How complex (and developmental) trauma affects sleep

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Sleep continues to be a common issue found within survivors of trauma and can act as a catalyst for a host of additional symptoms which are associated with trauma. Traumatic experiences often lead a survivor to experience high levels of epinephrine and adrenaline which are released to continue the survival response and act as a protective factor. These neurochemicals remain present in the brain following past trauma and can serve to interrupt an individual’s normal sleep cycle causing difficulties with; insomnia, nightmares and daytime fatigue caused by poor sleep hygiene/quality.

Trauma responses such as flashbacks and troubling thoughts can make the act of falling asleep seem impossible at times. Not only interfering with sleep hygiene but the actual quality of sleep. In a sleep state, there is no control. An individual is victim to whatever images are produced by the brain and has no ability to alter this (there are cases of individuals practicing the act of dream modification however this post looks at the consensus population of which follow REM paths). To sleep ‘perchance to dream’ , survivors commonly fear the dreams that may come due to the uncontrollable aspect that flashes them back to the past.

Within waking life, a survivor of trauma may feel the need to maintain a high level of vigilance. Experiencing day to day life in a manner that protects and ensures safety. A survivor may engage in behaviors which are self protective, avoiding stimuli that are perceived potentially dangerous (or uncontrollable). As a survival response (each of the 4f responses), a survivor of trauma may live their life in ways that are predictable and calculated. This safe place is in stark contrast to the dream world; where dreams and at times; night terrors plague an individual with no ability to change or control that environment. Going to sleep therefore can transform into a negative association with the pattern of night terrors serving to exemplify that.

Darkness itself may present anxiety and agitation within many survivors of trauma. It can cause a survivor to be triggered, to experience reliving of the trauma (flashbacks) or result in the use of maladaptive coping and reliance in order to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that it brings. Fearing darkness leads to added stress and anxiety; especially as the hours pass and darkness nears. This fear can result in manifestations of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), depression, anxiety and produce phobias. At times when an individual is in such a heightened emotional state, it is possible to visually see things which may not be there. Individuals with anxiety over darkness commonly report associating shadows and objects negatively as well as see insects and objects which aren’t physically there. These visual manifestations are a way for the brain to remain vigilant during exhaustion and research has found exhaustion and poor sleep quality to be a huge factor in physiological health.

Survivors of trauma often report as using sleep to cope with symptoms of trauma. Commonly taking frequent naps throughout the day as a response to the tiredness that comes along with vigilance, obsession and control. The efforts that are placed in controlling one’s environment can not be overlooked. As a coping mechanism; a survivor may meticulously plan, analyze and control their environment as a self protective measure. Although helpful, taking naps during the day can be maladaptive if done to remove oneself from an anxiety inducing situation or if taken too much. Too many naps will obviously directly interfere with an individual’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Nightmares often cause individuals to have difficulty falling asleep afterwards. A night terror commonly wakes an individual from REM sleep and such crude awakening leads to instant agitation and anxiety. Such feelings may come even before full consciousness is achieved and an individual can turn to 4f reliance at breakneck speed due to the nature of waking becoming uncontrollable and triggering. Not only that, but an individual waking from a night terror commonly has memories of said terror. For survivors of trauma who often process their individual trauma during sleep; this can lead to memories that have been blocked becoming evident and residing for a prolonged period of time. It can take many hours (if at all) for a survivor to calm down enough to return to sleep; however , the fear of continuing the memory or terror can directly affect one’s ability to sleep (even if desperate to).

Night terrors (or trauma memories manifesting within dreams) cause the brain to switch directly on to survival mode. This 4f response carries with it extra adrenaline and is fueled by vigilance and a deep desire for safety. No animal or species – human or not; would be able to sleep in a state of uncertainty. Not only can it take a great deal of time to come back down from this state, but commonly, survivors resort to maladaptive coping in the time between. A survivor of trauma in this state is completely driven to achieve a state of safety and the uncomfortable feelings which go hand in hand with feeling unsafe may cause an individual to reach for things which are not safe in the long term however produce quick, instant feelings of euphoria or ease. Research has reported individuals upon waking often leave their bed and go forth to cope with their insomnia in a maladaptive way including; drinking coffee/tea, watching TV, cleaning, writing, eating snacks or making a meal, gambling, online gaming, scrolling through their phone and using substances as a way of forcing a desired state (either sleep/alertness).

Using substances to numb or dull feelings can help in the short term, however long term it builds a reliance that requires more of said substance in order to achieve feelings close to past usage. In terms of substances, that is not always to say drugs are used. Substances include; alcohol, caffeine, food, sexual needs, prescriptions, painkillers and dissociative tasks (such as scrolling through Facebook at 4am). Although substances work in the short term, it can lead to an exacerbation of symptoms and neural changes within the brain.

Trauma alters the brain by changing neural pathways and volume. Sleep disturbances are listed by the DSM-IV as insomnia, frequent wakening or night terrors as one of many symptoms associated with PTSD and CPTSD. Each symptom however acts as a potential issue with regards to sleep. For example, issues with arousal with regards to anxiety and hypervigilance cause direct issues with an individual’s ability to fall asleep. A survivor with a heightened startle response may jump awake easily during the night at the smallest sound; this change in sleep can also serve to exacerbate other trauma related symptoms. An exhausted individual will undoubtedly be more irritable and agitated or have greater difficulty concentrating. Trauma symptoms lead a survivor to face difficulty in leading their day to day life and adding sleep issues and consequences on top of that can be debilitating.

Sleep problems can intensify daytime (C)PTSD symptoms, this can make it even more difficult to sleep at night. Survivor’s who feel anxious or fatigued during the day may ruminate more on their traumatic memories or experiences this further increases the risk of nightmares and other issues when sleep is attempted.

Coping

For those who are experiencing temporary sleep problems, there are a number of recommendations for dealing with insomnia, bad dreams, and daytime fatigue. Sleep experts recommend trying to reduce feelings of stress, especially before bedtime. Don’t watch the news right before going to bed. Avoid coffee in the afternoon and evening. Take a warm bath or soak in a hot tub before bedtime. If sleep problems persist, see your doctor, who can prescribe medications that will help you sleep but won’t make you groggy in the morning.

Tips

• Go to bed when you feel ready to sleep. Try not to force sleep, which can add to the pressure of wanting to get to sleep. Developing the harmful habit of lying in bed awake for long periods when you want to sleep is counter-productive.
• Engage in a relaxing, non-alerting activity at bedtime such as reading or listening to music. For some people, soaking in a warm bath or hot tub can be helpful. Avoid activities that are mentally or physically stimulating, including discussion about your violent experience, right before bedtime.
• Create an environment in which you can sleep well. It should be safe, quiet, cool and comfortable. While it often helps to sleep in a dark room, if keeping a night light on helps bring about a more safe feeling, then consider keeping the room dimly lit. It may also help to have a friend or family member stay in the room, or perhaps in a nearby room, while you are sleeping.Rest when you need to rest. It is common to feel exhausted after a violent trauma, so you may need more rest or to rest differently during this time. Relaxing and resting for brief times throughout the day and taking short naps (15-45 minutes) may help.
  Do not eat or drink too much before bedtime and recognize the negative role that alcohol can have on your sleep.
• Sleep in a location where you will feel most rested and safe. While the bedroom is optimal, it may not be possible to rest there soon after the trauma if you experienced violence in that room.
• Stress and anxiety management strategies can be helpful for managing (C)PTSD-related sleep problems. Some people find relief from meditation or yoga,guided imagery or positive mantras
  Medications, including anti-anxiety and sleeping medications, may help some people in the short term. However, when the underlying PTSD symptoms remain, sleep problems will likely return when you stop using medication.
• Therapy can help with both sleep issues and (C)PTSD. A compassionate trauma informed therapist will help you work through your trauma in a safe space, free of judgment, help you set goals, help you understand how trauma changes the brain and work with your GP to decide which (if any) medications are appropriate.

Further research

Although a study completed in Sweden showed that sleep deprivation actually aids a trauma survivor by that intrusive thought and flashbacks are reduced; no other research has furthered this.

Research carried out by the University of Oxford, the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge and the Karolinska Institute and published in the peer reviewed medical journal of sleep included 42 participants; 20 within the ‘sleep deprived’ group and 22 within the ‘sleep’ group. Participants resided in a sleep facility for 6 days, both groups were shown the same clip and informed that they could stop the recording at any time. They were not permitted the use of devices (phones, laptops etc) and were provided a sandwich and fruit every two hours – being allowed to shower and use the bathroom.

The study looked at participants’ perception of stress and intrusive thought through their diary entries throughout the study. Findings showed that both groups experienced similar levels of negative mood and feelings of detachment following watching the film, day one results showed the sleep deprived group obtained lower impact of event scale results than the group that had slept. Over the next six days, this trend continued.

The group which were deprived of sleep reported less intrusive memories than the participants who were allowed sleep and this led researchers to state; that sleep deprivation on one night, rather than sleeping, reduces emotional effect and intrusive memories.

This study had its limitations, it was criticized for various reasons; that being the entire fact that the experiment was staged within a laboratory could have confounded and altered results. The study was further criticized due to its short time frame, difference in individual sleep issues, participant size and generalized results.

In contrast to this, a study conducted at the University of Zurich has provided evidence that sleep within the first 24 hours post-trauma has a positive impact on distress and memories related to said traumatic event(s). This led researchers to believe that sleep has a medicinal effect in regards to processing trauma(s). Birgit Kleim stated that on the one hand; sleep can weaken emotions connected to existing memories; it also helps to put recollection into context and process them in a different way. Such research has helped recommend early treatment for trauma survivors in offering a non invasive alternative to current treatment (Kleim, 2016).

