Power To Be Happy: Journey of Healing, Together

Like many, I first learned about trauma from Besser van der Kolk’s “The Body Keeps the Score” book.

I was driving from work, and listening to the first chapter where Bessel gets a gift from the army vets as if to say: now you’re one of us.

As I listen, the tears swell up, and I’m sobbing.

And I can’t stop because inside, a new understanding is born: now I am one of us, those who know what it is like to suffer.

But the gift of this book, of course, isn’t the trauma, but belief you can heal.

This belief is instilled in me through many chapters, and stories, and the therapies I never heard…

One of those – neurofeedback.

It’s a fascinating approach that brings together technology, neuroscience, and the understanding of human experience.

Today, I am talking to Moshe Perl, a true expert in neurofeedback about how it works, and why it can be so effective in healing from trauma:

The most difficult, painful moments that have impact on our lives have this one thing in common:

The mind wants to drift further away from the memory, from the event, so as not to even recall it.

We can’t bear to think, feel – it is stuck in our body, some place in between.

Neither here nor there.

It’s how I think of the most challenging times in my life when the impact of past and the struggle was strongest…

I felt stuck in between of the past, present, future, I could not dare move, decide, or make change.

The goal is to find meaningful activities that brings us into the moment, that swoop in to take hold of our hearts, and our minds, our bodies, that are calling us strongly:

To act, to keep going, today.

But then how do you do that?

In this podcast today, I want to share what I am learning and how that might help you – we talk through the journey of healing so you can feel progress, to feel good about you, where you’ve been, and where are you going from here:

One barrier that prevents us from doing therapy is we don’t have the language we need to be talking of trauma.

It’s why a body based approach is so vital – reconnect with our senses, and feel.

Yoga helps us connect with our bodies, but there are deeper needs that us trauma survivors can often require – a more gentle pathway without focus on form, or on doing things right.

Here is where trauma sensitive yoga comes in – and this conversation with Clare Pritchard has transformed the way that I think about yoga.

In this conversation on trauma informed yoga, trauma yoga teacher Clare we talk about what separates trauma sensitive yoga from the more traditional modalities, why it’s important, and whether it’s right for you.

Clare is not only as a skilled teacher and caring practitioner, but a compassionate voice for trauma survivors, and urge thay we have to heal.

Join us for this vital conversation on trauma sensitive yoga:

Links

Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Yarra Ranges Yoga

This morning, as I am jogging through bush, I’m feeling my muscles grow tense.

The breathing is shallow, arms flail around useless, like sticks…

I know that I’m tired, and I want to stop, keep walking instead, you know, take it easy.

And hey, what’s the harm? It’s almost 5km, and no one can see me.

And yet, I remember:

SURVIVOR

I am a survivor.

I suffered, I held back, I failed, and almost gave up.

But I will no more. Not even today!

It’s my choice:

To make my identity matter.

It’s shaping the person I am – not a victim, but striver who does not give up.

Despite everything, I am here.

Despite everything, I give and I care.

Despite everything, I am a beautiful human being.

And I have earned the right to not give a crap about haters, and doubters, and lies.

You are who you are.

We’re in this together, and the identity we choose to take on with trauma it can be a crutch, or a blocker, but also RELEASE.

Release from pressure, the past, expectations.

Today, what matters: today.

The person who’s helped me to see it is part of my life, and now I have the honor to speak to her about healing, identity, being a survivor, and finding your way.

Donna is taking the pain that she’s been through, and lessons she learned to create a one of a kind program called Left > Write >> Hook that helps survivors of child sexual abuse to heal, and move forward.

Join Donna Lyon and myself for this vital conversation today:

Links

Left Write Hook

It’s hard to put trauma into words.

That’s why therapies like EMDR, trauma informed yoga, and neurofeedback can be so powerful in helping us heal.

But having a calming presence around you can also be ever so helpful – precisely the reason why equine therapy is so intriguing!

This week, I’m speaking to Cindy Jacobs, a somatic experience practitioner who has developed her own approach to helping people with trauma.

Cindy loves her horses, and she has incredible passion for helping people here in Victoria – I hope you will join me for this vital conversation on equine therapy and its role in healing from trauma:

Links

SEhorse trauma resolution | Cindy Jacobs

Free Rein Australia

I feel the reason that we don’t talk about our pain and internal strife is we believe that we’re broken.

We don’t believe we can heal.

Whether it’s breakup, or grief, or abuse, it’s hard to imagine that things could be changed.

For me, it’s going through rape as a child.

I lived in denial of how it’s been messing me up, and thought I’d be making things worse if truth had somehow came out.

And I felt alone, that nobody gets it, that shame and the hurt I am destined to carry, forever, until…

The one conversation with a survivor – it’s changed me, forever, because I held proof that I am not alone!

This human that’s holding my hand has been through it, and they’re still alive, and they do not hide, and use their pain to help others…

This is what struck me – the hope.

The possibility of healing, of letting go of the hurt, of letting it live, and move on.

I might not ever be perfect, but I don’t have to hide, run, pretend…

No, you are who you are, and we’re in this, together.

We know there’s the struggle, the struggle is real, but it’s why we connect, it’s why we’re here, together.

Because of the possibility – to let go, and to move towards healing.

It is what you deserve:

To heal, to live with the possibility of change, of sharing your story, of getting support that you need to figure things out, but on your terms.

It’s what we talk about this week – let go of the past, to feel more free, and move forward:

The moment I heard about parts of you living inside, and that they must get along like a family, it rang out as loud as the truth.

Of course – we must help them, bring out the parts that were hurt, so they’re starting to heal.

But that’s not easy to do on your own, and to have a specialist guide taking you through this can make all the difference…

This is where Internal Family Systems therapy comes in:

It’s a complete approach to help people healing from trauma, and this week I’m talking to Sean Cuthbert, a local psychologist who is an expert on trauma and IFS:

Sean Cuthbert | Clinical Psychologist

The Internal Family Systems Model

The last few years of living inside a pandemic have caught us off balance – the everyday life turned itself inside out, we struggled to make sense, connect, to belong.

But this profound sense of disorientation hasn’t it always been found its way into the fabric of our being when living with trauma?

It sometimes can feel as if everyone’s off on a cruise while you’re struggling to keep it afloat in the never ending storm of living each day.

You know what it’s like – and truth is that despite the struggle, the loss, the uncertainty…

You’re doing your best, for you and your loved ones, because there’s no other way, only forward, and maybe, just maybe you are not giving yourself the credit that you so richly deserve!

This journey through change, and you want to be acting from your place of a strength.

It is a place of fortitude when you are prepared:

For those of us who know what it’s like to deal with the unexpected, we want go to foundation and leverage our home, our environment so that we get to FEEL READY.

Ready to stand our ground, ready to bounce back, ready to move!

This week on the podcast, I am talking about how making your home your fortress can help you move forward despite the challenges that come to us daily: