Experiencing domestic abuse can take a tremendous toll on a person’s physical and mental health. It is important for survivors of domestic abuse to seek help, as healing is possible no matter where you are in life or how long it has been. However, the process of healing can be long and difficult. Here’s what you need to know about the process of healing from domestic abuse.
The Nature of Trauma
It is important to understand that trauma is not linear—it is experienced differently by everyone. The process of healing from domestic abuse may involve feeling waves of guilt and pain, reliving memories, and living with physical effects like chronic pain or insomnia. Survivors may also struggle with depression or anxiety, making it difficult to go through their day-to-day lives.
Healing Takes Time
It is important for survivors to know that it takes time to heal from trauma. Many people think that if they just push themselves hard enough, they will be able to “get over” the experience quickly or completely erase it from their memory. But healing from trauma doesn’t work like that—it requires patience, understanding, and self-care in order for true recovery to occur.
Social Support Systems
It’s also important that survivors build a strong support system during their journey towards healing from domestic abuse. Having people who understand what you’ve been through and provide comfort when needed can be invaluable in helping you cope with the aftermath of your experience. It's okay if not everyone in your life is aware of the abuse; find someone who will listen without judgment or criticism. Whether it’s a friend, family member, faith leader, therapist, or support group—make sure you have someone who can provide emotional support when needed during this difficult time in your life.
Domestic abuse takes an enormous toll on its victims both mentally and physically. It is natural for survivors of domestic violence to feel overwhelmed by their experiences; however, it is important for them to remember that healing from trauma takes time—and it isn’t something that can be rushed or forced upon oneself. With patience, self-care strategies like proper nutrition and exercise, therapy if needed, support from friends and family members who care about them deeply—and most importantly—love for themselves along the way—survivors will eventually find peace within themselves once again.
Trauma can be a heavy burden to bear, and it can have a profound effect on the friendships in our lives. It can be hard to understand why trauma has such an impact on relationships, but it is important to recognize that it does and make sure we are taking care of ourselves. In this blog post, we’ll explore how trauma affects friendships, and provide some tips for managing and being mindful of these impacts.
Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Friendships
Trauma can alter relationships in many ways. For example, when someone experiences trauma, they may become more withdrawn from their friends as a result. They might feel like they don’t want to open up or trust anyone with their feelings or thoughts about the traumatic experience. This could lead to a decrease in communication between the person experiencing trauma and their friends. The person may also become more irritable or angry towards their friends for seemingly no reason, which can drive them away or make them feel like they need to distance themselves from the situation.
It is also possible that someone who has experienced trauma may feel like they don’t “deserve” friendship or support from others due to feeling guilty over what happened during the traumatic event. This could lead them to push people away who are trying to be supportive or helpful, causing further distance between themselves and those around them.
Managing the Effects of Trauma on Friendships
It is important for those experiencing trauma to try and manage its effects on their friendships in order to maintain healthy relationships with those around them. Doing activities together that you both enjoy can help build your relationship back up if it has been strained by trauma-related issues such as withdrawal or anger outbursts. It is also important for those who have experienced trauma to practice self-care and seek professional help if needed so that they are better able to manage the effects of trauma on their friendships without relying solely on these relationships for support. Additionally, talking openly with your friends about how you are feeling regarding your trauma can help create an understanding environment where everyone feels safe and supported discussing difficult topics related to your experience with one another.
Trauma affects everyone differently, including how it impacts our friendships with those around us. It is important for those who have experienced a traumatic event – as well as the people close to them – to be aware of how this may affect relationships so that steps can be taken towards healing any potential damage caused by the event itself. Taking time out for yourself, pursuing professional help if necessary, engaging in activities together with your friends, and openly communicating about traumatic experiences can all help in managing how trauma affects friendships. Women who have experienced trauma should remember that they are not alone in this process; there are many resources available online or through counseling centers that provide support during times like these. And there definitely no shame in getting help!
Trauma can have a devastating effect on our relationships, including our relationship with God. It can leave us feeling disconnected and isolated. But it is possible to reconnect with God during these difficult times. Here are some tips to help you reestablish your faith and find comfort in the Lord.