Sleep plays a hugely important role with regards to integrating emotional memories (Walker, 2008). In order for the brain to adequately process memory it must do so through offline memory consolidation where memories are labeled and encoded during unconsciousness. Sleep enhances previous encoded emotional pictures and consolidates it with relevant retained emotional stimuli. That is why sleep is so important, especially for a survivor of trauma. Not only does sleep help to build a clear picture of memory, but it reduces the degree of emotional arousal experienced with said memory. In short, sleep helps our traumatic memories become more accessible and less fearful (Pace-Schott et al, 2011).

Non-rapid eye-movement (NonREM) sleep has been associated with the strengthening of hippocampus dependent declarative memories (Stickgold, 2009), whereas REM sleep has been implicated in the modulation of emotional memories and arousal (van der Helm et al., 2011b, Walker and van der Helm, 2009) and the extinction of conditioned fear (Spoormaker et al., 2011, Spoormaker et al., 2010)

Some research suggests that sleep problems are more than just a symptom of PTSD. Instead, they may be a core component of the diagnosis. Research published in 1989 suggests that disturbances in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep are a PTSD hallmark that play a key role in other PTSD symptoms. Subsequent research has yielded mixed results. While some studies, including of animals, find a pattern of REM disturbances associated with PTSD, others do not.

A 2013 review of the literature argues that disturbances in sleep, especially REM sleep, may increase the risk of PTSD. Sleep issues may also worsen outcomes in people with PTSD. The study further argues that sleep issues can decrease the effectiveness of many PTSD treatments and that targeted treatments for sleep issues may speed recovery.

A study that compared people with insomnia who did not have PTSD to those with combat-related PTSD and insomnia found important differences in the two groups. Those included:

• More repetitive nightmares in people with PTSD.
• People with PTSD were more likely to say their nightmares made it difficult to go back to sleep.
• More anxiety during the day in people with PTSD.
• Increased day time fatigue with those with PTSD

As we can see, sleep is paramount for recovery from trauma. There are many helpful ideas to help with poor sleep however, in the instance of such tips being unhelpful – I would strongly suggest seeking help from a GP for short term relief to reactivate individual sleep patterns. Further support on sleep and trauma can be found within our Facebook group and accessed through our social links at the top of the page.

References

Bennion KB, Mickley Steinmetz KR, Kensinger EA, & Payne JD (in press).Sleep and cortisol interact to support memory consolidation. Cerebral Cortex.
Bradley, R., Greene, J., Russ, E., Dutra, L., & Westen, D. (2005). A multidimensional meta-analysis of psychotherapy for PTSD. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 214-227. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.2.214
Diekelmann, S., Wilhelm, I., & Born, J. (2009). The whats and whens of sleep-dependent memory consolidation. Sleep Medicine Review, 13(5); 309-21.
Ehlers, A., Clark, D.M., Hackman, A., McManus, F. & Fennell, M. (2005). Cognitive therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: development and evaluation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43(4), 413-431. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2004.03.006
Foa, D. W. (1992). Treating PTSD: Cognitive-behavioral strategies. New York: Guilford.
Foa, E. B. & Kozak, M.J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 20-35.
Gehrman, P., Seelig, A.D., Jacobson, I.G., Boyko, E.J., Hooper, T.I., Gackstetter, G.D., Ulmer, C.S., Smith, T.C. (2013). Predeployment Sleep Duration and Insomnia Symptoms as Risk Factors for New-Onset Mental Health Disorders Following Military Deployment. Sleep, 1;36(7):1009-1018.
Germain, A. (2013). Sleep disturbances as the hallmark of PTSD: Where are we now? American Journal of Psychiatry, 4(170), 372-382. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12040432
Gradus, J. L. (2007, January 31). Epidemiology of PTSD. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/PTSD-overview/epidemiological-facts-ptsd.asp
Healthy sleep tips. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-tools-tips/healthy-sleep-tips
Harvey, A.G., Jones, C., & Schmidt, A.D. (2003), Sleep and posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 377-407
Inman, D. J., Silver, S. M., & Doghramji, K. (1990). Sleep disturbance in post-traumatic stress disorder: A comparison with non-PTSD insomnia. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3(3), 429-437. doi: 10.1007/BF00974782
Kleim, B., Wilhelm, F.H., (2013). Sleep enhances exposure therapy. Psychological Medicine (advance online publication).
Koren D, Amon I, Lavie P, Klein E. Sleep complaints as early predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder: a 1-year prospective study of injured survivors of motor vehicle accidents. American Journal of Psychiatry 2002;159:855–7.
Krakow, B., Haynes, P.L., Warner, T.D., Santana, E., Melendrez, D.C., Johnston, L., Hollifield, M., Sisley, B., Koss, M. & Shafer, L. (2004). Nightmares, insomnia, and sleep-disordered breathing in fire evacuees seeking treatment for posttraumatic sleep disturbance. Journal of Traumatic Stress 17:257-268.
Martinez-Vargas, M., Estrada Rojo, F., Tabla-Ramon, E., Navarro-Argüelles, H., Ortiz-Lailzon, N., Hernández-Chávez, A., Solis, B., Martínez Tapia, R., Perez Arredondo, A., Morales-Gomez, J., Gonzalez-Rivera, R., Nava-Talavera, K., Navarro, L. (2012). Sleep deprivation has a neuroprotective role in a traumatic brain injury of the rat. Neuroscience Letters, 7, 529(2), 118-22.
Mellman, T.A., David, D., Kulick-Bell, R., Hebding, J. & Nolan, B. (1995). Sleep disturbance and its relationship to psychiatric morbidity after Hurricane Andrew. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152:1659–63.
Neylan, T.C., Mannar, C.R., Metzler, T.J., Weiss, D.S., Zatzick, D.F., Delucchi, K.L., et al. (1998). Sleep disturbances in the Vietnam generation: findings from a nationally representative sample of male Vietnam veterans. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155:929–33.
Nishida, M., Pearsall, J., Buckner, R. L. & Walker, M. P. (2009). REM sleep, prefrontal theta, and the consolidation of human emotional memory. Cerebral Cortex 19, 1158-66.
Ohayon MM, Shapiro CM. Sleep disturbances and psychiatric disorders associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in the general population. Comprehens Psychiatry 2000;41: 469
Pace-Schott, E. F., Milad, M. R., Orr, S. P., Rauch, S. L., Stickgold, R. & Pitman, R. K. (2009). Sleep promotes generalization of extinction of conditioned fear. Sleep 32, 19-26.
Pace-Schott, E. F., Shepherd, E., Spencer, R. M., Marcello, M., Tucker, M., Propper, R. E. & Stickgold, R. (2011). Napping promotes inter-session habituation to emotional stimuli. Neurobiol Learn Mem 95, 24-36.
Phillips, K. (2015, February 4). What are the types of sleep disorders? A full list of sleep disorders. Retrieved from http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/types-of-sleep-disorders-list-of-sleep-disorders
Resick, P. A. & Schnicke, M. K. (1993). Cognitive processing therapy for rape victims: A treatment manual. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Sleep and PTSD. (2015, August 13). Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/problems/sleep-and-ptsd.asp
Stickgold, R. (2009). How do I remember? Let me count the ways. Sleep Medicine Review 13, 3.
Yehuda, R., Hoge, C. W., Mcfarlane, A. C., Vermetten, E., Lanius, R. A., Nievergelt, C. M., . . . Hyman, S. E. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 15057. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/nrdp201557#t1
van der Helm, E. & Walker, M. P. (2011). Sleep and emotional memory processing. Sleep Medicine Clinics 6, 31–43.
Van Liempt, S., van Zuiden, M., Westenberg, H., Super, A. & Vermetten, E. (2013). Impact of impaired sleep on the development of PTSD symptoms in combat veterans: a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Depression and Anxiety. 2013 May;30(5):469-74. doi: 10.1002/da.22054

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The Downward spiral for trauma survivors

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Most trauma survivors also experience depressive symptoms to the extent that the diagnosis of depression or anxiety may come prior to the realisation of having a trauma disorder or even experiencing trauma itself. It is a common trend in the uk to unsuccessfully treat depression or anxiety in potentially millions of patients primarily suffering unresolved trauma. That initial diagnosis of depression, anxiety, borderline, bipolar, OCD, anorexia and a whole host of separate psychiatric illness may instead be a symptom of trauma, of the progression of maladaptive coping and reliance or of a plethora of other issues stemming from unknown or ‘silent’ trauma’s. Therefore it is not only common for individuals to attend psychiatric treatment for a symptom of trauma, but to feel unsuccessful after treatment as many underlying issues still remain. That being said, the addition of developmental trauma and a developed ACE screen would have the potential to change not only the face of mental illness but the statistics that come as a result of said treatment.

When looking at the depressive symptoms of trauma related illnesses; symptoms do not always follow along a clear cut line of the criteria for diagnosis of depression. Clinically, depression is diagnosed as a feeling of hopelessness and despair on most days – lasting at least 2 years, which leads to avoidance, sell harm or suicidal behaviour, memory issues, Insomnia or oversleeping and the lack of interest or over interest in food. On a scale; depression can range from mild, moderate and severe and as recently researched – “high functioning”. High functioning depression is similar to the standard definition of depression however the individual experience a less ‘severe’ symptom type and can or is a functioning member of society (Ie holding a job, has a support structure, can maintain social life etc).

The NHS look and treat depression over a 6-week course of CBT as a standard protocol as well as introducing medication to stabilize an individuals depressive/reactive symptoms; making it ‘easier’ to work through and be successful at therapy provided. This is not always the case for a variety of reasons; however during this particular article, I intend to focus on how unresolved trauma causes relapses in a trauma survivors recovery journey – or as the NHS have stated; how depression causes a Downward Spiral.

