Any of you who is a therapist or healer of any type, I can strongly recommend becoming trauma informed. Introductory courses at The Centre for Healing are free, online, and at your own pace.
But I warn you: once you realize how prevalent trauma is and how poorly addressed it is in the sector, you’ll want to become a practitioner. Trauma has an out-sized effect on most people’s lives and our culture as a whole, yet most modern treatments don’t address it or do so incompletely. Talk therapy, for example, addresses the mind, not the body. Talking about our trauma can affirm our identification with it and even re-traumatize. It’s rarely effective at dissolving our samskaras.
If you doubt it’s cultural, just look at what’s playing out in world events on the news. So much of it is acting out trauma. News programs themselves are designed to trigger us so we keep watching.
Other schools like IFS are more expensive, don’t have the advantage of the weaker Aussie dollar, and have so much demand that lottery and prerequisites limit access.
As may be obvious, if you’re a healer or considering working in the field, this is an important set of modalities with widespread application: coaching, addictions, family counselling, fulfilling desires, spiritual growth, relationships, and more.
Take a few of the free offerings to get a feel for it, then take the free practitioner “pre-training” class. That should invite a discount offer. You can also use my coupon code DAVID1089 for a 10% discount. I get a commission, but my motivation is as described.
If you’re simply looking for someone to help you with your trauma, here’s their practitioner directory.
I am taking 2 of their practitioner courses to deepen my understanding and to embody. What will flow out of that remains to be seen, but it will inform my coaching and writing. It’s had a powerful effect on my own process. I’ve been surprised by what’s surfaced and it’s brought a lot of insights.
Davidya
Last Updated on June 8, 2024 by Davidya
Hi David!
Thanks for being such a strong voice now about this very important topic!
Besides EP what course are you doing?
Much love
Michael
Hi Michael
You’re welcome. It’s really helped me understand our experience so much better.
Embodied Processing and Trauma-Informed Manifesting. The second is about clearing our blocks to productivity and results. It also has a module that I’ve written an article on that will come up in a few days. Mel opened the door to a whole new arena and it’s already bringing all sorts of insights. More to come. 🙂
Hi D, I became aware of CPTSD, etc. in early 2021. I’ve been doing research and my own work since then. It’s become a massive field. I appreciate your suggesting people shop around for practitioners. I recently found two practitioners who specialize in attachment trauma, which is what I need. One uses EMDR. The other is currently hosting a summit which includes an interview with Peter Levine, who I think of as the “grandfather” of trauma work. Her name is Dr. Aimee Apigian and she has gone through trauma herself. And she defines five kinds of attachment trauma pain and has a quiz to see which one a person might have.
In case it might be useful, I mention a thought I had this morning about the insidious nature of trauma, especially early childhood trauma. That it will also impact how we approach even this!
Agreed, Sharon.
It can take a little experimenting to find what works for us as this stuff is subconscious. The conscious mind may have some concepts but…
For example, we may feel we have self-worth issues, only to discover that was just an adaptation to feel safe. By being small and passive, we felt we were safer. The real trauma was not feeling safe when young. By addressing that, the effects will sort themselves out. But if we don”t, the identity will resist change.
My main spiritual teacher once said that fear is the last negative emotion to go. I often find fear even under anger. So in a sense, safety is an underlying if not THE underlying issue. Primal survival issues operating.
Right. Trauma is essentially triggered by our survival protection response. While we’re rarely actually experiencing a life-threatening circumstance, the body responds according to the response of identity, which can feel threatened.
Shame is another very basic style of stress for the identity. But that can be co-opted to make us safe, from the identities perspective.
Important to mention shaking as a trauma release mechanism. I found it profound. There is an online course with Kim eng. I highly recommend her.
Agreed, Deborah, that can arise. You see that in mammals after a stressful experience. If we just allow the body to move as it wishes, it can shake, take odd positions, and otherwise move to help release.
I’ve experienced and taken trainings in a number of practices and have found its a Russian doll process of many layers. There is personal childhood trauma along with trans-generational, past lives, prenatal and natal, and social or collective trauma that can have a deep impact on our psyche. Systemic or family constellation work as taught by Bert Hellinger is an effective way to bring to conscious awareness the related hidden dynamics and beliefs so they can be addressed and cleared. Other practices like IFS, EMDR, EFT, etc may also prove useful. It’s a long, perhaps life-long journey and at various stages different methodologies will be beneficial. Safe Travels!
Agreed Harrison. There are many layers in our big ones and they can branch beyond this lifetime.
I’ve heard it described as a lifestyle. Not to be seeking our broken parts as that cultures a sense of being broken. But as an openness to what is arising to be healed, and following it to it’s roots. We’re not broken, just bringing light to the shadows so we can embody greater fullness.
I’ve experienced Family Constellations and found it excellent with the right practitioner.
The training I’m taking draws from the sources you describe and more. I’ve been impressed as the draw from the very effective.
As a trained professional in Traditional Thai Medicine and a practitioner/teacher of Energy healing and bodywork ,I have always been amazed at how many people I have worked with who have claimed or are acknowledged to be enlightened, or in a permanent non-dual state very quickly after they hit the table have a lot of emotions come up in very dramatic ways.
I was fortunate to be a teacher in Asia where many of the clientele were either spiritual practitioners or spiritual teachers.
Human touch is so underrated and yet I have seen dramatic release simply from holding someone or providing human touch to particular areas of the body, and this proceeds any of the bodywork and energy work.
Thank you once again for sharing this and I greatly look forward to further discoveries and sharing on your blog.
TY
Hi TY
There are some common ideas that suggest awakening means no stress, that we’ve cleared the “last stress” and so forth. This is not a good understanding. There can certainly be a “last stress” who’s release triggers an awakening. But that doesn’t mean there is no stress and we’re now perfected.
We remain human, with karma, but now experiencing it from a larger perspective. It’s very common for there to be a short “honeymoon” after awakening, followed by a whole lot of unpacking as it’s now like we’re meditating 24/7. After that, we can really begin living it.
And there are some people who think a big experience means an awakening. It can feel like that. But a true awakening is a shift in being and breaking identification with the ego. But even there, we’ve only broken the first stage of that.
Agreed on touch. It’s one of the tools used in the modality I’m studying, mainly in self-touch, to help create a sense of safety. This allows what has been suppressed to surface more smoothly.
Until the end of the month, TCFH is offering their 3 certification programs at 50% off as a year end sale. That includes the bundle.
https://www.thecentreforhealing.com/a/2147889662/Ux2vYJN8