- Prayer
One of the most effective ways of deepening your connection with God is through prayer and meditation. Prayer is a way of expressing your thoughts and feelings directly to Him, someone who loves you unconditionally. Take some time each day to pour out your heart to Him in prayer. Pray for strength, courage, healing, peace—whatever you need in that moment. Offer up your thanksgiving and gratefulness; it will give you a sense of comfort knowing that He hears your prayers and cares about what’s going on in your life. When we experience trauma, it can be hard to see the good things in life—but focusing on gratitude can help us reconnect with our faith in God. When we practice gratitude, we remember that no matter what happens in life there will always be something worth being thankful for—and that includes our relationship with God.
- Read
The Bible contains stories and teachings from which we can draw strength no matter where we are on our spiritual journeys. Reading scripture helps us stay connected to our faith while also providing guidance on how we should live our lives in accordance with His plan. Devotionals provide us with insight into how our faith intersects with daily life and give us comfort during difficult times. Reading devotionals every day will help keep your thoughts focused on God's love and grace, helping reestablish a strong connection.
- Worship!
There is nothing like worship music to connect us directly with God. He rejoices when He hears you sing to him!
- Connect With Others
Having people around who understand what you are going through can make all the difference when it comes to reconnecting with God after trauma. Seek out support from other believers or join a local Bible study group so that you have others around who can encourage you in faith-based activities like prayer.
- Be Still and Listen
After trauma, it can be difficult to hear your own thoughts, let alone the voice of God. Make time each day for stillness and silence. Whether it’s 5 minutes or 30 minutes, use this time to listen for the Lord’s wisdom and guidance. You may not get an answer right away but trust that He will guide you in His own time.
No matter what kind of trauma one experiences, it is possible to reconnect with God again—even if it feels like He has abandoned us in our time of need. Remember, no matter what happens in life, there is always hope if we look towards something greater than ourselves for comfort and guidance during difficult times. He loves you more than anything, and cannot wait for you to grow in relationship with Him.
It was about 8 years ago when I learned what inner vows were. Over the last 8 years, I have recognized, identified, and renounced so many that I have made to myself over my lifetime thus far. And they are still coming up. Let’s start off first with what an inner vow is.
Do any of these sound familiar? Have you ever said something to yourself like…
“I will never do _____ again.”
“I don’t need anyone to help me.”
“I can do everything on my own.”
“I will always be in control.”
“I will never let ____ happen again.”
“I am a loser.”
“I am accident-prone.”
God takes vows seriously.
Matthew 5:33-37 says, "You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.' But I say, do not make any vows!... Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will, or 'No, I won't.' Anything beyond this is from the evil one." - Matthew 5:33-37 NLT
We don’t want to make any vows that we don’t want to keep. We must believe what God says is true. Remember, in Genesis, all God had to do was SPEAK life into existence. That’s it.
Our words have so much power.
And that is a whole other podcast and blog topic!
The most recent inner vow that I have noticed is - “I will never be a good friend.” Inner vows can be something negative that we believe about ourselves. I have been committing to this statement. As I began to dissect this belief, God put some intentional situations in my life with my close friends that uncovered the truth. I discovered that I was a great friend. I am loyal. I am available. I pray over my friends. I listen. I relate. I will not judge you. I will help you problem-solve. I am one of those friends that even though it may have been 20 years since I last saw you, we will pick exactly where we left off and have a great time. If you call me in the middle of the night, I will answer. If you need to vent and cry, I will listen. My best friend in college came to me first when she found out she was pregnant. I listened, and we cried together. One of my best friends called me first when her husband went crazy on drugs. When my best friend now is having a hard day, she calls me. We tell each other things we would not tell anyone else.
So why in the world would I make this inner vow to myself? Well, many years ago, I was told that I was a bad friend. One reason was because I chose to distance myself from illegal activity that I wanted no part of, so I was not loyal and couldn’t be counted on. Someone else told me that I am a bad friend because I didn’t call them every day, and this one stuck. When I started to unpack the reasoning behind why I thought I was a bad friend, mostly it was due to lack of ongoing communication. I just don’t care to talk on the phone for hours and hours. I never have. I will think about someone 10 times a day, and pray for them, but forget to text to ask how they are. I get distracted. I started to learn that the reasons that I thought that I was a bad friend were false. I started to replace them with the truths that I mentioned above.
I am not just a good friend, I am a great friend.