Therapy provided by the NHS regarding The Downward Spiral of mood (1) looks at how an individuals depression and low mood causes a downward spiral and a potential relapse in treatment. I tend to view the latter differently, I view it as how unresolved trauma causes relapses in a trauma survivors recovery journey. With focus shifting away from an individual’s “faulty cognition” and onto the potential that an individual may have developed maladaptive coping a response to (unresolved) trauma. That being said; I would like to dissect the downward spiral model further and apply it to trauma in a more trauma informed way

NHS UK shows the downward spiral to be concurrent with depression however one could easily apply it to many other psychiatric illnesses. The notion being when an individual is depressed they experience low mood which leads to negative thinking and low self-worth. This is said to cause an individual to behave in ways that maintain the depressive mood, causing a downward spiral (1).

This notion is based on the CBT method of treating depression. Even within intensive trauma therapy programs set by NHS; depression is viewed as a sub disorder or comorbidity to individuals with trauma. Having looked at developmental trauma previously, we know that both complex trauma and childhood trauma cause an individual to feel shame, low self-worth and to have a negative mindset imprinted within them. One that is difficult to deconstruct in terms of trauma symptoms. Applying the model explained by the NHS to trauma can be destructive; placing some blame on the individual for experiencing a downward spiral of mood due to their own “faulty cognition” and not as a relapse or awakening of unresolved trauma can serve to retraumatise and compound feelings of low self-worth and shame in survivors.

The downward spiral as applied to unresolved trauma – gives a survivor a greater understanding of why they seem to frequently feel like they are in cycles of coping vs crisis.

The NHS further state that is through responding to a low mood with negative thinking or unhelpful behaviours that can result in an individual being stuck in a downward spiral of negative thoughts and unhelpful behaviours leading to another episode of depression. It is through “not being able to tolerate a mild state of depression and avoid negative thinking and behaviours” which creates this downward spiral and thus having the ability to challenge negative thoughts and behaviours with safer coping will allow an individual to maintain theur mood positively and safely.

With regards to ‘pure’ depression with no other comorbidity or trauma being involved; this is in many ways correct and a little bit of common sense. However with regards to the fact that 1 in 13 individuals suffer traumatic events in the UK within their life – the standard depression that the NHS diagnose may not be the full picture. For those individuals who had “high functioning depression” or a “depression” diagnosis turn to the realisation that they actually experienced trauma; the standard treatment and explanation may be counterproductive and dangerous.

Trauma survivors are notoriously hardened to being able to withstand others negative tactics and projections. It’s not so much the case that a trauma survivor cannot ‘tolerate’ a mild and negative state than a trauma survivor unknowingly may use negative coping which can eventually manifest to a secondary illness. Many individuals of Childhood trauma or interpersonal relationship trauma may have been taught at one point that these coping mechanisms brought safety. In terms of brain development and function; we already know trauma changes neural pathways and volume in areas of the brain. Therefore it is not through low tolerance that a survivor may enter a downward spiral rather than that is all they are wired to know at that point in time – unresolved trauma thus needs to be explored to understand the reasons why an individual may repeatedly experience cycles of coping vs crisis.

In many instances, a trauma survivor may not always be aware of everything traumatic that ever happened to them. This could be either due to memory changes in the brain, dissociation or age and developmental stage at the time of traumatic events. In fact, it is very common for a survivor of trauma to be hit by either new nemories or new triggers on a day-to-day basis – even hour to hour in some instances. The triggering of one memory or one small aspect may set off a chain reaction of memories and triggers; flooding the body, making it feel at times that the event has just happened all over again and is just as raw as it once was.

The fact being in this case the already heightened survival mode becomes activated and an individual initially relies on their 4f or cross type responses. Frequent reliance on these responses is known to have the ability to manifest into secondary psychiatric illnesses, however in terms of the downward spiral, we see a survivors use of these responses as being the cause of.

In cases of Childhood trauma and developmental trauma, it is common to have a variety of unresolved traumatic events manifest suddenly and without warning. Similarly, in cases of adult complex trauma; dissociation and numbing during the event can we lead to effects manifesting years later leading to a downward spiral in TRAUMA symptoms.

It is also common for survivors of trauma to experience subtle emotional or somatic flashbacks or to be inadvertently triggered; unaware of the cause. A survivor of trauma can have hundreds of different triggers, some of which they are unaware until they are faced with suddenly. With regards to the downward spiral, it may not be caused solely by a low mood and negative behaviour but instead caused by the sudden realisation of events once unresolved being triggered and awakened.

With regards to the NHS treatment protocol, focus is placed on overcoming negative thoughts and behaviour through fixing ‘faulty cognition’ either via behavioural strategies, acceptance or cognitive strategies. If the NHS were however to take a more trauma informed approach to treating all mental illness – we may find a massive change in the current statistics of mental health in the UK.

A trauma informed approach is necessary for screening for the true effects of trauma in individuals. Further normalising what a large proportion of the UK may inadvertently suffer from and removing some of the stigma of ‘poor’ mental health. Instead of solely treating depression or depressive SYMPTOMS through behavioral and cognitive modification, identifying past unresolved issues when they arise or giving an individual the knowledge and understanding of that possibility could serve to benefit millions of people in the UK.

Our research group can be found here;
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2348717965433957/?ref=share

Currently we are conducting research into the causes of trauma. I have included a link to the survey here : https://surveyheart.com/form/5f06e63b3ed8765392fe12d0

If you would be interested in taking part, please feel free. If you would like to share this study i would also welcome you to use the link, many thanks!

References

1. Dr. Lisa Reynolds (2012), the downward spiral. NHS UK therapy options for CBT

Emotional armouring

Psychological armouring

A common hurdle to recovery: emotional (or psychological) armouring has the potential to not only negatively impact an individuals future relationships and inner psyche; but produce a plethora of related physiological symptoms within the body.

Armouring refers to a maladaptive coping method whereby a survivor of trauma holds back or represses natural emotions or expressions in order to conform to expected societal norms. Over time, armouring results in an altered character which manifests as a coping mechanism in defense from pain experienced due to not expressing ones inner desires. The conflict between our basic needs/desires or feelings becomes heightened with unnatural attitudes and conditioning placed upon us.

Armouring is a common tool used by survivors of early developmental trauma and adult interpersonal relationship trauma and many survivors may use this without the realisation of the fact. When armouring manifests in to a survivors inner character, it causes a range of effects with regards to one’s personality, physiological systems and desires (Personal dreams, goals, wants, needs etc).

Emotional body armouring forms in response to chronic trauma; the fracture of a relationship or the disintegration of one’s values. For adult survivors of Childhood abuse or neglect (and cases of adult interpersonal relationship trauma); armouring can become deeply enmeshed within one’s developed characteristics. This is to state that neural pathways may have been forged in a way that would not have been. It is not to say that such pathways cannot be altered.

Adult survivors of Childhood developmental trauma may have been punished during times of self expression. The potential is that self expression which is not deemed appropriate or acceptable by an abuser may be termed so because it creates feelings of deep insecurity and lack of control within the abuser(s). When this fear is met with a lack of perceived control, it causes a heightened reactive response. That is in no way to say that an abusers actions are deemed acceptable or normal, as an adult they are just as responsible as others (including ourselves) to react appropriately and without abuse. Each time a survivor may have attempted to express their needs or desires, this cycle is most likely to have been repeated and so the child (or adult) becomes conditioned in to learning not to express, not to feel and not to show weakness.

We know the mind and body are connected; dis-EASE of the mind leads to DIS-EASE of the body systems. Repressed feeling that commonly accompanies emotional armouring is seen to be stored within body systems and thus seen to manifest as tightness, tension or illness.

Armouring is an accumulative process and as time passes; the addition of further dis-Ease plagues the survivor in the form of chronic pain, fybromialgia, hip/joint issues, jaw issues, shoulder and muscle spasms.

The psoas is the largest hip mover of the body. It is the muscle that moves our legs to run (fight/flight) and to draw our knees up to go into the fetal position (freeze). For people with C-PTSD or PTSD the psoas becomes shorter and tight because it’s never allowed to relaxed due to the sympathetic nervous system being always in fight/flight/freeze. Which leads to lower back pain, hip pain, and inner and outer thigh pain, knees, pain in the glutes, and possibly even difficulty breathing because the diaphragm is impacted by the psoas muscles.

Learning to relax the SNS (sympathetic nervous system) will help to relax the psoas muscle. Learning to relax the psoas muscle may also contribute to relaxing the SNS.

Breathe work, visualization techniques, along with somatic yoga practices will help release, relax, strengthen, and lengthening the psoas muscles will help alleviate back, glutes, hips, legs, and knees and improve the breath. Learning to relax the body and move from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for our bodies ability to rest and digest. More information regarding recovery of the psoas can be found within our group.

Focusing awareness to the body sensations associated may help when practicing feeling and reducing armouring behaviors. Recovery from armouring requires body and breathe work as well as relaxation and cognitive skills/therapy or support.

More information about the intricacies of armouring can be found on our group.

Using feeling to recover from past trauma

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Grieving ingests our most painful experiences and feelings. This can cause the downward spiral, Flashbacks, suicidal ideation and active suicidality. It is imperative to have insight as to whether this recovery type is appropriate at the present moment. If one struggles with any of the four methods of grieving (anger, feeling, crying, verbal ventilation) prior work must be explored or adequately supported from a trauma informed therapist.

Through recovery, a survivor must appropriately grieve and reparent the self; leading to nurturing self thought and insight (an overview of recovery through grieving can be found here).

When we look at recovery through grieving as a whole, we see anger and crying to be the primary first stages of the journey. Both anger and crying as methods of recovery are essential in reducing inner critic attacks and increasing self compassion. Working through both anger (found here) and crying (found here) can give a survivor of trauma varying safe coping mechanisms in which to further their recovery journey. Progression of this journey leads an individual to working through verbal ventilation (found here) as a primary fundamental step prior to using feeling as a way to release one’s body from repressed memories and emotions.

