before we can heal trauma, we have to accept it 🫂🫶

in my previous post i broke down the healing process into three major categories 💌

let’s go over what they look like - practically! starting with → making space ← because we can’t move on from the past if we never make room to see, feel, and acknowledge it

🌷 addressing past memories

when we leave the environments where trauma occurred, we usually try to move on as quickly as possible. we step into a “new” life, while still carrying all the weight from the past. making space looks like actually taking a hard look at what happened to us, and coming to terms with that reality without softening or minimizing it

practically ⬇️

→ exploring prompts for childhood trauma healing

→ creating your personal narrative (telling your story)

→ journaling about impactful and/or painful moments

→ noticing where you feel memory in your body

→ sensory and somatic processing

🌷 feeling it to heal it

initially, healing feels more like hurting. all over again, and a lot of the time. but we can’t heal from what we won’t allow ourselves to feel. and usually, there’s a lot we didn’t allow ourselves to feel during trauma.

practically ⬇️

→ treating triggers as opportunities, not obstacles

→ simply bearing witness to pain and sadness (without trying to change it)

→ letting pain exist without attaching yourself to it

→ giving yourself permission to express feelings

physically (crying, screaming, movement). this is somatic processing

🌷grieving

as we begin to recognize and acknowledge just how much we went through (and the density that’s still with us from enduring it) there’s a natural grieving period. we grieve the loss of our innocence, our childhood. we grieve the safe/loving parents we never got. we grieve the time that should have been spent discovering who we are, that was instead spent in survival mode. we grieve for the younger version of ourselves, who didn’t deserve what happened to them. with grief comes a lot: unwanted memories, changed sleep habits, feelings of disconnection, increased sensitivity, withdrawal. it’s all normal. it’s all valid <3

practically ⬇️

→ leaning into pain with compassion

→ allowing your body to take the rest it needs

→ writing a letter to your younger self

→ journaling about what hurts and why

→ leading with kindness & care instead of judgement

→ somatic processing

🌷 allowing your body to rest

after spending years in a near-constant state of fight or flight, the body and nervous system is exhausted. when we move away from the environment where trauma occurred, our bodies collapse into the rest they’ve needed for so long. you might find yourself sleeping more, having less energy, and just generally feeling drained or unmotivated. don’t push yourself! make space for the rest you need.

practically ⬇️

→ not worrying or getting upset that you’re sleeping (way) more usual

→ resting and relaxing without obligation, even when it feels uncomfortable

→ spending time in nature and in the sun

→ practicing self care that’s soothing and calming to your body (ie hot shower/bath, cozy time, hugs, self massage)

above all, give yourself grace!! you can do this 🫶

#healingjourney2023 #healingmotivation #selfhealing #lemon8creator #selflove2023 #wellnessthatworks #cptsd #childhoodtrauma #healingmyself #healingjourney