Trauma has been lately one of the big themes in society.
And so much new research has been done on it recently!
So, first of all, what does trauma mean?
Trauma is anything too much for your physical or emotional system to absorb without enough help from the outside (helping people around you) or the inside (your resilience – Resilience means the ability to achieve positive outcomes mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually despite adversity.).
Trauma can be physical, like in a one-time accident, or over time, as in shocks to the body, like physical abuse in childhood. It can be a one-time event emotionally, like a problematic separation without enough resources. Or it can be overtime neglect in childhood. Even hospitalization as a young child can lead to trauma.
I learned with Kathy Kain three years ago how to resolve shock traumas. These are physical or emotional one-time events like accidents or the loss of a loved one, for example.
Since last year, I’ve been training with Stephen Terrell, who has a Ph.D. in Psychology and Kathy Kain, who has been working with people in a somatic way for the last 40 years, to assist people with developmental trauma.
What does it mean to have developmental trauma?
It’s trauma that has happened in early childhood or even in the womb that affects the nervous system. Generally, with developmental trauma, there is an overwhelming sense of helplessness present.
As somatic practitioners, we help the client overcome this helplessness, become more empowered, and develop resilience and greater vitality.
What I am learning is based on:
Attachment TheoriesPorge’s polyvagal Theory,
Neuroscience research,
traumatic stress research,
somatic interventions for developmental trauma,
and child development theory
I will go into more depth about this topic in my following newsletters, such as how to support the development of resilience in children.
For now, I just want to mention that the single most important factor for developing resilience in children is one caregiver who is present for the child.