Feeling emotions can be feared by both survivors of developmental trauma and adult interpersonal relationship trauma due to any previous experiences (or attempts) to express oneself having been met by further punishment or abuse. It can take a great deal of time for a survivor of trauma to begin to accept that both feeling and expression are natural instinctual forms of experience which need not be approached or dealt with by fear (and fear related behaviours).

Feeling is normal; just as angering and sadness are. Experience in full leads to the destruction of pain and associated body sensations. Through using the first three methods of grieving (anger, sadness and verbal ventilation); feeling can become accessible once more.

It is important to note the difference between feeling and emoting (reacting). Walker (2013) explains the 4 processes of grieving in his book; “CPTSD; From surviving to thriving” – this resource is freely available on our group and can be purchased online. It is an informative resource for survivors of Childhood developmental trauma who are on their recovery journey. Emoting is the reactive response one exhibits during grieving from past trauma. This takes in to account reactions of angering, sadness (crying) and verbally ventilating. Feeling however is the process of sitting with the feelings that accompany past trauma. Feeling involves the surrender of control and allowing experience of inner emotions devoid of reaction or falling back to maladaptive coping, dissociation or flashbacks.

In order to use feeling, not reaction; a survivor must shift focus from active thought to one’s body effects/sensations; being one with the body as emotions rise in order to begin to process them in a different way.

This is a step up from reacting by angering, crying and venting. Feeling in order to grieve involves passive acceptance in this final stage of the grieving process. Grieving through feeling requires an ability to place direct attention to emotionally/mentally painful states and surrender to the self without resistance. An individual must relax in to the pain of past trauma in order to absorb the energy and sensations left behind.

We know the mind and body are connected. Research shows that repressed emotions are stored within the body and produce physiological bodily symptoms in the form of chronic pain, tension and disease. These symptoms can be a symptom of emotional armouring, a common coping mechanism used by survivors of both childhood developmental trauma and adult interpersonal relationship trauma. Over time, armouring becomes accumulative and brings with it a plethora of physical manifestations.

Adult survivors of Childhood developmental trauma and adult interpersonal relationship trauma who may have been punished for self expression face increased rates of chronic disease, muscle tension, pain and spasms all said to be due to emotional armouring over what could potentially have been a lifetime of trauma(s). Feeling as a grieving method can aid a survivor in reducing the tensions and illness caused by trauma’s outside of our control.

Emotional armouring is the repression of natural expression in order to conform to expectations of family, friends or partners. This can result in an altered character; constructed to protect from the pain of not expressing by forming defenses. As our basic needs are compromised, bodily expressions ensue due to the conflict of inner desire and unnatural outer expectation conditioning attitudes placed upon us.

Emotional body armouring forms in a response to chronic trauma or the fracture of relationships/values. Recovery from trauma through feeling involves body/breath relaxation alongside cognitive work/therapy. Armouring results in symptoms such as obsessive jaw clenching, withholding of breathe/shallow breathing and tension in upper back/shoulders. More information regarding armouring and its effects can be found here.

Focusing awareness to the body sensation which accompanies emotions helps in practicing feeling. Paying attention to body sensations increases awareness of feeling and aid in the processing of emotions. Early work may include reaction responses to feelings however as work progresses; practice of being present without resistance brings optimal recovery through grieving.

Recovery is not linear. Feeling will at times bring repressed memories or emotions back to the forefront. Such new emotions and memories require to be grieved in full through all grieving methods and so recovery through grieving can be seen as a winding and unpredictable path. This journey although easy feared, is essential in order to fully accept past trauma.

Research shows that remembering events in full is not necessarily required in order to recover from past trauma. The importance is in merging both cognitive processes with body sensations and patiently and compassionately allowing oneself to grieve the injustices of the past.

With practice, feelings become less intense and more manageable. The journey of time and patience continues as an individual grieves past trauma through fully being present within ones feelings. Approaching one’s recovery in such a way is one of the most compassionate acts possible. It becomes the final gift that one can present when moving forward with life. Practice brings a sense of safety in knowing and comfort in the knowledge of one’s ability to sit with uncomfortable feelings for longer than once possible.

There are various ways in which a survivor can learn to grieve their past trauma. Using each of the four methods of grieving as an appropriate and balanced approach can transform one’s recovery journey and allow a survivor to become comfortable with the emotional distress which often accompanies trauma.

Using feeling in passive acceptance is described by Walker (2013) as being the penultimate step to recovery from trauma through grieving. His work can be found both within our Facebook group and online as he remains one of the most influential theorists within the field of trauma. Importance is placed on working through each method slowly and consistently and if required; with the help of group support or a trauma informed therapist.

Using verbal ventilation for recovery from trauma

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Verbal ventilation is a term which has been taken from literature by Pete Walker – “complex PTSD from surviving to thriving“, 2013. Walker describes each of the four methods used in grieving from trauma as a recovery tool in great detail. I intend to further provide an overview of verbal ventilation for grieving trauma (both developmental and interpersonal abuse) and provide some strategies for achieving such recovery tactic.

Verbal ventilation concerns the writing or speaking of one’s trauma and emotions in order to fully release/reflect on the repressed painful feelings associated with such event(s). Primarily; speaking holds the greatest yield in terms of recovering from trauma – writing ones feelings and experiences can be an optimal way to begin to embark upon fully ventilating through speech.

By attaching meaning to words; an individual can begin to release pain associated with past trauma. When reflecting through written word, it switches one’s left brain to become functional allowing reduced right brain symptoms (hyper vigilance, racing thought, flashbacks, emotional avoidance/flashbacks, dissociation etc) and an ability to reflect appropriately on the event(s) concerned.

Determined practice of this method can result in a survivor of trauma having a newfound ability to begin to speak their pain and hear the emotional response in their own voice. This allows for further reflection and acceptance but should be worked towards. It is not an easy method to perfect, speaking ones pain can be difficult for many survivors of trauma as they have faced abusive behavioural conditioning in response to voicing their basic human rights. For survivors of Childhood developmental trauma who have in many cases developed in such a way that speaking without self judgement becomes incredibly difficult; using writing first in order to practice a form of verbal ventilation can be helpful when working towards having the self confidence and compassion required to voice that pain.

Adult interpersonal relationship trauma often results in similar conditioning with a survivor or victim being punished for speaking out, having an opinion and judged accordingly. Both examples are what differs PTSD from complex trauma and developmental trauma as both include deep brain changes (in volume/pathways) and complex interpersonal difficulties. However both survivors of developmental trauma and adult interpersonal relationship trauma can effectively work towards finding their voice through writing to reflect. An individual can use journaling, interview style question/answers and art and creative means in order to begin processing the pain associated with the past – and slowly working towards having an ability to verbally ventilate without judgement and fear.

As one begins to hear the words, meaning becomes attached in a new way; different from the written word previously used. When we speak about our past; the words become tinged in emotion and memory and can identify repressed feeling attached ultimately removing shame and guilt from a survivor with self blame and inner critic attacks.

Speaking in an uncensored manner without fear of judgement while simultaneously focusing on feelings or body sensations provides release of the emotion of the past. For some individuals beginning their journey or using verbal ventilation for the first time; emotional identification may not come so easily. As each trauma differs; each response differs – what one recovering individual is able to attain does not equate to the other. Trauma is a multidimensional illness which differs for each and every survivor. Those survivors who can not easily identify their emotions may benefit from working on emotional labeling and processing (either alone or alongside a trauma informed therapist).

Verbal ventilation provides the same release as anger (found here) the or crying (found here) but also helps to expose the critic driven attacks which become commonplace for a survivor. When a survivor is able to increasingly verbalise and communicate their needs they take a step closer to peace. These needs that were once unmet (and unjustly so) can be attained through appropriate verbal ventilation and recovery through grieving methods. Used in succession with anger and crying; verbal ventilation serves to propel an individual with regards to recovery.

Using verbal ventilation for recovery from trauma requires courage. When hearing those words that flow from a newly freed place within; they are individually tinted and descriptive, carrying alongside anger, guilt, fear, sadness and shame. That can turn in to a dark place where the survivor may lack emotional regulation to fight off the critic attacks that can blend sneakily in to what one believes to be verbally ventilating.

Using ventilation alongside crying and anger can propel recovery through grieving and help a trauma survivor to become free from previous emotional constraints. Regular practice of this method not only increases intimacy but actually helps to remediate the brain changes which are caused by CPTSD and developmental trauma (brain changes info can be found here)

During an emotional flashback, the right side of the brain (emotion) becomes overstimulated and hyperactive while the left side of the brain function reduces considerably leading to an inability to process the emotional reaction required at that time. Verbally ventilating brings the left brain back to function. With an acquired ability to think and feel simultaneously; words translate to feelings which can be processed and resolved. There is an increase in ones ability to interpretate and communicate not only with the self but with others.

The repeated pattern of using verbal ventilation for recovery allows the formation of new neural pathways which allows the left brain and right brain to finally balance and work together ultimately leading to an ability to reflect and recover.
Such results have been seen throughout research and theorists can now see these brain changes being present on an MRI following successful verbal ventilation and reflection.

The actual practice of verbal ventilation allows alignment of both the right an left hemisphere. Whenever the right side becomes activated (I.e flashbacks); the left side can provide steps to reduce and manage the reaction.

Proficiency of verbal ventilation leads to an ability to think and feel and ultimately creates appropriate healthy responses to inner feelings. Survivors practicing verbal ventilation have shown to begin to show their selves compassion and respect the – a core trait required in ones ability to appropriately label and react to emotions.

This type of grieving method is only effective when the critic (both inner and outer) has no control over the survivor. Using anger and sadness as a first step in recovering has been proven successful in reducing critic driven attacks. Work should be completed here prior to verbal ventilation so in order to reduce the risk of oversharing or to reduce the potential from a shift from healthy ventilation to critic driven attacks (which can easily blend in to attempts to ventilate).