We typically make inner vows to ourselves during negative experiences in our life. We use these promises to protect our heart and ensure that we are never hurt again. If I simply thought I was a bad friend, I would no longer be hurt if I was ever told that again. The expectations of being a good friend wouldn’t matter, because I was never going to be that way. See how that works?
What inner vows have you made to yourself? I am working on an Inner Vow training that includes all the reasons why they are dangerous, and steps to renounce them. You can find that training in my Rise Up, Sister! Facebook group. Go join right now! Until next time, be blessed!!
There is this concept of being equally yoked. There was a time that I didn’t know exactly what it meant, and, I should say that there was also a time I didn’t believe in it.
And then there was the day that I did.
I remember sitting across the kitchen table from my grandmother one day. We had been here many times before. This time, she was helping me to reflect on another failed marriage. Yes, I said “another”. Every time in my life that I went through something hard, or needed a respite for healing, I knew exactly where to go. I went to my NaNa’s. On this particular day, she walked me through what the Bible says on being equally yoked.
2 Corinthians says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
There was the moment that I realized what it meant. My ex-husband was not a believer. We were on completely different pages. Actually, it would be fair to say that we were in completely different books. He was not going the same direction I was going. He did not believe the same things I believed. What was important to me was not important to him.
Let’s have a quick history lesson. A yoke is a wooden bar that is used with oxen to work and plow in a field or to pull something heavy. It joins the oxen together shoulder to shoulder so they can pull together. If you have one weak ox and one strong ox, they are not equally yoked. They will get nowhere and get nothing done. They work against each other, and it doesn’t work. Interesting, huh? Even more interesting when we apply this meaning to marriage.
It just doesn’t work. We were not equally yoked, and our marriage failed.
The last part of the verse, God asks two very important questions, “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?”. Nothing. Good point.
And the next, “Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”. They can’t. There is no fellowship in darkness.
Sisters, after 4 marriages and 3 husbands, let me tell you that it is IMPORTANT to be equally yoked.
My current husband and I have such a different relationship, a Godly relationship, and it is like no other. It’s beautiful. My grandmother told me something else that day that I will never forget. She said, “Honey, when you find that person that God has saved for you, you will not even know what to think about it.” And she was right.
There is always hope! If you would like a safe, supportive community specifically for women who have survived domestic abuse or family trauma, join my Rise Up, Sister! Facebook group.
There are many different types of trauma, and most of us will have experienced some kind of trauma at some point in our lives. According to the American Psychological Association, trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event. Trauma can come from many different things. It could be caused by physical or emotional situations, and I would argue that it is not just the event that is traumatic, it is what happened in that event that left a lasting effect. There are emotional and biological effects that happen during a bad experience. It could cause stress, fear, distress, and these feelings could last a long time.
Trauma often begins in childhood. When I first heard of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), I was an elementary school principal, and attended a training on ACES. ACES could include being subjected to divorce, neglect, substance abuse, or seeing/experiencing abuse. The research study behind ACES discovered that the higher your ACES score, the more at risk you are for health issues, death, and a less enjoyable adult life.
And, not surprisingly, according to a study by the National Institute of Health, there is a correlation between ACES and the likelihood of domestic violence as adults.
3 types of trauma: Acute, Chronic, and Complex. Acute trauma is from an isolated event such as a natural disaster or a car accident. Chronic trauma is recurring, such as domestic abuse or violence. Complex trauma describes multiple traumatic events that occur to one person over an extended period of time. All of these can lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and in the case of complex or chronic trauma, can lead to Chronic Post-Traumatic Disorder CPTSD. Although many symptoms are the same, there is a difference between the two. Both may experience negative emotions such as guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, depression and irritability to name a few. They may also have a hard time sleeping or concentrating, be hypervigilant, or experience flashbacks. The main difference is that with CPTSD, your ability to regulate your emotions may be affected, significant issues with trusting and relationships, negative feelings toward yourself, and the one that hit me the hardest was the feeling of hopelessness, like life would never get better.
The good news is that there is hope.
Once you are in a safe place physically and emotionally, you have the opportunity to heal from your trauma. Not only can you heal from your trauma, but as you will walk through your journey you could end up having a greater appreciation of life, sense of purpose, positive changes in your spiritual life, and personal strength.
This is the work that I do. This is the help that I am passionate about. I will help walk you through the healing journey, to guide you in restoring your relationship with God, releasing lingering hurts, and find out who you really are so you can step into the promised life of abundance that God has waiting for you.
