a reaction to past trauma. 

If you have been impacted by childhood trauma of any kind, it is important that you seek professional support and practice good self-care. If you are currently struggling, trauma recovery coaching help can be beneficial for not only addressing your symptoms but also the underlying cause of your symptoms.

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