Can You Heal Trauma In The Present?
“We do not heal the past by dwelling there; we heal the past by living fully in the present”
What is Trauma?
Trauma is a psychological response to an event or an experience that is deeply distressing. It overwhelms a person's sense of safety and ability to cope. Trauma can be a one-time acute event (car accident, natural disaster etc.) or chronic, ongoing experiences (child abuse/neglect, domestic violence etc.).
Trauma’s lingering effects
There are many factors that influence how trauma impacts wellbeing. Some of those are age, level of trauma, and duration. Resilience factors will also apply (relationship with caring adults, self-regulation, problem-solving skills.). It is now widely understood that the experience of trauma has far-reaching effects on overall wellbeing. It gravely impacts both our physical and emotional health.
Hard road to healing
It is important to resolve and face long avoided unpleasant feelings and memories from trauma. There are many different therapies that are proven to help with this process. They all seem to include learning how to regulate strong feelings and rebuild the sense of trust and safety.
Do we need to relive past memories?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. There are more than likely different opinions on this. It likely depends on the symptoms and the circumstances, as every person is different. No easy answer to be found here. One effective approach that I find encouraging is Forward Facing Trauma Therapy (FFTT), created by Eric Gentry, Phd. Check out his book here!
Forward Facing Trauma Therapy
FFTT is a process for addressing painful past experiences while focusing entirely on the present moment. It is self-regulation paired with intentional living to create healing, moment by moment.
Values and intentional living come into the foreground of our lives, only when we feel safe and connected. FFTT provides tools to access that sense of safety, using interception and emotional regulation.
What the heck are interoception and emotional regulation?
Big words with easy meanings… interoception is being aware of your physical body response. Emotional regulation is finding your own unique way to stay calm and connected. As with all therapy concepts… simple but not easy. Check out his web page here!
Who can it help?
Every human on this planet can benefit from this information. Past trauma can cause the body to be triggered into a Fight/Flight/Freeze response when it senses a threat. The body will often sense threats before the mind can process what is happening. FFTT helps to manage this ongoing process, which we all experience.
How does it work?
We all hold on to the belief that other things or people are causing us stress. We think that if this person or thing would resolve, the stress will go away too. It doesn’t always play out that way. Likely due to the fact that stress can be viewed as a personal, biological response.
Who is really “causing” the stress?
It stands to reason that this physiological response (heart beating, sweating, shallow breathing) is somewhat within our control. We can see it as our body's warning system. One that gets both turned on and turned off.
Who has control of the on/off switch?
You do... and becoming aware of the physiological sensations is the first step in gaining back control. Once we have some insight into how our body experiences stress, we can also learn what triggers the stress. Improving our ability to determine if the trigger is a “real” or “perceived” threat, is a vital part of this process. When you really think about it… there are not many “actual” threats. And if you find yourself in one…. be grateful for the stress response. It may save your life. For example, starting to walk across a busy street might trigger a stress response. This demands your attention and helps with a safe crossing.
Is it an actual threat… or a perceived threat?
The problem is, most of what we experience as stress throughout our lives, is actually just a “perceived” threat. An alarm that goes off for no “ real” (actual) danger. If there is no “real threat” we can work on calming strategies. This helps because it is impossible to be stressed when you are feeling relaxed. So, reframing the situation as a “perceived” vs. “actual” threat and finding the ways that help you stay in a relaxed body, can be the antidote to a stress response triggered by past trauma.
You are more than likely SAFE from harm… turn off the alarm!
This improved state also opens the opportunity to respond to the situation intentionally. Living intentionally often means, living within your values. FFTT is designed to support you in the process of naming exactly what those are, through the use of a code of honor and mission statement. By calming your body and improving your mental processing, you can make the conscious choice, to behave in a way that is consistent with your values. Using this process often, we can live a life filled with purpose and meaning.
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.
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Navigating the effects of past trauma will often require a system of support. Psychotherapy can be useful to help understand how it affects you in your current life. A therapist will listen to you without judgment, providing space for you to take an honest look at what causes you stress and why. If you are looking for this type of support, or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out by using the form below.