I am currently working on a self-guided course, and always offer one-on-one coaching to those who want to work directly with me. Take a few minutes to visit my website for more details! Have a blessed day, Sisters!
Resources Cited:
NIH Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3508260/#:~:text=Purpose,associations%20between%20ACEs%20and%20IPV.
For those of us who have battled some kind of trauma, it was not an easy fight.
First the ability to recognize it, then work through it and gain strategies, release, and healing. On the other side of this messy process, you emerge with a different perspective of what trauma looks like . You can pick up on things and sense when something isn’t right. It is one thing to go through trauma yourself, and experience the effects in your own life, and it is another when you recognize it in someone you love.
There comes a feeling of helplessness when you see the trauma and hurts of your loved one showing up.
It’s hard to watch. They may also see it, but maybe they don’t, or maybe they do see it, but just don’t care. I’ve experienced all of these scenarios. None of them are easier than the other. You want to shake them and tell them to wake up! There is help and you don’t have to live that way!
The effects that you observe can differ in seriousness, so let me clarify exactly what I am talking about here. Of course, if we see abuse happening from someone who has been abused, do something immediately. Everyone should be safe emotionally and physically. The effects that I am talking about are the ones that may be missed by most people. The walls that are put up, the trust issues, the missed opportunities to build relationships. The effects on a friend’s health, the lack of joy and laughter, the depression or anxiety. Those are the effects that I’m talking about. When you know in your heart of hearts that this person can release that hold the enemy has on them and their entire life could change.
If you are reading this right now, and someone you love is coming to your mind, here are some ways you can help this person who has unresolved trauma in their life.
Be a safe space for them. When they are around you, they feel seen with no judgment. Ideally, you will have the relationship with them to gently and lovingly share your observations and offer to help them find help.
Be encouraging. Most people don’t know that it is even possible to heal from trauma, and that it doesn’t always have to be this way. They need someone on their side cheering them on, in their corner.
Set healthy boundaries. Remember that we cannot help those who do not want to help themselves. Sometimes, those who we love are the hardest to set and keep boundaries with. We want to “fix it” for them so they don’t hurt anymore.
Love them through it. The last thing that people need when they have experienced trauma is more trauma. They need to feel loved and cared for.
Pray for them. If you don’t do any of the above, you must pray for them. Pray that their eyes and heart will be open. Pray that they lean on Jesus and begin finding ways to get out of captivity of hurt or sin.
God is the only one who can restore his people.
Complete healing can only come through Him. There is so much hurt in the world, and our responsibility as Christians is to spread the gospel, the good news of Jesus. Sharing the hope and love, to one person, one loved one, at a time.
Jeremiah 30:17 “For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,' declares the Lord…”
What is self-sabotage?
Merriam-Webster defines sabotage as ‘the act of destroying or damaging something deliberately so that it does not work correctly’.
I view self-sabotage as ‘consciously or unconsciously keeping yourself from being successful in an area of your life’. For me, it’s always been about my weight. I can look back at my life and see a very clear theme - when I’m unhappy, stressed or experiencing trauma in my life, I gain weight. When I am not, I have an easier time maintaining. Notice I said maintain, not lose... Losing weight has always been a battle of my mind and less about my body. I have started diets so many times that I lost count decades ago. I am 44 years old and am finally ready to deal with the underlying reasons that I self-sabotage myself. And if I’m being honest with myself, there are other areas in my life where self-sabotage comes out to play; it’s not just my weight.
Self-sabotage is a pattern of behavior that is hard to get out of. The first step is being able to recognize when that is what is happening.
How do you know you are self-sabotaging yourself?
Have you ever gotten so close to finishing something, and all you need is just a LITTLE more to complete it, then just don’t do it? Have you ever done a great job of not over-indulging all day, then right before bed stuffed your face to its maximum capacity, completely negating all your previous effort? Why do we do this to ourselves? Why can’t we have just a little bit more willpower (or maybe a lot)? Well, there could be many reasons, and relying on our own strength is definitely not the answer. And if we do finally feel a little like we’ve caught our balance, then something comes along and knocks us off again. Sometimes it is an outside force, and sometimes we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Since those who I help every day have experience with domestic abuse or family trauma, I’m going to take it from that angle. When we recognize we have sabotaged our progress on something, we feel overwhelmingly frustrated, which leads to feelings of shame and guilt. Our minds eventually learn that we cannot trust ourselves, and our ego hangs on to what it knows for dear-friggin-life. The way I see it, by self-sabotaging, we are continuing to traumatize ourselves over and over again. I’m going to shift a little more here, as well: it is more than self-sabotaging ourselves in the area of ______ (fill in the blank), it is more about us not having the ability to be our best selves because we lack self-control. The enemy wants us to fail. He knows our shortcomings and our areas of weakness, and he is very crafty about how he uses them against us.
