Could you be carrying trauma in your body?
Trauma has been pervasive in my life.
I grew up in the later years of apartheid. I saw a woman beaten at the age of 5. I was ripped from a public swimming pool as a bomb scare went off. I’ve grown up in a country riddled with crime and poor infrastructure. I’ve been hi-jacked. I’ve had an attempted kidnapping. I’ve had my car wash off a bridge while I was in it.
And friends this was all before I was 19! My 20’s were also filled with traumas of a different kind… Culminating an immense burn out at work, where I was booked off for 2 weeks & told to really rethink my healing & the choices I was making.
Phew – quite a tall order for a 20-something! But would you believe me if I told you that in some bizarre ways this has been a gift? My trauma has led me to exactly where I am today. At the start of healing ministry, that terrifies me as much as it makes me wonder if God is REALLY calling me to this. You know when you know, yet you still keep asking Him – really? Me? Don’t I need at least another 2 Masters degrees to do that?
But here’s what it’s taught me. And I hope it supports you in unlayering & exploring your own healing.
Let’s bust the myths.
Trauma is not defined by the event. It’s defined by YOU. How you experience an event. There is a common misconception that trauma is a massive, life-threatening event. Yes it’s that. But it’s ALSO stress. It’s any event that overwhelms your ability to cope (a tough year, unresolved conflict, a traumatic medical experience – yes birthing a child can be that too!). Trauma comes in many different forms, and the first step to recognising it – is knowing that trauma & immense stress is what YOU define it to be. If it’s tough for you, if it felt like it was overwhelming – then that’s what it is. No one else needs to define it.
There is no glory found in our own paths.
There isn’t a shadow of a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my mindbody guides, teachers and healers. Please, I beg of you – don’t try to navigate this on your own. Not only is it unnecessary, it delays the inevitable, and makes recovery harder & longer. Think of it as maintenance! Find your guides, your mentors – and lean into them. Regularly. Immense stress and trauma is a part of being human. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away, it simply suppresses it. And the body then HAS to find a way to express it.
It’s not just in your head.
No really, it isn’t. I’m building a whole yoga therapy practice centered on this.
There was an unfortunate departure of the mindbody link in Western science in recent centuries. Yet we know – and robust scientific evidence continues to point to it – there is NO split between mind and body. What happens in your mind, happens in your body. So to only consider our mind is not really going to help very much. Move… Consider your body. Look at what your body is telling you. One of my favourite authors – Deb Shapiro speaks about standing naked in front of the mirror, and truly looking at your body. Where are the unloved parts? What are the parts that are hard to look at? What looks like it’s carrying unprocessed memories and / or strain? Again, don’t do this exploration on your own. Talk it through with a mindbody medicine practitioner or therapist (like me! 🌿). Explore what’s going on in your body and how to bring healing to the places that need it most.
(I could speak at length about this topic, and if you’re following me on Instagram or Facebook you probably know that already!)
Bottom line, our bodies tell stories. Recurring injuries, chronic illnesses, things about your body that bug you, the way we hold oursevles… It all tells a story. If you’re ready to explore what yours mean, I’m verrrry slowly opening up yoga therapy slots… My first 6 clients are in & I’m considering taking on a handful more. So let’s chat & see if this is something you are ready for! Just pop me an email.
If one-on-one doesn’t feel like the right fit or budget prevents it, please consider joining me at my online, donation-based Holy Yoga class! It is centered on healing & restoration.
We are only really now waking up to what trauma means in the world and how to heal it, deeply. This is such important work for me, and I’m so honored to have you journeying with me!
In love & healing,
Cands xo