Trauma and its effects
Trauma is a fact of life; it does not, however, have to be a life sentence (P. Levine).
Trauma may be the result of one event happening too fast, too suddenly and too soon – a violation of our boundaries, or the end product of cumulative stress over a prolonged period of time. Both can seriously impair one’s personal ability to behave in an open, free and relaxed manner, with a feeling of control. Any of the following experiences can cause traumatisation: motor-vehicle accidents, invasive medical procedures, sexual or physical assault, childhood emotional abuse and/or neglect, war, natural disasters, loss, birth trauma, or the overwhelm of ongoing fear and conflict in one's life, such as being in an abusive relationship. It is the loss of safety and helplessness that are the defining elements of events being experienced as traumatic.
When unresolved, trauma creates fragmentation in how we 'remember' the experience and we may become defined by the story around the events through the reenactment of unconscious coping mechanisms and survival strategies adopted at the time when we didn't have the resources to re-connect to health. Traumatised individuals go through the motions of life without truly engaging with life itself, often experiencing numbness, shutdown, detachment and depression; or, conversely, a state of hyper-arousal characterised by constant hyper vigilance, anxiety, alertness, fear or rage. The main sensation for such an experience is that of being disconnected and leading a fake life, while being overwhelmed by somatic sensations and emotions.
It is also worth considering that there is mounting evidence that unresolved traumas, especially childhood and developmental trauma, are linked to the insurgence of a variety of diseases and syndromes like IBS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraines, acute and chronic anxiety and auto-immune diseases among others. Therefore the body becomes the battleground of trauma.
Trauma may be the result of one event happening too fast, too suddenly and too soon – a violation of our boundaries, or the end product of cumulative stress over a prolonged period of time. Both can seriously impair one’s personal ability to behave in an open, free and relaxed manner, with a feeling of control. Any of the following experiences can cause traumatisation: motor-vehicle accidents, invasive medical procedures, sexual or physical assault, childhood emotional abuse and/or neglect, war, natural disasters, loss, birth trauma, or the overwhelm of ongoing fear and conflict in one's life, such as being in an abusive relationship. It is the loss of safety and helplessness that are the defining elements of events being experienced as traumatic.
When unresolved, trauma creates fragmentation in how we 'remember' the experience and we may become defined by the story around the events through the reenactment of unconscious coping mechanisms and survival strategies adopted at the time when we didn't have the resources to re-connect to health. Traumatised individuals go through the motions of life without truly engaging with life itself, often experiencing numbness, shutdown, detachment and depression; or, conversely, a state of hyper-arousal characterised by constant hyper vigilance, anxiety, alertness, fear or rage. The main sensation for such an experience is that of being disconnected and leading a fake life, while being overwhelmed by somatic sensations and emotions.
It is also worth considering that there is mounting evidence that unresolved traumas, especially childhood and developmental trauma, are linked to the insurgence of a variety of diseases and syndromes like IBS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraines, acute and chronic anxiety and auto-immune diseases among others. Therefore the body becomes the battleground of trauma.
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Psychological & emotional symptoms of trauma may include:
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Physical symptoms of trauma may include:
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I have been working with Ottavia for almost 2 months now and she has been incredibly helpful. She is a very intuitive practitioner with excellent insights and therapeutic techniques. With her warm and caring nature she provides a safe space for healing and developing more awareness about emotions held in my body. I also appreciate all the extra information and explanation she gives me throughout and also outside the sessions. With her help I feel like I am gaining a new perspective on my healing journey and can actively work on myself. (D. Nagy) |
The essence of trauma is that it is overwhelming, unbelievable and unbearable. Each patient demands that we suspend our sense of what is normal and accept that we are dealing with a dual reality: the reality of a relatively secure and predictable present that lives side by side with a ruinous, ever present past. (B. Van Der Kolk) |
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders, based on the life work of psychologist Peter Levine. According to Levine, trauma is not in the event itself, but in the reaction of our nervous system to the event. When a traumatic event has not been integrated, the nervous system acts as if danger was still ongoing and the same survival responses of fight, flight and freeze keep repeating when aspects of the day to day experience act as triggers.
The SE trauma resolution method does not require the traumatized person to re-tell or re-live the traumatic event. Instead, it offers the opportunity to engage, complete, and resolve—in a slow and supported way—the body’s instinctual fight, flight and freeze responses. This resets the nervous system, restores inner balance, enhances resilience to stress, and increases people’s vitality, equanimity, and capacity to actively engage in life.
During an SE session I will work with you to track how the traumatic experience is still stored in your body and support you in becoming familiar with the inner landscape of your sensory world. This includes physical sensations, images you perceive, your postural and behavioural patterns, your emotions and the meaning you place upon all these experiences. The session generally unfolds whilst sitting opposite each other, but physical shared exercises may also be used when necessary and can be invaluable to support change and reintegration of stuck patterns.
The SE trauma resolution method does not require the traumatized person to re-tell or re-live the traumatic event. Instead, it offers the opportunity to engage, complete, and resolve—in a slow and supported way—the body’s instinctual fight, flight and freeze responses. This resets the nervous system, restores inner balance, enhances resilience to stress, and increases people’s vitality, equanimity, and capacity to actively engage in life.
During an SE session I will work with you to track how the traumatic experience is still stored in your body and support you in becoming familiar with the inner landscape of your sensory world. This includes physical sensations, images you perceive, your postural and behavioural patterns, your emotions and the meaning you place upon all these experiences. The session generally unfolds whilst sitting opposite each other, but physical shared exercises may also be used when necessary and can be invaluable to support change and reintegration of stuck patterns.
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Somatic Experiencing is about creating new experiences that contradict overwhelming feelings of helplessness and replacing them with a sense of agency and ownership of physical reactions and sensations...Only after we become capable of standing back, mindfully noticing our sensations and emotions without getting overwhelmed, can we find the right space to breathe and respond, rather than automatically react.
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Safe and Sound Protocol
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), was created by Dr. Stephen Porges based on the Polyvagal Theory and functions as an acoustic stimulator of the vagus nerve. It is a research based intervention that can results in significant reduction of stress and anxiety and improvement of one's general well-being when used alongside other therapeutic approaches (SSP is not designed to be a standalone or quick-fix intervention. It is best used as a platform to help other therapies work more effectively and efficiently). Using specially filtered music, SSP resets the autonomic nervous system, encouraging a shift out of its defensive survival responses of fight, flight and freeze. The brain and body can then work together in a more balanced way making it easier to "rest and digest", cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life and socially connect with others.
SSP was initially developed for those struggling with difficulties associated with autism spectrum disorder. However, its potential to support the healing of those with a history of trauma soon became clear. It has been found to be particularly suitable for those suffering with auditory hypersensitivity, anxiety, and social and communication disorders. It works by encouraging the autonomic nervous system to work more efficiently when, for some reason relating to traumatic experiences, this subconscious system connecting the brain and body may have got ‘stuck’ in defensive modalities. SSP can gently help it ‘shift’ to work in a healthier way.
SSP was initially developed for those struggling with difficulties associated with autism spectrum disorder. However, its potential to support the healing of those with a history of trauma soon became clear. It has been found to be particularly suitable for those suffering with auditory hypersensitivity, anxiety, and social and communication disorders. It works by encouraging the autonomic nervous system to work more efficiently when, for some reason relating to traumatic experiences, this subconscious system connecting the brain and body may have got ‘stuck’ in defensive modalities. SSP can gently help it ‘shift’ to work in a healthier way.