“Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.”
~Nisargadatta Maharaj
Do you find yourself getting stuck in the same thought patterns, emotions, or behaviors over and over?
- You keep ruminating about your life purpose;
- You’re sad because nothing goes your way;
- You’re relationships feel unsatisfying and you can’t figure out why;
- You carry around your feelings about things that happened in your past.
Then perhaps a trauma-informed view will help you.
“Trauma-informed” is a phrase I’ve been hearing a lot recently. It offers an invitation to view our human lives through the lens of early trauma—how the unresolved feelings from our experiences when we were young show up in our life situations now.
“Trauma-informed” is wide-reaching. It can apply to ourselves, others, our relationships, our choices…and includes how conditioned ways of being were passed through the generations in our families and appear in our culture and society as a whole.
Are you interested in understanding the root of wars, political problems, climate change, and social issues? Consider the trauma-informed view, and a lot will be illuminated.
Some people say that it’s not what’s wrong with you…it’s what happened to you. And I would go further to add that it’s not just about the facts of what happened…it’s your reaction to them…how what happened back then still lives in your body, mind, and emotions. That’s what gets triggered now.
Years ago, I worked with someone who was trying to quit smoking. When we started untangling what was behind the urge to smoke, his whole history around the stress he lived with as a child was revealed.
If what you feel now is loneliness, exhaustion, persistent problems in relationships, a tendency to feel hurt or rejected…if you engage in any compulsive behaviors…these are all indicators that a young part of you is activated. What’s happening now is triggering a reaction to similar events from the past.
From the trauma-informed view, there is no such thing as an overreaction. It might look like someone is reacting way too strongly to the current situation. But once the roots of the reaction are unearthed, the way the feelings are expressed makes complete sense.
Why is it useful to include early trauma in our exploration of awakened living? Because any emotional reactions we have are opportunities for greater freedom.
- We notice them with curiosity rather than ignoring them or playing them out unconsciously;
- We turn toward ourselves which means we stop waiting for others to change so we can feel whole;
- We bring loving acceptance to the young parts of ourselves that have been activated;
- We have the space to be fully alive in the present, including all that appears, rather than being driven by our unexamined emotions.
If we want to know the deepest peace that is the foundation of every moment, then we need to understand how we’re taken away by longstanding conditioned patterns appearing now.
And if we don’t, we’re engaging in spiritual bypass, where we use the idea of spiritual awakening to overlook our need- and fear-based tendencies.
Opening to everything, we get to be curious about our present moment experience. Become familiar with the signs of stress in your nervous system and the cycling thoughts that won’t leave you alone. Be aware when you feel unsafe, shut down, or needy.
Then let these experiences be here…as they are…in the loving spaciousness of your true nature. That’s how these inner knots gradually become free.
Digesting early trauma is a rich path that takes time and skill. Don’t hesitate to reach out for a therapist or join a healing community that feels welcoming and safe.
And when you’re committed to this path, here’s what’s in store for you. Little by little, your life force is released from the emotional hooks from the past.
Now you’re available to live fully—your birthright—with creativity, inspiration, gratitude, and love.