Harnessing the Elemental Power of Trauma
We all experience trauma. As biological creatures it is natural to freeze and recoil in shock when flooded with overwhelming situations. Early childhood traumas are carried in our bodies as patterns of tension and holding. I knew that trauma lurked behind the stress of grief, shame, anger and fear. But it was harder to detect the wounding that I had hidden under a cloak of competency. So much effort goes into covering underlying feelings of inadequacy. Underneath our polished sophisticated facades, we are fragile vulnerable creatures. It seems paradoxical, but a deeper strength arises from living a vulnerable undefended life. One obtains inner sustenance and comes to respect all of life.
Healing entails facing fears and difficulty, while simultaneously building an inner scaffolding of unconditional love. It's a gradual process. But old frozen fortresses, when persistently held with awareness and love, eventually melt and flow. The life force energy that has been bound up in wounds and their defenses becomes available. Shamans refer to this process as a soul retrieval. However, it is an ordinary and ongoing part of life, for anyone willing to face their shadow and be present with uncomfortable aspects of their being. This path of inner empowerment is especially challenging in situations bent on glorifying its opposite. I feel inspired by those who endured great oppression with their humility and humanity intact. They drew deeply from a well of inner resources, and thrived under harrowing circumstances.
This particular drawing reveals the soul of a wound when its spirit returned to me with its emerging power. The newly restored energy has not yet been integrated, and so the spirit that peers out from the image conveys nuances of disconcerting emotion. The image also reveals the pronounced difference between the left and right sides of my brain and body. Differences that have been accentuated by the healing process.
It takes time to reinforce new more relaxed ways of processing information; for brain and body to settle into a more efficient and balanced equilibrium.
Click here to view the post on Instagram and read the comments there.