Breathing to Integrate Trauma

When we experience trauma we loose our ability to remain calm and centered.  We become easily triggered and react to situations.  Unresolved physical, emotional and psychological pain freezes and becomes trapped in the layers of anatomy.  Our nervous systems must run on one or the other autonomic functions.  Sympathetic fight or flight/safety or parasympathetic/rest and digest function. 
Optimally one or the other is working while the other is resting at rest. 

Unresolved trauma can look and feel


Sympathetic agitation feels like this            

• trouble sleeping
• restlessness
• muscle tension
• rapid heart beat
• attraction to dangerous situatio
• angry or frustrated 
• quick to react - short tempered
• fearful - paranoid

Parasympathetic shut down feels like this

• spaciness & unfocused; forgetful
• helplessness
• hopelessness
• slow digestion
• depression
• chronic fatigue
• listlessness

In craniosacral therapy we can address these symptoms.  Trauma stops the continuous flow of electrial conductivity in the brain.  Sympathetic and parasympathetic work best when one system turns off and the other on.  Both cannot be running at the same time.  Total chaos insues and we see a barrage of symptoms starting to occur.

Working through a trauma takes dedication and a skilled professional to support you on this journey. Trauma is not like a physical injury.  Soreness, pain, swelling etc.

 But a sense of disconnection;  Need to control or the opposite-hopelessness.  

The lists above can help you to evaluate what you are physically feeling, emotionally reacting to and thoughts you might be thinking after a trauma.

Shifting your awareness to read subtle changes in your physical body, emotions/feeling and thoughts,

can help you begin to integrate the trauma physically instead of reacting from a heightened nervous state.

So how do we reeducate our neurons to rewire into healthy pathways? 

Start by Breathing!  Inhale and exhale through the nose.

Work towards bringing the breath down into your abdomen.

This can take some practice.  

Work up to 5-10 minutes in each sitting. 

This can take days, weeks, or months to accomplish.

But watch how your symptoms start to fade.

Once entrained in breath work the body will start to breath when it is stressed!!!  So amazing

Consider finding a counselor, massage therapist, craniosacral therapist, doctor that understands trauma.  And Breath!!!  Hope this helps and enjoy your day!