Trauma healing
Recovery from Trauma Through Body-Oriented Therapy
At Pure after Tuur I offer a safe and effective method for processing trauma: body-oriented trauma healing.
This approach helps you release the tension stored in your body step by step, without having to relive the trauma.
What is trauma?
Trauma is a shock caused by an overwhelming event that was too unexpected, too shocking, or too overwhelming to comprehend and process. Such trauma brings with it an enormous amount of stress, which often cannot be fully released right away. This overloads the nervous system, and because the stress still seeks an outlet, you may experience all kinds of physical and psychological symptoms.
Sudden, overwhelming situations in your life can make you feel stuck, or as if you’re constantly running or fighting. We’re all familiar with the basic physical responses to imminent danger: fight, flight, and freeze. These are our three primary survival mechanisms.
However, if we have ever been exposed to trauma, these reactions can also occur even when there is no real danger. Our bodies react in these situations, even though we know rationally that the situation isn’t actually dangerous. This can take a lot of energy.
Trauma is not a disease, but stored energy that is trapped in the body and can be gently and gradually released through trauma healing. This releases more life energy and makes you feel more connected, relieved, and freer.
Body-oriented trauma healing helps you become aware of the resources that have helped you survive overwhelming or unsafe situations and that support the healing process. You’ll connect with your body’s memories and, by naturally releasing stored tension, restore your body’s ability to self-regulate.
How Does Trauma Healing Work?
Body-oriented trauma healing is a method in which you release the tension in your body in small steps, at your own pace. This reduces the impact of the trauma to manageable levels, and the symptoms gradually subside. The therapy focuses not so much on the trauma itself, but primarily on its effects on your body. This is particularly helpful if you don’t want to relive the trauma, don’t want to talk about it anymore, or aren’t sure exactly which trauma is causing your symptoms.
During therapy, you’ll observe what happens in your body when you think back on the traumatic experience. You may notice various physical sensations, such as muscle tension, a rapid heartbeat or breathing, goosebumps, pain, and tingling. By linking these physical symptoms to the trauma, it becomes clear that the trauma is the cause.
Next, we’ll look for resources both inside and outside your body. So-called “internal resources” include creativity, humor, and intelligence. External resources include positive memories, support from friends or pets, and places where you feel comfortable. By activating these resources, you can put yourself in a state of relaxation and counterbalance the physical sensations. Somewhere in your body, there’s a place where you can find peace, from which you can relax and break the vicious cycle.