Verbal ventilation easily turns in to self attacking, criticism, triggering or intensifies flashbacks. For these reasons; practice in verbal ventilation should be approached slowly and if possible with support (from a recovered spouse, friend or therapist). It is common for survivors of trauma to be unaware of this shift from ventilation to critic attacks. This may be due to the nature of trauma itself and how an individual may have been forced to develop over the course of their life and trauma.

Practiced alone, verbal ventilation can be helpful. There is no other person available to hear or judge the emotive words and memories held by a survivor and can be a great starting point in recovering from trauma through grieving. It is important to note that verbal ventilation should only be completed alone if the survivor is fully aware of critic attacks.

Support can be beneficial in helping a survivor to recognise and neutralise critic driven attacks, through repeated practice; this healthy response becomes formed in those new neural pathways and thus becomes second nature in which to practice.

Verbal ventilation heals trauma and abandonment by improving our connection to others. Sharing what is important to us through ventilation forges new healthy connections with others. Completed within a safe environment and relationship; humans have an instinctual desire for verbal-emotional intimacy. Doing so creates connection and friendship increasing one’s positive experience and fueling desire to repeat successfully.

Sharing itself can be triggering for a trauma survivor. A survivor of developmental trauma may have spent their entire childhood being taught that it is not beneficial to share or open up. In fact, many cases of both interpersonal abuse and childhood trauma impacts an individual’s ability to voice opinion never mind inner most feelings. In cases of trauma with no clear beginning, middle or end; difficulties arise with perception and interpersonal relationships. This can be the hardest hurdle to recovery however can be efficiently counteracted through group or individual support (or more preffered; from a trauma informed therapist).

Trauma survivors who have successfully terminated relationships with abusers often re enter toxic relationships and can over share as a coping mechanism to past trauma. This type of verbal ventilation is not effective in recovering from trauma through grieving. Oversharing causes vulnerability and actually harms relationships by not only providing others with fearful information but by causing others to question life and their own self in the process. When an individual over shares; they reduce the strength of their personal boundaries. Boundaries which are set in order to protect.once those boundaries become blurred; it becomes more likely that the individual in question will face further trauma from interpersonal relationships.

Verbal ventilation increases intimacy through bringing comfort and restoring connection between oneself and others. Sharing appropriately produces a bond through mutual sympathy and a desire to connect. This can aid a survivor in being more emotionally intimate with their partner or within common relationships.

Grieving through verbal ventilation also reduces the abandonment fears and depression associated with past trauma. Through cognitive work and practice of verbal ventilation techniques a survivor can not only build neural pathways but form new connections and experience further positive outcomes as a result.

Tips for ventilation

Start by writing – if you have never experienced verbal ventilation it can be beneficial to build a fundamental base through first writing ones experiences. Writing for ventilation includes journaling, writing poetry, creating song lyrics, writing personal memoirs and using an interview style structure in order to aid processing and reflection.
When writing it can be helpful to write without worry of spelling, punctuation or structure. Ventilation through writing concerns an individual writing everything and anything that comes to mind – no matter how insignificant it feels at the time. Worrying about one’s punctuation or structure is incredibly counterproductive and causes the left side brain to take over from feeling.

Music as a tool – a mediator step between writing and speaking emotions would be to use music to express how you feel. When reflecting on past abuse; assigning a particular music type to it can really aid a survivor in beginning to become used to hearing the sounds of emotions as a protective step prior to verbally ventilating.
Different genres may touch you in different ways. Try all genres of music until you find one that feels right. Whether that be classical, rock, dance, pop, piano, rain sounds or meditation – assigning meaning to music can be a productive tool especially during flashbacks.

Practice – using any of the four grieving tools as a recovery tool is not a quick process. Accept that such practices of recovery can take a while to adopt. Over time it can be helpful to reflect on the progress that you have made over your time grieving.
Reflection – write down or journal emotions and feelings for the day, it may be helpful to follow a script or pre written interview when reflecting. Journaling is an effective way to set small; attainable goals whilst tracking them as well as providing opportunities for self reflection, offloading of thoughts and allowing an alternative response to be explored. Journaling or reflecting can also be useful for a survivor of trauma when attempting to replace negative self talk and behaviour.

Replace negative with positive (the key is balance) – it can be common for a trauma survivor to become enmeshed with one’s negative inner critic.
The inner critic can manifest to one’s own personality and become enmeshed in ones identity making it difficult to separate. As life continues, the critic begins to take the driving seat in ones own reactions and perception. Fighting the critic reduces such attacks by substitution of thought (replacing negative self talk with positive) and thought correlation (when i revert to; “shut up!” I will instead ask for a break etc). Such reflection leads to an increased sense of personal likeability and desire for interpersonal boundaries.

Feel, accept, reflect – feel the emotion and label it, whatever it be it is important for recovery to fully accept that its ok to be feeling in this way. It can be helpful to remember our key phrase; “I feel – – – and because I choose to feel this way.” and repeat that until emotions return. Focusing on one’s breath can be beneficial in aiding the body to physically return to normal in the sense of its biological processes.

Work with support

Support gives a survivor a second set of eyes and opinion, in many cases support can be helpful in allowing a survivor of trauma to face difficulties with conflict (either self or relationship). Support from a trauma informed therapist can be important to work through the various issues which survivors of trauma face in their day to say life, providing validation and building confidence and ultimately helping build a strong foundation for which to recover. Many survivors may not feel comfortable using a therapist for support or may not be in the place to do so. Support can come in all forms, our group supports survivors by providing knowledge and information about our own trauma in order to help others feel less alone, online friendship can be beneficial for a survivor beginning their recovery journey as it removes the uncontrolled aspects of making and maintaining “real world” friendships.

Focus on the little things

Focusing on the small positives on one’s life can also aid a survivor in managing to balance anger appropriately. Reflecting on the reason behind the anger as well as balancing with reasons they are still OK in this moment can really cement a survivors recovery especially during difficult times.
This can be achieved by replacing negative self talk with more positive affirmations and balancing the in-the-moment anger that a survivor of trauma experiences. Practicing gratitude can be helpful in building these skills.

Build a positive circle

In this age of technology and at a time of lockdown restrictions and recommendations, a circle can be a small number of online relationships and friendship. There is no neccesity in meeting face to face, the goal primarily is to form a positive trusting circle with similar individuals of whom you can open up and reflect with. Reflecting in a group can propel recovery as the brain reacts to the opinions of one’s “pack” more intensely than individual thought.

Work on staying in the present

It is common for a survivor of trauma to over analyse the past in an effort to try to understand it. This is an important aspect of recovery however focusing on just one aspect leads to an imbalance and uneven recovery. Working on staying in the present not only helps an individual from basing present day decisions on past experience but gives a sense of freedom from past abuse. As the singular event(s) is over (and in some cases ongoing); the only fuel that can be given to it is that of a survivors own mind.

Although it is imperative to process the symptoms of trauma and at times the event that occured; it must not be forgotten to balance this with healthy expression in all forms. A balanced approach stops a misdirected recovery and helps a survivor of trauma to begin to live again.

Using crying to recover from past traumatic experiences

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The opposite to anger (recovery through anger can be found Here), crying and grief/sadness usually follows angry expression and has a close relationship in terms of recovering from trauma through grieving.

Recovering from trauma through crying

In recovering from trauma, survivors face a phase of grieving in order to propel and resolve overwhelming feelings associated with past trauma. Recovery through grieving allows an individual to work through the loss associated with experiencing trauma. Grieving effectively aids trauma recovery and helps a survivor of trauma with the death-like feeling of being lost/trapped within trauma flashbacks and memories (am overview of recovering from trauma through grieving can be found here)

Crying as a recovery tool brings relief in the same sense as anger and both work alongside the other in achieving total release of repressed emotion. Both anger and crying free a survivor from the abandonment which trauma caused.

Although both crying and anger are the main tools in recovering from trauma through grieving, an unbalanced approach is not only difficult for others to react to but can lead to negative outcomes with regards to maladaptive coping and interpersonal relationship issues. Having this in mind; the utilisation of both anger and sadness (grief or crying) can actually be socially deviant. In terms of socioeconomic culture and gender perceptions – using anger and sadness fully (in their full spectrum of feeling) can be viewed by others negatively.

Many cultural differences can impact the ability to use grieving methods throughout recovery. It does not however negate the importance of both methods being required in order to grieve effectively and fully. The British culture is renowned for its stereotypes just as any other country is. Typically, British culture is viewed as individuals who have a stiff upper lip. This refers to the concept that the British are quite reserved; keeping their emotions and feelings to themselves. With regards to the authenticity of this stereotype I am not going to debate, however generally speaking as a culture; we tend to not express ourselves as fully as we perhaps should and this will have implications when recovering through grieving.

Gender stereotypes also play a part in an unbalanced grieving response and of course age, life experience and socioeconomic status. As far as gender perceptions are concerned; males commonly show an imbalance with favouring anger as a grieving response as opposed to females who tend to use grief and crying in an attempt to fully express oneself and ultimately recover from using such grieving methods. As helpful as one method can be, an imbalance of one or the other can lead to reactionary behaviour and further repressed emotion. If possible; a survivor of trauma should attempt to balance both anger and grief when recovering. Of course only one emotion can be felt at any one time and that is completely natural. Each phase should be fully experienced on their own and in conjunction in order to fully express emotions which may have previously been unresolved. There is a cut off where coping solely with anger or grief turns maladaptive, a balanced approach has shown to be more effective in terms of recovery.

Incomplete release comes from an unbalanced grieving response. That is in terms of emotions being stored in the body and resulting in reactionary responses to both the outside world (outer critic) and self (inner critic).

