6 Steps to Healing Trauma Through Movement

by Laura Fine

Often when clients are in physical or emotional pain, I’ll hear similar sounding concerns. See if you can relate, for example:

I feel stuck.

I’m depressed. No motivation.

I’m tired of feeling angry and resentful.

I’m afraid of people. 

I want to stop feeling anxious all the time.

No matter what I do, it’s never enough.

I can’t control my emotions.

I can’t feel my emotions.

I can’t count on anyone. I’m alone all the time.

People will always let you down, so why bother?

When we’re faced with challenging outer circumstances, our inner resources are often all we have to draw upon to help us. If our inner resources are limited or depleted, we may need help to heal.

What kind of help? How? With whom? How much?

If financial resources are limited, there is much we can do to heal the energy of trauma on our own or with professional support, through the use of movement.

QUESTION: What is trauma?

ANSWER: A deeply distressing physical or emotional experience that is retained in the physical energy body, mind and emotions.

Energy must move!

Energy must move. It seeks movement. It’s natural tendency is toward life, which demands movement. When the energy of trauma is held in, it must manifest in some capacity. If trauma happened when we were children - for example, we were not allowed to cry - the emotional energy charge of those tears must seek to move. That movement could take on a healthy or unhealthy form. The child who is punished for crying  might take the energy charge of those tears and turn it into nail biting, over-eating or depression. The energy charge of the tears had to be re-directed into some kind of movement and form, because energy can not be created or destroyed, only transmuted. However, as children, when our natural expression of charge is thwarted or threatened, we redirect to whatever form may feel emotionally safe, even if it may be physically unhealthy.

QUESTION:  What is an unhealthy energy charge?

ANSWER:  Any habit that may cause you physical or emotional pain or dis-ease.

Examples of unhealthily expressed energy charge may include: obsessions, addictions, nervous restlessness, depression, overwhelm, anxiety or panic attacks, boredom or collapse.

6 Steps to Healing Trauma Through Movement

The good news is there are ways to bring the energy charge of trauma into movement to heal it. Here are some action steps you can take to heal the energy charge of trauma.

1. OBSERVE the charge. When you feel the impulse to engage in the habitual unhealthy behavior, just pause and notice the energy of the charge, where it originates in your body.   
2. Invite the charge into CONSCIOUS RELATIONSHIP. Rather than judge the charge as positive or negative, honor it as pure life force seeking expression. Get into a relationship with the charge in a way that is kind, respectful and honoring of its presence.
3. Notice how you REDIRECT or BLOCK the charge. Even if the charge seems “negative”, name out loud the desired habituated response. For example, I want to punch something. I want to eat. I want to run. I want to hide under the covers. Just notice, without judgement.
4. Give the charge a SLOW-MOTION movement gesture. If you feel you want to curl up and hide, do the movement of curling up and hiding IN SLOW MOTION. As you do, pay close attention to the movement of the energy charge on the INSIDE of your body. Repeat your gesture over and over at least 3 to 5 times until you begin to notice the energy moving INSIDE your body.
5.  Complete the RELEASE. If the internal energy is highly charged, allow yourself to gradually speed up the movement to complete the discharge of your energy. If the internal energy is a low weak charge, slowly speed up the energy with the intention to build the charge to a peak and then let it disperse throughout your body.
6. Find STILLNESS. Once your cycle feels complete, come to OPEN ATTENTION. Stop, pay attention to what happened and then rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can read more about “Charge and the Energy Body” from the book by Anodea Judith.
 

Would you like to learn more about Energy Healing?

You are invited! Have a LIVING HEALING EXPERIENCE with us. Please join us for a REAL TIME guided workshop in how to heal trauma through the movement of energy by opening the chakra energy centers and emotional energy blocks. Save the date for AN INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPERSONAL ENERGY HEALING, on August 31.

• Find out WHY and HOW it's been so difficult to break that bad habit.
• Find your passion to move again!
• Break the pattern of depression.
• You don’t have to do it ALONE.

Click HERE to REGISTER NOW. IT’S FREE! 

Stay Connected with Our Community:

Come join us at our next Healing Circle Membership, Awakening Consciousness session.

Scheduled on the last Tuesday of each month, our next topic, on Tuesday July 28 will be, “The Power of Charge and the Energy System."  Go HERE to read more or REGISTER NOW.