Working through trauma with a therapist.
A client may consider counselling to work through previous life traumas, a need to make sense of themselves. As we are all living through the current trauma of Covid, It may become apparent that previous trauma has risen to the surface. Trauma or traumatic experiences can be held onto by the body for many years. Occasionally popping it’s head up at inconvenient moments. The psychological wound may show up as an inability to cope with the demands being placed on us or when we try to form new relationships and feel stuck somewhere else. It may show itself in the form of illness, ongoing headaches, digestive issues, muscular aches and pains that don’t get better. It wouldn’t be my place to determine what a clients trauma is, it’s different for everyone. Trauma doesn’t need to be a big defining event. The slow burn can equally affect us.
Now, I’ve tried to read the wordy books about what happens to our bodies when we have experienced trauma, both current and historical and yes, it makes sense but there is nothing like working it through and identifying it with a trained Counsellor. The ability to explore the feelings and sensations that appear when we talk, when we share what these life events have done to us is very powerful. The trauma can become smaller, not so overwhelming when shared in a safe environment.
We’ve seen people on the television after horrific events recalling what they saw or experienced. This is how the brain can process and make sense of it all. What if there was no where to take it, no one to tell? Where does it get stored?
We can bury it down, somewhere safe, get on with life/work/responsibilities. Maybe the Dr’s and Nurses are doing that right now?
Being privileged enough to sit with a clients trauma has shown me that the therapy relationship really can make a difference. I can’t change what has happened to my client but I can help them understand why they feel the way they do. Making sense of themselves without having to share the painful details of what they went through. I truly believe that by processing the feelings that are being held on to, can in turn allow the movement of them.