Maybe you struggle with addictions as a means of self-medicating: food, alcohol, spending, and binging. Perhaps you engage in “too much” behavior which is just about any activity that wastes time, talent, and valuable resources or snuffs out your light, motivation, and feelings of self-worth. You may have a difficult time digesting criticism or navigating certain kinds of personalities without being triggered or plagued by obsessive thoughts. What could you have said or done differently to avoid these consequences? The concept of downtime, quiet time or even bedtime may seem like a bit of a misnomer because this is typically the time your trauma mind and anxiety symptoms are most prevalent. These are all signs the trauma response pattern has been activated and part of your modus operandi.
How is it that some people can just let things roll off their back? How is this kind of resiliency is developed and how do we attain such emotional mastery? Wouldn’t it be worth almost anything to experience an emotional/mental/physical hiatus from stress such that each day felt like a blank slate, a fresh start, or a new opportunity?
After several decades of helping people in crisis, one could say I’ve had some time to reflect on how to quiet or even completely dismantle the trauma response pattern.
Here are 5 Essential Techniques:
- Start doing a “Self-Inventory.” Consider how your lifestyle and decision making could be modified and upgraded. Could you improve your sleep hygiene by changing your bedtime routine and getting more hours of deep restorative sleep? Would you benefit from doing some meal prep ahead to avoid poor dietary choices? Have you been spending too much time and money on things that produce little value? These moments of honesty and clarity help us to live healthier, more intentional, and empowering lives. This also prevents us from unnecessarily placing our mind/body in fight or flight mode.
- “Erase and Remove Your Dealers from Your iPhone.” This, my friends, is a metaphorical way of saying it is time to make it less convenient to access the things in life that pull you off course. Cancel services, remove distractions, change routines and yes, spend less time or even no time with negative and uninspired souls, etc. Get the people, places and things that take you down that rabbit hole of overindulgence, self-sabotage, or shame and despair out of your routine and lifestyle.
- “Treat Your Home like a Sanctuary and Sacred Space.” We are socialized to behave a certain way at work, school, church, libraries, etc. We know what to expect when we set foot into these spaces, and these spaces are intentionally designed to keep our minds focused on an end goal. Yet, we often have very little respect for our own home and the kind of environment, routine, tools, and activities that reinforce healthy lifestyles, self-care, and recouperation. Cleaning up clutter, organizing spaces for functionality, and keeping high octane fuel, like nutritious food, in stock is a great starting point.
- “Treat Your Mind like a Sanctuary and Sacred Space.” Watching nothing more stimulating than the weather station first thing in the morning or right before bed may be a good idea. I am ever amazed at the number of self-described insomniacs who binge watch mainstream news or crime series before bed or spend over 2 hours in the evening watching Instagram reels while simultaneously struggling with feelings of social isolation, depression, and lack of intimacy in their marriage. How you spend your time impacts how you shape your mind which includes your thoughts, feelings, moods, and ultimately your behavior and choices. Be intentional about where you place your mental focus with the end goal of stimulating high frequency feelings like compassion, love and connection, flexibility, forgiveness, and understanding.
- Create Positive Distractions. We all need a little something outside of our mainstream roles that puts a fire in our belly and gives us something to look forward to: A writer’s group, a gardening club, voice lessons, something, anything that solely represents your core values, passions, interests and/or personal aspirations. If you find yourself caught in the corporate hamster wheel or in constant servant mode as a stay-at-home parent or partner, try giving yourself permission to experience the many unique layers to your personality and greater access to right brain/creative mind functions. This can be lifesaving and life altering to those who carry too much stress, responsibility, or heavy emotions like depression, resentment, anxiety, fear, or feelings of being unappreciated or overwhelmed.
One of our missions here on earth is to “gift” back to our inner child the things we deeply deserved but did not receive or experience in our earlier development. Infusing more balance and joy into your heart, home, and lifestyle is particularly important to those with a history of trauma who struggle with a lifetime of fight or flight response patterns. These techniques will help quiet the Trauma Mind while strengthen the Higher Mind – that incredibly grounded, infinitely wise part of you who knows how to manage stress, make healthy choices and thrive amidst the noise of the outer world.
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Check out my Self-Healing Video Series here: Watch Self-Healing Video Series to Release Trauma Online | Vimeo On Demand on Vimeo
What would you like to know about Hypnosis? Here’s some surprising facts: Four Common Myths about Hypnosis: Breaking through the Barriers of Resistance – Sensorium Hypnosis & Mediumship, LLC
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Master’s level Rehabilitation Counselor, certified Hypnotist, Energy Worker, Humorist, and Recovering Chaos Addict.
I value intuition over formal protocol and textbook explanations; clients over clinicians in identifying the most effective formula for recovery; joy over suffering – as most of the pressure we place on ourselves is simply unnecessary, misguided, and masochistic.
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