Trauma
We have a built-in, organic way to heal trauma and it’s so simple: kindness and connection. If we have enough of both, then we are not traumatised.
When the thousands of passengers landed in Newfoundland during 9/11, the local people instinctively knew what to do. Having faced many tragedies and hardships, they don't shy away from helping people in need. And what they did was so human: they simply never left anyone alone. They fed everyone, sat with them and listened, entertained them and made sure that everyone was cared for and connected. As a result, many Newfoundland families now have newly adopted members. Even in the worst of times, people can be at their best.
Because we’re social creatures, we cannot heal in isolation. As trauma is in the nervous system and not in the event, we’re hard-wired to heal in the presence of another and this is why somatic therapies do heal trauma. There is a belief out there that once you’re traumatised, you’ll never recover and it simply isn’t true.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The most important thing to understand is that trauma is in the nervous system, not in the event. Trauma has nothing to do with will power or toughness. Trauma is cumulative. It not only breaks our connection with life but also with ourselves, limiting our choices and giving us a narrow range of motion. It holds our vitality hostage and it cuts us off from those we love.
PTSD is an equal opportunity visitor; it doesn’t care who you are.