Muse

If you sweated through Jane Fonda's aerobic workouts back in the early 80's, you'll remember her famous expression "no pain, no gain!" The message was this: unless you just about keeled over during the workout, you'd never get anywhere.

Exercise physiology was in its infancy at that time, and it wasn't until years later that science showed us that, in fact, less is usually more when it comes to physically challenging the body.

Jane Fonda's killer workouts are an example of the gusto with which many of us went about self-improvement in those days–if it didn't hurt, it didn't work.

At the same time that sales of Jane Fonda's exercise videos were soaring, survivors of domestic violence and childhood abuse were starting to find a voice. As second-wave feminism brought attention to the issue of violence against women, trauma support groups and special therapies that addressed trauma arose in response.

Like exercise physiology, the field of trauma treatment has come a long way. Initially, therapists believed that regressing the client so that she could remember, relive, and tell her story was the best way to heal the effects of abuse. We now know that regression therapies can cause harm. 

It has become widely recognized that to be effective, treatment must rebuild and fortify a client's strengths and coping skills before her traumatic past is relived and retold in the therapy (if at all). 

There are many different forms of regression therapy. What they have in common is this: the therapist regresses the client by leading her back into her traumatic past. 

So why is regression therapy such a problem?

A healer–whether a doctor, a massage therapist, or an energy healer–is in a position of power. When a therapist or healer intentionally regresses a client, they are asserting their power and will over the client.  This assertion of power can feel like a reenactment of the initial abuse.  

Often the client will respond with worsening symptoms like dissociation, relapse (for addicts), an increase in depression, and suicidal ideation.

Therapeutic regression can be insidious because it is often carried out in a very loving and nurturing context. Examples include offering a client a stuffed animal to help bring him back in time, or holding a client in a maternal embrace.

Think about it: if the goal of therapy is to become a healthy, functioning adult, why would purposefully regressing a client be a good thing?

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with hugging a client, but it should be done skillfully and not in the service of regression.

Often, when there is a history of childhood physical or sexual abuse, "good touching" and "bad touching" were conflated. Therefore, it's a good idea to talk about the implications of physical contact and affection in the context of a therapeutic relationship. 

Most clients assume their therapist/healer knows best–making it unlikely they will express discomfort with affection. Instead, the client may tell herself she needs to "get over" her fear of being touched, and dissociate in order to cope with the discomfort.

If dissociation is happening, the focus of treatment should be on building the skills to stay grounded and present in the body. 

The therapy relationship should be collaborative and focus on empowering the client to feel in charge of her body and to pay deep attention to comfort and safety levels during sessions. This applies to talk therapy, body work, and energy healing.

Here are some suggestions for staying empowered in your treatment (whether or not you have a trauma history):

1. Make sure you actually like your healer and feel comfortable with her. I have heard countless stories from clients who stayed too long in therapies that didn't feel right. Listen to your inner voice and trust your intuition.
2. If anything happens in the course of treatment that doesn't feel right to you, bring it up. Advocating for yourself in this way–in and of itself–is healing and empowering and enriches your therapy.
3. "Things will get worse before they get better" is generally true. However, if you find yourself regressing in your functioning and staying in this place for long periods of time, something isn't right. 
4. If you resume–or start–behaviors that are self-destructive in the course of your therapy (i.e. substance abuse, self-mutilation, unsafe sex), this is a red flag. Your healing needs to focus on self-care until you are safe and and stabilized. 

Exploring traumatic events in the context of a collaborative therapeutic relationship (including talk therapy, body work and energy healing) can be a powerful healing experience. 

Listen to yourself and validate how you feel as your healing progresses. 

Take it slowly and gently!

Be Well,

Rebecca

The healing of trauma—caused by sexual, physical or emotional abuse, combat, natural disasters, or crime—can be challenging and complex. It is not uncommon for someone who has been traumatized to develop addictions, personality issues, and difficulty in relationships, thus making the treatment of trauma complicated.

Judith Herman's book Trauma and Recovery marked a turning point in the approach to treating trauma. Herman proposed that therapy that emphasizes catharsis and memory retrieval can be destabilizing and even damaging.

Instead, therapy should first help a client to establish a life that takes care of basic needs: a safe living environment, job, support system, and sobriety. Only when these things are in place should the trauma be addressed specifically and directly.

Many trauma survivors contend with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These include flashbacks, nightmares, dissociation, and alternating cycles of hypervigilance and numbing. 

Trauma becomes registered in the body and energy field in a variety of ways. There are currently many approaches to the treatment of trauma which use energetic or body-based methods that help deactivate the stress response and release body pain associated with the trauma.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Somatic Experiencing are examples of these kinds of treatment approaches.

The chakras and energy field also carry the imprint of trauma. The second chakra, for example, can become torn or "floppy." Trauma can also cause the second chakra to be too open. This creates boundary issues (either too rigid or too undefined), and a tendency to be a sponge for absorbing unwanted energies.  

When a trauma survivor has progressed to a point where she is stable and has the skills for coping with PTSD symptoms, energy healing that is heart and soul-based can be very helpful.

Healing done in alignment with the client's soul will facilitate change in accordance with the soul's collective experience and also have a reparative effect on the chakras and energy field.  

Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind as the journey of healing trauma unfolds: 

1. The treatment of trauma needs to start with the basics: a stable existence that includes a home, a job, and an adequate support system. You should also have good coping skills that include techniques for counteracting PTSD symptoms.
2. If you are working with an energy healer and begin to have unmanageable trauma symptoms, it is really important to back off until you become stabilized. This might mean adding psychotherapy and body-based therapy to your treatment. 
3. Dissociation (disconnecting oneself from painful experience) is a common response to dealing with the difficult emotions and sensations that come up as a result of being traumatized. Make sure your treatment is addressing the issue of grounding. You cannot be both grounded and dissociated. Grounding skills are essential for doing trauma work (see the post Getting Grounded, Staying Grounded).
4. It is tempting (and sometimes unwisely suggested) to dig into your trauma history with a vengeance. More is not better, and in the case of healing trauma, less is more. Allow treatment to unfold slowly enough that you can stay grounded and emotionally stable. Learn the skills to self-soothe so that you can tolerate intense emotion.
5. The most important aspect of healing trauma is working on the relationship with yourself. Gentleness and the cultivation of self-love are at the core of healing.

Trauma lives in the mind, body, and soul. Likewise, healing should be multifaceted. Most people respond best by starting with psychotherapy, then adding body-based treatments like massage, and then turning to addressing the deepest layers of the trauma with energy healing.

Finally, don't take this journey alone. Give yourself the gift of finding a healer/therapist you like and trust. And don't forget to practice loving kindness towards yourself!

Be well,

Rebecca

Rocks and Moss image by Jennifer Hopkins ( http://jenhopkins.com/about/artwork-2/ ) with a Creative Commons license