Usually the pain has to do with our relationships and our identity. These issues are really close to our hearts, so when we are wounded there, it takes effort and intention to heal those wounds. Most often, they connect deeply with other stories of our past where others have wounded us before.
Acceptance: In the final stage, individuals come to accept that the trauma has happened and begin to focus on healing and moving forward.
Emotional trauma can last from a few days to a few months.
Some people will recover from emotional trauma after days or weeks, while others may experience more long-term effects.
After practicing TRE® people often use the words 'grounded', 'relaxed' and 'calmer' to describe their feelings. After a period of several months people have reported relief from illnesses such as Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Eczema and IBS.
Is it normal to feel exhausted and fatigued after an emotionally open and vulnerable therapy session? Absolutely. Therapy is hard work, especially when we unpack stories and experiences we've suppressed for years. Sometimes, you leave a session feeling extra tired, disoriented, and uncomfortable.
Many people associate crying during grief with depression, when it can actually be a sign of healing. Teaching boys and young men that it's okay to cry may reduce negative health behaviors and help them have fuller lives.
Tears can help people heal from hurtful psychological experiences in life, just as there are natural body processes that promote physical healing.
You might feel sharp, shooting pains in your wound area. This may be a sign that you're getting sensations back in your nerves. The feeling should become less intense and happen less often over time, but check with your doctor if you're concerned.
The theory for the healing process, is as you start healing you go backwards on the timeline of your symptoms. We had a long conversation on how this could potentially be the same for the mental healing process as well. If we think about healing this way, it makes sense why the healing process may be messy.
Trauma is not physically held in the muscles or bones — instead, the need to protect oneself from perceived threats is stored in the memory and emotional centers of the brain, such as the hippocampus and amygdala. This activates the body whenever a situation reminds the person of the traumatic event(s).
Take time to slow down and be alone, get out into nature, make art, listen to music while you cook your favorite dinner, meditate to cleanse your mind and relax your body, take a bubble bath or a nap to restore.
They may start crying, laughing, screaming. The emotional release may bring back flashbacks, memories, or visions they forgot they had or have never experienced before.
By concentrating on what's happening in your body, you can release pent-up trauma-related energy through shaking, crying, and other forms of physical release.
It won't rid you of PTSD and your fears, but let your tears flow and you'll maybe feel a little better afterwards. 'Crying for long periods of time releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain.
Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being.
In the short term, it can cause pesky problems such as irritability, anxiety, and poor sleep. But over time, repressing your tears can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension — or even cancer.
Safety is perhaps the most difficult part of the trauma recovery process. If you do not feel safe in your body, environment, or relationships, then you will not be able to healthily process the trauma experience(s).
Uncomfortable healing is the type of healing required when something in your life or body has given way. It can no longer hold up, and an unhealthy pattern (or the environment) has shifted so much that you're forced to adapt! Or, you want something so badly, and you don't have the skill set to get it.
Catharsis – or emotional purging – is the process of eliminating emotions that don't serve you, and for the purpose of this post, specifically pain, fear, pity, anger, and shame.