Discovering the Self
While trauma is a loaded term and certainly should be used with care, I believe it is safe to say that trauma effects all our lives in one way or another. With so much scientific evidence as well as spiritual intuition that we can carry intergenerational traumas in our bodies, not to mention the accumulation of stress in a high strung society and culture; it seems clear, all of us can benefit from learning about this subject. With the work that’s been pioneered by people like Dr. Stephen Porges, Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, and Dr. Peter Levine, to name just.a few, we can all learn to be more in touch with ourselves and with our bodies, as well as develop a deep compassion towards ourselves and each other. Somatic work, and polyvagal theory ( Dr. Stephen Porges) open up incredible pathways to healing that take the compare and contrast narratives towards trauma out of the picture by recognizing that no two people are alike. Trauma becomes not about what has happened to you but rather how you and your body responded to what happened to you. Below is an incredible and candid discussion with Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, a pioneer In approaching trauma for the last 50 years. May we all be blessed to listen with ears of hope, resolve, compassion, and redemption!
