The body truly keeps the score.

Summer for me means lazy days. Something I absolutely love because it also means getting to dive into new books both for work and for pleasure (not necessarily opposites in my world) which is my all-time favourite activity to do on my own and always has been ever since I was little.

This summer I have been preoccupied with four main subjects: Trauma, forgiveness, grief, and love.

In this post I would like to concentrate on trauma and try to explain a bit about trauma and how trauma manifests in the body. I would also like to cast a light on how I work with clients suffering from trauma and what you can do to help your body and mind to release and start healing to move past whatever event that caused the trauma in the first place.

What is trauma?

The term “trauma” has become widely incorporated in our language and is often found used in everyday situations:

“I had a traumatic day at work today”.

Not to diminish the fact that you could have had a traumatic experience at work on that particular day, but we must acknowledge how periodic stress differs from trauma.

This is not to say that it always takes a huge life altering event such as war, natural disaster or a near death experience to become traumatized. Trauma can also be a result of childhood neglect, leaving a deep imprint on how you view the world, how you view yourself and your relationships later in life.

A clear definition of trauma is difficult to state but when we are not able to respond to a perceived threat, we can feel overwhelmed which can lead to trauma. Emphasis on can because it differs from person to person how we react or respond to life events.

In the words of Peter A. Levine, Ph. D in medical and biological physics and developer of Somatic Experiencing, trauma is about loss of connection – to ourselves, to our bodies, to our families, to others, to the world around us.

It is therefore important for me to underline, that trauma does not only exist in our minds, it very much lingers and expresses itself through our bodies.

How can trauma manifest in the body?

After World War 1, a great deal of the surviving soldiers came back with somatic symptoms such as tinnitus, amnesia, dizziness, trembling and sensitivity to noise.

Similarly, in the 1970’ies, some Vietnam War Veterans displayed some of the same symptoms and in 1980 the American Psychiatric Association labelled these symptoms PTSD : Post traumatic stress disorder.

What was both interesting and problematic was that it was very difficult to treat this disorder with the therapy and medication at hand at the time.

Also, regardless of the treatment and medication, some patients seemed to be stuck in their experiences. Both body and mind. No matter how much time passed, the memory of the horrific events was as clear as had it happened only yesterday.

Other stated reactions to PTSD are:

• Inexplicable chronic pain
• Mood tempers
• Anger issues
• General fatigue and dissociation.

These symptoms are also common in patients who have experienced trauma.

Other common symptoms are:

• Nightmares
• Lack of concentration
• Loss of memory
• Isolation
• Feelings of disorientation and confusion
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Feelings of guilt

However, PTSD and trauma are not necessarily the same thing. PTSD is a mental health condition that is associated with experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD can follow a traumatic event but not all traumatic events lead to PTSD.

Hypnosis and trauma

Resolving trauma and symptoms of PTSD is all about reconnecting. Reconnecting your body and mind and experience the healing process that this reconnection will provide.

Trauma and PTSD are highly sensitive diagnoses with potentially grave consequences for the patients. Even talking about the root of the trauma or PTSD can re-traumatize patients all over again, therefore it is crucial to go about treating these diagnoses with the utmost care and respect.

Hypnosis is a very gentle form of treatment where I help the client reconnect with their body through the various sensations that are stuck in the body all the while making sure that the client feels safe and has an inner safe place to return to if needed.

Hypnosis also allows a client to observe their traumatic experience from a safe distance, while remaining secure and calm. This ensures that the experience does not overwhelm the client.

Sometimes clients experiencing symptoms of PTSD and/or trauma are not able to identify any sensations in their body because they have completely dissociated themselves from it as a means of self-protection. This is the mind and body’s way of keeping you safe.

In these cases, hypnosis can be very helpful because during hypnosis a good therapist can help the client remember who they were before the traumatic event and thereby reconnecting with how that felt.

The important thing to notice here, is that the body remembers both good and bad – also the times where we felt loved, protected or safe.

When I access the sensations and emotions in the body during hypnosis, I can –  in collaboration with the client – work with them and help them alter these sensations in a way so that the client has an experience of being able to inhabit their bodies again and eventually regain a sense of security, agency and vitality.

“Being traumatized is not just an issue of being stuck in the past; it is just as much a problem of not being fully alive in the present.”

Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

Are you interested in further information on how hypnosis can help you?

Reach out and contact me for a free 15-minute conversation about how hypnosis and NLP can benefit you.