Having the ability to cry without judgement actually serves to stimulate relaxation and self growth. For a survivor of trauma; ones grief and sadness may have been met by disdain or an increase in abusive events and or punishments. This can result in many survivors of trauma having great issue in terms of dealing with grief and the emotional issues that arise from said response. Crying however balances the parasympathetic nervous system; which Walker (2013) states helps to balance hyperarousal commonly experienced during flashbacks and associated trauma symptoms.

When a baby is born; it first expresses fear/anger and loss of safety as it initially screams. This is more often than not followed quickly by sadness and grief over the loss of the womb – its safe place. The newborn is quickly consoled by direct skin contact from its parental figures – more importantly; the mother. That bond that formed over 9 months is finally met in environment and the familiar smells and breathing of the mother provides an alternative nurturing comfort which was once provided in utero.

Humans are built to connect, to feel safe and to express freely. Over the developmental period however this free expression becomes stifled. Although it becomes more difficult to express in terms of sociocultural difficulties, it is still one of the most important aspects of recovering from trauma through grieving.

Using crying aids a survivor who also deals with negative self critic attacks. Crying stops the inner critic by releasing fear before it turns to a trauma response (I.e a flashback). Crying as a grieving tool actually dissipates fear, shame, guilt, self abandonment and increases a survivors ability to process anger (which in turn aids grieving).

Recovery from trauma through crying allows a survivor to grieve and provides a cathartic release which leads to fully mourning the losses associated with past trauma and abuse. This may take the form(s) of grieving over lost relationships, a lack of nurture or sense of self. When a survivor is able to feel the natural sorrow of the horrors of their past; it leads to experience and connection with not only the self but with others.

It is important that a survivor who is using grieving as a recovery tool has an ability to accept crying and sorrow whilst simultaneously riding the wave of emotion in its entirety. Fully experiencing sorrow leads to an increase in self compassion as the survivor forgives oneself for the myriad of trauma events that occurred at the hands of another.

Repeated practice of fully expressing emotions allows said practice to become habitual and this becomes the cornerstone in recovery. The increased self esteem and reduction in flashbacks and trigger reactions leads to a reduction in personal abandonment fears. As crying increases self compassion; a survivor begins to see a positive correlation with regards to maintaining healthier relationships.

With the newfound ability to be present and available begins to aid a survivor in developing new friendships which are healthier than previous experience. The release of repressed grief increases self allegiance and strengthens confidence and self esteem while providing a solid foundation in which to lay boundaries. These new additions to one’s recovery toolbox serves an individual in their personal relationships with others and the self.

In reference to a survivor who faces incomplete expression; tension may build within the body and the mind. This can range from self hate (controlling behaviour), outer critic attacks, 4f response reliance or maladaptive coping. This blocked anger or sadness usually results from repressed crying or feeling resulting in decreased lower limb activity, avoidance, headaches, dry mouth, fatigue, chest pain, chronic pain, stomach pain, nausea, behavioural overreaction, self harming behaviour and substance abuse/reliance or addiction.

Denied feelings result in limited beliefs, a lack of appropriate risk taking and poor connection. It can be helpful to use the phrase; “I feel – – – the because I choose to feel this way.” when dealing with emotional reactions that feel overwhelming.

In order to completely grieve, an individual must gain some form of closure. As is the case with anger; a survivor who is not able to fully process either sadness or anger should not continue trying to recover from past trauma through grieving. Support should be sought from a trauma informed therapist in order to complete the fundamental background work required prior to continuing their recovery journey.

Other helpful ways in which to grieve through sadness include;

Reflection – write down or journal emotions and feelings for the day, it may be helpful to follow a script or pre written interview when reflecting. Journaling is an effective way to set small; attainable goals whilst tracking them as well as providing opportunities for self reflection, offloading of thoughts and allowing an alternative response to be explored. Journaling or reflecting can also be useful for a survivor of trauma when attempting to replace negative self talk and behaviour.

Replace negative with positive (the key is balance) – it can be common for a trauma survivor to become enmeshed with one’s negative inner critic.
The inner critic can manifest to one’s own personality and become enmeshed in ones identity making it difficult to separate. As life continues, the critic begins to take the driving seat in ones own reactions and perception. Fighting the critic reduces such attacks by substitution of thought (replacing negative self talk with positive) and thought correlation (when i revert to; “shut up!” I will instead ask for a break etc). Such reflection leads to an increased sense of personal likeability and desire for interpersonal boundaries.

Motion releases emotion – simply getting up and moving your body can switch uncomfortable feelings to a more tolerable level. This can be helpful when fully expressing grief in order to ride the wave but also provide relief. As trauma and unresolved emotions are stored in our body; it is as equally important to work on releasing repressed trauma from the body through muscle release or meditation. Participation in trauma release exercise can really aid a survivor in letting go of the pent up emotions which become stored within our body. More info and examples of TRE can be found in our Facebook group.

Feel, accept, reflect – feel the emotion and label it, whatever it be it is important for recovery to fully accept that its ok to be feeling in this way. It can be helpful to remember our key phrase; “I feel – – – and because I choose to feel this way.” and repeat that until emotions return. Focusing on one’s breath can be beneficial in aiding the body to physically return to normal in the sense of its biological processes.

Heightened emotional states produce biological reactions similar to those experienced in a flashback. Breathing and taking mindful breaths can return one’s heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol and adrenaline to lower levels. Focusing on any abdominal sensations can be helpful when dealing with grief as it is stored within the GI system as well as mind.

Using both anger and grief in order to recover from past trauma can be liberating and freeing; however it is not a quick fix. Using appropriate grieving methods in which to recover can take years in order to fully process however does provide a survivor of trauma with that release necessary for both the body and mind to recover.

Using anger to grieve past trauma.

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In recovering from trauma, survivors face a phase of grieving in order to propel and resolve overwhelming feelings associated with past trauma. Recovery through grieving allows an individual to work through the loss associated with experiencing trauma. Grieving effectively aids trauma recovery and helps a survivor of trauma with the death-like feeling of being lost/trapped within trauma flashbacks and memories. An overview of recovery through grieving can be found here

Using anger as a grieving method

In order to recover from trauma; it can be helpful to grieve the loss of self through the four responses of grieving; anger, sadness, verbal ventilation and feeling.

Using anger as a grieving tool can serve to benefit a survivor of trauma by replacing critic driven attacks of the self with an increased self compassion and the revival of past protective instincts.

In order to vent the injustice of past trauma and injustice, a survivor must embrace the disdain of previous events and their outcomes. Trauma brings a sense of loss; the loss of one’s sense of self, compassion and perceived safety. As social animals, humans crave a sense of belonging. Grieving the loss of one’s sense of self is imperative to recovery from trauma.

Anger is a natural emotion, a warning sign that self protection is necessary as ones boundaries are tested or crossed. As a base emotion for a plethora of underlying injustices – anger is grown by the need to protect; humans are born to express emotions freely; this Instinct can become dulled through social circumstance and experience; making the notion and act of anger difficult to attain.

Anger must be processed in the mind and body; unresolved emotions such as anger can cause a range of issues for an individual. Repressed anger presents as; sarcasm, self sabotage, abandonment fears, muscle tension in the jaw, upper back and stomach; fatigue, a compromised immune system, nail biting/picking/chewing, substance reliance/dependence, addiction, control issues, difficulties saying “no”, passive aggressive communication styles and at times ultimate denial. An individual with repressed anger may be in such a state of denial they believe they are inherently happy however display physiological or psychological reactions which indicate an anger response.

It is important to note that for those survivors who cannot express anger (or any of the grieving methods) work on with a trauma informed therapist should be completed prior to recovering through grieving. In such instances, emotional labeling and becoming aware of one’s emotional waves is a great fundamental basis for prior grieving work.

Whether anger is managed alone or with support, working through such feelings alone can be incredibly beneficial in building a sense of armour in order to protect oneself from inner critic attacks.

Anger is a deep emotional response that can be productive or destructive; to oneself and others and especially if not used appropriately. If anger is processed in maladaptive ways; it can lead to the manifestation of unsafe coping and further issues with mental health. There is no need to rage directly at the abuser, especially if a survivor is still within the dynamics of abuse. It is important to remember that only some growth can be obtained whilst residing within similar toxic conditions as these circumstances will inadvertently cause triggers, Flashbacks and reliance upon one’s survival mechanisms (leading the survivor unable to fully reflect or gain appropriate perception of their environment or reactions).

Using anger to grieve past trauma rescues a survivor from feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness they once were forced to experience. Through self defence and protection, anger releases a survivor from the chains of past abuse and expectations.

When a survivor is able to vent the injustices of the past; complain of past loss (both loss of self and loss of perceived safety/nurturing relationships) and rage about previous intimidation tactics used against them – they open themselves to a new world of forgiveness and compassion. Not forgiveness of the abuser as that is not necessarily required in order to grieve, but forgiveness of the self and the reparenting (and nurturing) of one’s inner child.

It is perfectly acceptable and is encouraged that a survivor rages the neglect, humiliation, lack of safety, betrayal, protection and lack of guidance they faced or endured. To be able to accept that what happened was only the fault of those who chose to do unthinkable acts and not the fault of ourselves is to open our horizon to freedom and inner peace. When we have spent the majority of our new lives berating or criticising ourselves not only does the inner critic take on its own identity, we become used to speaking and treating ourselves in the exact same way the abuser did. We are angry at the fact the situation occurred in the first place more than the intricate acts of abuse we independently experienced.

The inner critic can manifest to one’s own personality and become enmeshed in ones identity making it difficult to separate. As life continues, the critic begins to take the driving seat in ones own reactions and perception. Fighting the critic reduces such attacks by substitution of thought (replacing negative self talk with positive) and thought correlation (when i revert to; “shut up!” I will instead ask for a break etc). Such reflection leads to an increased sense of personal likeability and desire for interpersonal boundaries.