Self-sabotage is specifically impeding our success with our God-given gift of self-control.
Yes, self-control is a gift. When we sabotage ourselves from fully walking into who wants us to be, we are missing out on the abundance that God set aside for us. One of the first scriptures that really resonated with me was 2 Timothy 1:7, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”.
Why is it common for people who suffer from PTSD or C-PTSD to lack self-control?
Sometimes we have a lack of self worth. We fail to see ourselves as God sees us. We don’t see how worthy we are of all of God’s blessings.
Some of us lack healthy boundaries. We may have never seen what healthy boundaries and self-control really looks like.
Many struggle with perfectionism. “If I can’t do it perfectly, I won’t do it at all.” And then we fall back into unhealthy patterns.
We all have an inner critic, the little voice inside our head that criticizes everything we do. We create limiting beliefs for ourselves that keep us from really believing that we are able to do something.
Fear is a BIG one. Some of us fear success; we don’t know what it’s like to feel successful at something, so we stay in our comfort zone. We play small. In the case of being a healthy weight, some may feel that the weight protects them from outside things, and seek to avoid attention.
All of these things have very likely been a part of the negative experiences that we have had from the trauma in our lives. When you think about where you are right now, which one of these resonates with you the most? Start there.
So, how can we work towards not sabotaging our gift of self-control?
The Bible talks a lot about self-control. Galatians 5:22 says that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. We must take responsibility for our lack of self-control, and also lean on the Spirit to help us through our moments of temptation. And we will be tempted, as we all know too well.
We must also practice self-compassion.
Loving yourself like God loves you. Be kind to yourself; you are the beloved child of our mighty God. We will fail, but we get right back up again, give ourselves some grace, and keep going. You are worthy of all he has to give.
It is important to address how we are feeling.
Journal about it, and talk to God about them. For goodness sake, don’t pretend your feelings are not there and bury them to deal with later, because you will.
It is possible to get past sabotaging ourselves and to live fully in our God-given gift of self-control.
We must stop trying to do it all on our own. It is imperative that we rely on God to help strengthen us. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.”. Matthew 6:13 says “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Pray about it. Pray through it. Every single morning, wake up and talk to God about what you want to accomplish that day. He will help you.
As for me, I am working on honoring myself and the intentions I set each day. Most days that means taking it one meal at a time. And doing a lot of praying…
Blessings to you this week, sisters!
Are you feeling disconnected or stale in your spiritual life?
Our lives are full and let’s face it, life happens. And there are times when our hearts feel the conviction that we aren’t giving God the time we need to in our lives each day. We start to feel like we are missing something, and not completely fulfilled. You may also feel a little guilty that you haven’t been giving God enough of you. I have felt that way a million times in my life.
I am 110% an overthinker. I make things waaaaaay too complicated when they really don’t have to be. Things roll around in my mind so much that at some point I make them so big that I eventually just shut down and don’t do anything at all.
Can anyone out there relate to this?
Sometimes we make connecting with God seem harder than it really has to be.
When we feel disconnected, we feel that the only way to reconnect is checking off tasks on our to-do list. Bible Study… check. 30 minutes for prayer… check. We feel like we need to set aside a huge chunk of time in our already jammed packed schedule each day. Sisters, that is not true. Of course the more time we can spend with God each day, the better. The key lies in talking to God a little bit ALL day… like an ongoing conversation with Him. Check-in first thing in the morning, as you get your cup of coffee, when you are driving to work, when you sit and eat lunch, you get the idea. Here’s a few ideas to get you going:
1. Choose one scripture instead of an entire Bible Study.
That can seem way overwhelming at first. There are some great free apps and online resources like the Bible App with short devotionals that you can read each day. The First 5 (Proverbs 31 Ministries) or The First 15 apps are also great to use each day. I read these in the morning when I’m having my first cup of coffee.
