Reflections - a follow up .. part 2

[Guest guest]

Thank you to those who have taken the time to respond to my previous

posts on the events of this week - and what you can do for yourself

and others to assist moving through the experience.

 

 

The Physiology of Trauma

 

 

My experience as a grief and trauma counselor has taught me many

things. It has also assisted me to understand my own process as I

have worked with energy movements (or emotions) within my own

personal "processes".

 

In my previous post on this subject, I outlined some of the methods

that I still use to deal with thoughts, feelings and emotions that

move through my body.

 

 

An understanding of the body physiological responses to "trauma" has

assisted my mind to better cope with the release of what wants to

move through my own body - without making my experiences wrong.

 

What follows here is one of the most common physiological sequences

(or models). There are others, so you do not necessarily have to

follow the following patterns - but, for some, this (by no means

comprehensive summary) may provide some explanation of how they have

these feelings and memories .. and why.

 

 

 

Have you noticed that every time you experience a shock or trauma of

any sort, you stop breathing - you catch (or hold) your breath?

 

The effect of this is that an energetic imprint of the sights, sounds

and smells of the "trauma incident" are energetically "recorded" in

your body during the moment of "shock".

 

Now .. the body has a marvelous survival mechanism built in. It is

the strongest of all of the inherent reflexes.

 

The moment the initial "holding the breath" passes, a signal is sent

from the heart to the adrenal glands to release a great dose of

adrenaline to stimulate the cells of the body in an attempt to clear

the results of the trauma. The bigger the experienced shock, the

greater the adrenaline rush.

 

This is the source of the classic "fight or flight reflex".

 

 

The effect of this is two fold - there is an attempted release of the

immediate trauma energy .. and also, any past patterns stored in the

cells which resonate to the new trauma will also be stimulated into

release. These are the emotions we experience.

 

 

At the same time there are chemical processes taking place.

 

The release of the holding patterns can cause the release of toxins

from the cells of the body. Normally, these are released through the

sweat glands in our skin and through normal bodily eliminative

functions. (and, yes, they usually have an unpleasant smell)

 

 

What our conditioned intellect fails to take into consideration is

that all this is happening even before the intellect has even

consciously registered the experience in the thinking mind.

 

These are the reflexes that come into action without thinking ..

 

 

But, then, the mind kicks in - and we start to calculate our

controlled responses according to what we have been taught or

conditioned. Even the mind's interpretation of the effects of the

adrenaline rush and subsequent screaming or crying is something

that you have been taught - most probably as a child.

 

 

One of the most common initial reactions to our experience

is to make our survival reflex wrong.

 

The screaming and crying of a baby is often the babies attempt

to release the memory of being born from the cells of its body,

as well as clearing out a lot of "in utero" junk - and some of its

inherited patterns.

 

This for most, is our first experience

of the survival reflex in action.

 

No one is to blame for this .. least of all our parents, because they

didn't have this sort of information available to them, and they did

the very best they could - especially when faced with the mirror of

their own childhood repression.

 

 

The chemical toxins generated through the repression of the release

process become stored primarily in the liver (from which the later

release is called anger) and the spleen (resentment). In its attempt

to clear, the liver produces bile and if we cannot make decisions

because of the inner conflicts, the gall bladder starts to act up.

 

 

This repressed infant survival reflex sets up a memory - another

trauma pattern stored in the cells of the body. The next time there

is a trigger, another adrenaline rush triggers another emotional

release.

 

The more the repression, the bigger the subsequent release.

Eventually we learn about tantrums - and our expression is labelled

anger. It might even get us more recognition than our silence.

 

Some of us even learn that any response is better than none so the

pattern of attention seeking through the manipulation of our adrenal

glands is set and the body develops an addiction to its own

adrenaline.

 

 

Eventually, the body gets used to the adrenaline drug so that bigger

and bigger "shocks" are required for us to get our thrill

 

and along comes another memory trigger - bigger than we have ever

experienced - and the normal reflex of the body takes over with a

super release of adrenaline ..

 

and everything that we have ever repressed with our conscious mind

starts to get thrown up out of our body ..

before we even become aware of what is happening

 

along with all of the conflicting interpretations we have been

taught .. and the labels that have been placed on us ..

 

and the mind once again kicks in -

 

so our own internal battle rages - mind vs adrenal rush

and all the reflections of the past which we have buried

can be presented to us in a moment.

 

We are in terror of our own inherent power

which has been controlled throughout generations

just as our parents were terrified of the power of the scream

that the child released in its own attempt

to rid itself of the past to

commence its own healing journey.

 

 

For many in the Westernised culture, this is the reason why the body

is not a safe place to be.

 

 

What follows may be of some assistance - it is not written as a

diagnosis, prescription or treatment. You should consult a

professional practitioner for professional advice.

 

 

I have found it very beneficial to support my body in the release of

physical as well as emotional toxins throughout all of my deep

processes. Experience has taught me that drinking plenty of water

(not tea or coffee) will help the blood release the toxins into the

body waste water. Supplementary Vitamin C (especially in the form of

dilute juice sipped continually throughout the day) will support the

liver as it attempts to clear the toxins (and it also helps the

nauseous feeling resulting from the change in the acid level of the

digestive system from the process).

 

I have also found that a fuzzy head and headaches most often result

from the accumulation of toxins in the brain and this can be

alleviated somewhat with a Vitamin B complex - especially if, like me

you smoke and drink coffee <g>.

 

Gentle exercise - walking, swimming etc will help the energies move

through the body. The worst thing anyone can do is sit and stew over

the events, because that is exactly what will happen.

 

 

>> to be continued ..

 

 

-- Christopher Wynter

christopher

http://www.anunda.com

 

The material presented in this post is also archived for reference

on the open archive lifestreams