Anger is a great tool in using to defend against critic centered attacks. The “shut up” one may revert to telling oneself can be counteracted by thought substitution and correlation which eventually becomes habitual. Stopping self hate and blame by redirecting the anger a survivor may feel towards the self with anger to the event can help to aid one’s self compass and realign ones inner needs and desires.

Anger as a grieving method also teaches a survivor to assertively respond to the self and others. It revives previous lost instincts of self protection and defence as ones inner boundaries increase; a survivor gains confidence in furthering their recovery by taking more risk and building positive experiences.

Emotional avoidance is a common maladaptive way of coping with anger. It is natural for a survivor to fear anger, in many instances anger was used as a precedent to abuse faced and so in a survivors adult life this emotional response becomes tangled with negative past experiences as well as poor self reflection and compassion making ultimately a fearful response.

Being accepting of anger as a natural emotion is crucial in using it effectively to recover from past trauma. The biological reactions that anger brings can also be used to one’s advantage; the adrenaline and cortisol can be used to get tasks done, to process emotion and to strengthen boundaries.

Anger can be productive and empower or it can take on a destructive form and turn to envy, hate, disdain, bitterness and distrust. Each destressing facet that anger may bring only arrives through maladaptive use and coping. Anger as an emotional response has a natural curve and will dull, having safety in this fact is imperative; knowing that the anger you feel is temporary and as a protective measure can be beneficial in using it safely.

This technique of recovery is not a short process. Anger naturally presents itself across recovery. The key is in using it when it does arrive to be productive to one’s trauma recovery; by using anger to positively recover one’s inner psyche over years of background work.

The reconstruction of anger towards abuser(s) limits the potential for a survivor to reenter a new toxic relationship. As is common for many survivors of trauma; toxic relationships can cause compounding of trauma experienced and a plethora of issues with retraumatization. Allowing oneself to feel the anger that is natural will open new parameters to reflection which will allow a survivor to see warning signs clearly and employ a reactionary style to preserve their inner self.

Using anger effectively increases personal boundaries and gives it strength as well as increasing self confidence and compassion. All three absolutely essential in furthering ones recovery journey, it is not without the other that one can fully accept oneself and release the blame and guilt that has been unresolved.

It is important for a survivor to take time in assessing healthier ways to express anger and use it safely. Some ways that anger can be expressed in a healthier manner are covered below

Work with support

Support gives a survivor a second set of eyes and opinion, in many cases support can be helpful in allowing a survivor of trauma to face difficulties with conflict (either self or relationship). Support from a trauma informed therapist can be important to work through the various issues which survivors of trauma face in their day to say life, providing validation and building confidence and ultimately helping build a strong foundation for which to recover. Many survivors may not feel comfortable using a therapist for support or may not be in the place to do so. Support can come in all forms, our group supports survivors by providing knowledge and information about our own trauma in order to help others feel less alone, online friendship can be beneficial for a survivor beginning their recovery journey as it removes the uncontrolled aspects of making and maintaining “real world” friendships.

Muscle release

As trauma and unresolved emotions are stored in our body; it is as equally important to work on releasing repressed trauma from the body through muscle release or meditation. Participation in trauma release exercise can really aid a survivor in letting go of the pent up emotions which become stored within our body. More info and examples of TRE can be found in our Facebook group.

Focus on the little things

Focusing on the small positives on one’s life can also aid a survivor in managing to balance anger appropriately. Reflecting on the reason behind the anger as well as balancing with reasons they are still OK in this moment can really cement a survivors recovery especially during difficult times.
This can be achieved by replacing negative self talk with more positive affirmations and balancing the in-the-moment anger that a survivor of trauma experiences. Practicing gratitude can be helpful in building these skills.

Build a positive circle

In this age of technology and at a time of lockdown restrictions and recommendations, a circle can be a small number of online relationships and friendship. There is no neccesity in meeting face to face, the goal primarily is to form a positive trusting circle with similar individuals of whom you can open up and reflect with. Reflecting in a group can propel recovery as the brain reacts to the opinions of one’s “pack” more intensely than individual thought.

Work on staying in the present

It is common for a survivor of trauma to over analyse the past in an effort to try to understand it. This is an important aspect of recovery however focusing on just one aspect leads to an imbalance and uneven recovery. Working on staying in the present not only helps an individual from basing present day decisions on past experience but gives a sense of freedom from past abuse. As the singular event(s) is over (and in some cases ongoing); the only fuel that can be given to it is that of a survivors own mind.

Although it is imperative to process the symptoms of trauma and at times the event that occured; it must not be forgotten to balance this with healthy expression in all forms. A balanced approach stops a misdirected recovery and helps a survivor of trauma to begin to live again. Anger, although commonly feared is a useful emotion to express with regards to grieving trauma.

Recovery through grieving

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In recovering from trauma, survivors face a phase of grieving in order to propel and resolve overwhelming feelings associated with past trauma. Recovery through grieving allows an individual to work through the loss associated with experiencing trauma. Grieving effectively aids trauma recovery and helps a survivor of trauma with the death-like feeling of being lost/trapped within trauma flashbacks and memories.

Some methods of grieving are inaccessible to trauma survivors dependant on where they are in their own recovery and personal experience they have faced. For example, a trauma survivor may not be able to show anger or have the ability to cry, ventilate verbally or express feelings. Work should therefore explore this prior to grieving as a recovery intervention.

Grieving ingests our most painful experiences and feelings. This can cause the downward spiral, Flashbacks, suicidal ideation and active suicidality. It is imperative to have insight as to whether this recovery type is appropriate at the present moment. If one struggles with any of the four methods of grieving (anger, feeling, crying, verbal ventilation) prior work must be explored or adequately supported from a trauma informed therapist.

Through recovery, a survivor must appropriately grieve and reparent the self; leading to nurturing self thought and insight.

Insight is crucial; it helps a survivor respond to their past experiences with kindness and self acceptance. As a survivor works through the common losses that trauma will bring; insight leads to the need to process unresolved grief.

Trauma causes loss within an individuals psyche. Recovery through grieving works through the loss associated from trauma such as; a loss of Childhood, of relationships, a loss of trust in others and personal ability to protect or express feelings; the loss of safety or the loss of the perception of safety, a loss in an individual’s sense of self (self compassion or self esteem), a loss in the sense of belonging and the heartbreak of (potentially numerous) failed attempts to win approval or affection. Each of these losses that has been caused by past trauma leads an individual to grieve the original act and consequences of such.

It is only through grieving, building the inner critic and processing unresolved grief that an individual can heighten their recovery. Where first insight is required in order to understand the loss personally experienced it becomes a catalyst in recovering through grieving and finding peace within the self.

As a survivor of trauma begins to grieve and evolve; it is common to uncover unresolved grief from the absence of nurturing experience. It is within this insight that a survivor can begin to understand how unmet needs in childhood or within interpersonal relationships may lead an individual to have to reparent one’s psyche in a nurturing way in order to feel peace.

Survivors who are not able to appropriately grieve their past trauma (due to inability to express) may benefit from additional support from a trauma informed practitioner. It can be helpful to look within the body as a way to balance the difficulties that trauma symptoms may bring. Until such times, recovery through grieving should not be attempted.

Mourning the awful realities that we have experienced creates a self empowerment which ultimately acts as a catalyst in our own self care and compassion. However on this journey of recovery through grieving; many instances can bring about an acute onset of trauma symptoms which have to be addressed patiently and in a nurturing way as our mind begins to provide us opportunity to successfully self parent in a way we perhaps have not experienced before.

With sufficient grieving and support, a survivor can grieve oneself out of shame, guilt and fear. Sufficient grieving bringa the knowledge that one was innocent at the time of abuse. It is this insight which sticks and remains a constant as the recovery journey begins to progress. As self compassion and acceptance builds; the survivor is said to become ready and able to face the challenges that complex trauma can bring.

The increase of self compassion allows an individual to parent themselves (be there for) no matter what they may be experiencing internally (inner critic) or externally (outward reaction).

The inner critic is explained by Pete Walker in his book; “CPTSD; from surviving to thriving”, 2013. Walker explains that it is the inner critic that can become the greatest difficulty to recover from and cause the most issue with regards to recovery through grieving. The toxic inner critic attacks can leave a survivor of trauma feeling punished before grieving can fully be explored leading to an exacerbation of symptoms instead of relief. When tears automatically trigger toxic shame (“I’m so pathetic!”) or inner critic attacks; it is imperative to cease recovery through grieving and seek support in order to validate and pick through such attacks.

In such cases where an individual struggles with one of the 4 types of grieving, prior inner critic work should be explored before grieving can begin.

With reference to the critic, it is driven by fear. This can cause an acute onset of trauma symptoms including; flashbacks, critic attacks and intrusive thought. Fear is a core emotional experience (Walker, 2013). In such instances, emotional tools can be helpful in metabolising and managing fear responses. It is through the four grieving responses that fear is released from the psyche, by crying, angering, verbally ventilating and allowing oneself to fully feel and ride the wave of emotions. Unfortunately, each of these 4 responses to grieving can become internalised and magnified and thus start to create personal difficulties with recovery. Recovery is enhanced when a survivor can use each response to grieving in a rational and balanced way, in a way which shrinks the inner critic and allows for the highest optimal progression throughout recovery.

As we look more in depth at each response to recovering through grieving; we can identify which area or response we may find difficulty in. Our insight will aid us in creating a stronger and more nurtured individual psyche as we begin to self parent in the way by which we require in order to grow within.

As we continue to work within the body in releasing the past trauma, we make space for this new form of recovery to ensue. As time progresses our journey becomes more bountiful as we begin adding to our psyche in ways to help our inner child grow and feel safe again. We replace the fear and loss of our sense of self by our new constructed psyche as we continue on the road to recovery; we find things easier to integrate and interpret within our daily lives.