2. Put on a worship song.
There is nothing like connecting with God than through worshiping him through music. Talk about something that can change your attitude fast! Music is an intimate way to connect with the Holy Spirit in a way that is like no other. It can be real and raw, and express how you are feeling in a way that words just can’t. I have a whole lot of favorites, but here are three that I thought I’d share with you today:
Good God Almighty by Crowder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TzECToPYIk
Let Me Tell You About My Jesus by Anne Wilson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t38EjduZ0yI
The Blessing by Kari Jobe &
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp6aygmvzM4
3. Talk to Jesus like he’s in the passenger seat of your car.
It doesn’t have to sound like “Our Father who art in Heaven…” It can be, “Hey, Jesus, I love you. Thank you for this beautiful morning. I am really struggling _____. Please help me get through ____ blank today…” or whatever is on your heart right then.
Let’s learn to talk to Him about everything; include Him in your life!
What’s on your mind? What are you thinking or worrying about? What are you grateful for? It’s the little moments that count and add up to something big. That something big is your relationship with Him.
One time, many years ago, I went into Walmart and made my way down the deodorant aisle. I remember making a trip specifically for that one thing. I stood there looking at all the items lining the wall. There were so many. Which one did I need? Which one did I wear? My eyes scanned each row over and over, but for the life of me I could not remember which deodorant that I normally wore. I waited for that one to jump out at me, for my brain to say ‘aha, that’s it!’ but not one of them looked a bit familiar to me. I suddenly felt completely overwhelmed and started sweating. Then, I had a meltdown. Yep, right there in the Walmart deodorant aisle. This was a time in my life when the stress levels were at such a high level, my body was rebelling against me. It didn’t know what to do with the stress that it was being required to handle. Have you ever felt this way?
Trauma can take an awful toll on the body, and not just with mental health, but physical health as well.
According to an article in Psychology Today, 90% of adults have experienced at least one traumatic event in their life. Y’all, that’s a lot. 9 out of 10 people. The article also states that 1 in 13 people will develop PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) at some point in their life, and that it affects 10% of women compared to 4% of men. I wonder what the healing rate is of all those people. These statistics are so hard to hear, and it hits me in the heart because it doesn’t have to be this way. Somehow, we just get stuck. Stuck in all the mess.
This means that 9 out of of every 10 people walking around every day has experienced some stress related to their trauma. What does trauma in the body look like?
Overwhelm and Anxiety.
Depression
Flashbacks
Weight gain or loss
Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Gut Health
Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Pain
Diabetes
Auto-Immune Disease
Increase of risk of heart disease and cancer
Do any of these sound familiar?
Trauma and stress completely jack up your nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system and can cause your entire body to malfunction. We have to learn to take care of our bodies and our minds. Self-care is not what our society has made it out to be. Emotions and feelings that are a result of trauma are not meant to be ignored and stuffed down to pretend they are not there. Doing that increases the likelihood that our physical symptoms will not improve, and potentially get worse.
I believe that in order to reverse the effects of trauma on the body, the trauma must first be processed and released by the brain.
That means facing your trauma head-on. Recognizing it, addressing it, and talking about it. And not just talking about the trauma, but talking through the trauma. I also believe there is an unhealthy way to talk about trauma that makes you relive it over and over, and that is not helping you. It is important to find a support system that will be there for you as you journey through the healing process. That may be friends, family, a therapist, or other professional. Support systems are imperative. As you work on your emotional freedom, there will be a need to talk through what you learned or when you will make connections or have aha moments about your past. Things will start making sense, and you will need a safe space for someone to listen as you process.
It will take time. Your healing will not happen overnight. Once you start letting go and processing through the trauma, it will take time for your body to catch up with your brain. Be patient with yourself. You will eventually notice that your body doesn’t react to the stress of the emotion anymore. That you are feeling better mentally and physically. As you start feeling better, you may begin taking better care of yourself mentally and fueling your body in a different way. That, sisters, is self care. Not the pedicures and massages and candles that are so often talked about. Real self care is loving yourself enough to get better, and knowing what your mind, body, and spirit need.
Releasing your trauma will be the best thing you ever do for yourself.
Source:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-addiction-connection/202103/how-trauma-affects-the-body