Repressed memories

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Individuals who have experienced trauma in the developmental period or within adult interpersonal relationships may find one of the most difficult aspects to recover is forgotten (or repressed) memories.

Research has shown there to be two types of forgotten memory; those that are consciously blocked by the individual; and those that are subconsciously forgotten as a protective measure from our brain. The latter of which generally involves a deep trauma and causes the brain to drop the memory into a “non-conscious zone”.

Memory repression is a controversial area which is still debated to this day. Originating from Freud in the late 1800s; we see the belief that memory repression is a defence mechanism against traumatic events. Freud believed that those individuals who showed signs of having set symptoms with no clear cause were actually suffering from repressed memories. Individuals suffering from memory suppression had no memory of the trauma(s) however experienced set body symptoms which suggested an underlying subconscious thought.

This causes controversy as many theorists within the field believe that memory is highly flawed and completely subject to individual bias and perception. Memories are formed by this bias; how we felt in the moment and how we felt emotionally at the time. Personally, this notion leads one to believe that in cases of complex trauma and developmental trauma; as personal emotions worsen during these relationships; instances of abuse are thus compounded due to the already abused psyche holding extreme negative emotion at the time of trauma.

Memories are still useful in exploring accompanied psychological issues however, one should be aware that the perception of these memories may have been heightened or in some cases unduly subdued through dissociation at the time of trauma.

Repressed memories are stored deep within the body, construction of this concept has led to many trauma-informed theorists adopting the belief that working with the body can be beneficial in healing from trauma; especially trauma that has been purposely forgotten.

Professor Van Der Kolk stated that unpacking suppressed memories in an attempt to remember them may not in fact be as useful as once thought with regards to healing trauma.

In contrast to this, Theorists who believe regaining ones memory to be beneficial to recovery and so offer repressed memory therapy.

Repressed memory therapy is designed to access and recover past memory in an effort to releive unexplained symptoms which accompany trauma. Practitioners of this often use a variety of techniques such as hypnosis and guided imagery to aid the recovery of repressed memories.

Approaches to this include;

• Primal therapy
• Sensorimotor psychotherapy
• Somatic transformation therapy
• Brainspotting
• Neurolinguostic programming
• Internal family systems therapy

However, science-based research and evidence doesn’t support the effectiveness of these approaches due to the unintended consequences they bring.

Approaches to recover memory often result in an individual constructing false memories to replace the void. Such memories created through suggestion by therapies can actually cause a plethora of new issues to arise.

Not only do they have a hugely negative impact on the trauma Survivor; but the individuals who may be implicated as a result.

There are various ways in which a survivor of trauma may not hold the memory they seek. In cases of trauma occurring in childhood, simple age may be a factor; dissociation is often used by child survivors in order to withstand parental abuse whilst remaining emotionally attached to said figure(s). This detachment; also used in adult complex trauma, can blur or block the memory of event. It has also shown to be common in instances of Childhood emotional neglect (CEN) where the child may dissociate until they are emotionally equipped to deal with said memory.

In instances of child abuse or neglect; memory may take different meaning and make more sense later in life either due to life experience or therapeutic support. In such cases of realising the significance of an event or memory; it can be common for the now adult survivor to rexperience the trauma and be presented by an acute onset of trauma symptoms as a result.

Some additional symptoms which could be present due to unresolved trauma include;

• Insomnia, fatigue, nightmares
• feelings of doom
• Tense, aching muscles
• Stomach distress, GI issues
• Chronic pain
• Concentration/memory difficulties
• Confusion
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Low self esteem
• Obsessive or compulsive behaviour
• Secondary manifestations of mental illness (eating disorders, OCD, generalised anxiety, agoraphobia etc)

It is important to note that a therapist should never “coach” you through memory recall, nor should they suggest any abuse experienced (a good trauma informed therapist should be unbiased).

Experts do not know enough about memory yet and so are unable to distinguish a real experience from a false memory unless evidence supports said recovered memory. The APA (American psychological agency) suggest that recovery of memory is rare and that one should treat the body in an attempt to release the effects of past unresolved trauma.

Professor Van Der Kolk is – in my opinion; at the forefront of trauma informed treatment methods which are multidimensional; taking care of not just the mind, but the body too. His work; “The body keeps the score” is seminal reading for trauma survivors who have stored unresolved trauma in their body.

As the body is said to keep a physical memory of all of your experiences; it can be helpful to remind oneself that although your mind has repressed this event; your body has not. Thus working within your body to release trauma seems to be the most effective way of doing so (also the safest as it reduces the risk of retraumatization).

As we age: we naturally forget. Memories will naturally fade. If we spend our entire adult lives seeking a truth that may never come to fruition; we begin wasting time on a quest that can be completed by looking within our bodies.

The body does not forget. memories are stored there, at times we must Trust our minds protection and although difficult as it may be, I do not think memories are required to be recovered in order to continue to heal.

Our Facebook group contains valuable resources in order to help your body recover including; trauma release exercise examples and resources on Professor Van Der Kolk’s book: the body keeps the score. In rejecting the notion that we must process and remember past unresolved trauma; we free our minds and allow it to progress along the recovery journey.

Mindfulness for trauma survivors

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Overview

Mindfulness involves taking time out in order to become fully aware of personal thoughts and feelings in order to gain a choice of response.

Survivors of trauma often have reactionary styles to conflict and own personal feelings or triggers. It can lead a survivor relying on unhealthy coping and reliance of 4F responses. Feeling any sense of threat or trigger will automatically switch on a survivors inate defences and causing break neck reactions such as; fight, flight, freeze and fawn. These reactions can seem uncontrollable and fearful however they are a natural response to previous abnormal events. It is when they limit a survivors ability to make or maintain relationships that causes issues with personal circumstance and recovery progress and although these natural reactions come from our minds desperate need for protection; in order to recover from trauma – a survivor benefits from altered and healthier employment of these reactionary styles.

Each response (fight, flight etc) are beneficial to have and use as appropriate – for instance; employment of the fight response may be necessary in securing boundaries when assertive communication fails. It is when the 4F reliance comes before a more balanced communication attempt that issues may arise for a survivor.

Using mindfulness alongside other interventions has shown to be successful in processing 4F reactions making them easier to manage and utilise. Mindfulness has also been termed effective when dealing with various other symptoms that arise following trauma(s). As a practice, mindfulness merges self-compassion with observation as individuals are encouraged to see themselves from a more accepting view point than may previously been employed.

Guided mindful meditation

Mindfulness is not a skill we automatically are born with, it is taught through emotionally attached nurturing by caregivers and parents and to some extent throughout childhood experiences and systems. However, for many individuals who experienced childhood emotional neglect or developmental trauma; mindfulness may be a personal skill which is very difficult to attain (or maintain); especially for those trauma survivors who battle intrusive thought, flashback or triggers on a daily basis. Introspection can be difficult to practice; in cases of multiple complex trauma and developmental trauma; it can be “drilled” into a survivor that their view does not matter; nor does their happiness or health.

A survivor of any trauma is more deserving of these things. Is the perpetrator who is not.

Being aware of one’s inner commentary is highly important in beginning to recover from the trauma(s) that have been experienced. It restores a healthy sense of self, one which approaches conflict assertively and confidently whilst remaining safe within.

Mindfulness skills take practice and patience. Of course we can be our own worst critic, that is a relatively natural thing to do following trauma; it is human nature to want to understand why. The issue with searching for a “why” (as with any trauma experience) is that your actually trying to assign sense to a senseless act. The difficulty that survivors of trauma face when attempting to employee regular mindfulness cannot be overlooked – it is a hugely difficult task for a survivor to do and should be celebrated as such.

For a survivor to be able to let go of self blame and criticism is an incredibly fearful thing to do. It leaves a void within that feels unnatural – especially if the individual has criticised themselves for many years. Breaking the cycle of self-blame and hate propels recovery to a new field and horizon. As the inner voice changes from hateful to loving; ones self reactions follow suit.

Mindfulness tends to expand and develop the more that it is used and once habit; mindfulness expands to all levels of experience (cognitive, emotional, physical and relational) making at the central and guiding a safely through recovery making it essential in guiding an individual safely through recovery (with reduced risk of revictimization).

Impact

Survivors of trauma who have not yet acquired strong mindfulness skills new functions on autopilot; reacting quickly out of habit. Commonly thoughts resonate about personal past experience; leading to the projection of Fear into the future. This can result in survivors missing the pleasures of life or taking them for granted as inner potential is limited by negative self attitude and judgement.

The habit of using mindfulness in recovering from trauma is a highly effective way to improve upon personal skills and self-perception and thus acts as a catalyst in one’s personal recovery journey.

Mindful meditation can take many forms: for some survivors of trauma, the generic quietness of regular meditation can cause racing thoughts and over analysis; ultimately leading to trigger or cause flashbacks in survivors and so adapting mindful practice is crucial in finding a technique more suited to individual need.

Popular types of meditation worth looking at include;

Guided body scan

Loving-kindness meditation (metta)

Guided vipassana meditation

Guided mantra meditation

Guided sound meditation

For those new to meditation; it may be helpful to begin with guided meditation (as the above links will take you to) – not only does this remove the element of silence but gives the overthinking mind a task to potentially remove the cycle of ruminating thought often accommodated by silent meditation.

There are various forms of mental exercise which have been added to a unit tab on our group. Our group can be found by following the link at the top of this page or by clicking here

Those survivors who do attain positive mindful traits through practice and reflection benefit from self awareness, strong attentional control and the increased ability to enjoy life through non judgement/labelling. Strong mindfulness allows an individual to strip back and observe ones emotions allowing a survivor of trauma to realise their own potential and worth for what could potentially be the first time in their lives.

This is an incredibly empowering skill which is crucial in learning to like oneself, self compassion and ultimately beginning to recover from past trauma(s); letting go of guilt and self-blame and being free to experience life in a positive and curious way.