Many years ago when I first read writings by Starhawk, she spoke of ritual as reaching our child self. It is my contention as a therapist, that a great amount of work can be done around trauma when we are able to touch into the deeper self that is affected by trauma.
I have had a number of clients over the years who have described events in their childhood or after, and were surprised, yet relieved, to finally have come to understand that what happened to them was a form of trauma. Generally speaking, when we speak of trauma, many think that it is always cataclysmic–such as witnessing a murder, being involved in a war, or an automobile accident. Yet, it is often something that may seem simple, such as a scolding by a parent, being made fun of by other kids, or not feeling supported in our dreams and desires.
To work with Trauma, there are, in Transpersonal thought, many components to consider. I have come to utilize Starhawk’s idea with this thought to understand that there is, to begin with, a physical component–the trauma gets stored in the body, and not necessarily where it may have happened, but sometimes in other places. It’s my experience that most sadness and pain are stored near the heart. Fears are often in the belly or the “gut”. Any sort of sexual abuse may be anywhere, and is often a full body experience that the person may need some sort of physical exercise to work with. One person I worked with would jump up and down and shake their body, sort of like you see boxers doing before a fight. Oddly, it is often a “battle” that is raging in the body of the person that needs to be pushed out through movement–dancing, running, punching a bag, whatever the person feels the most comfortable with.
We are our mind. Often, in trauma, we are deluged with a number of thoughts that may be intrusive, thoughts of what happened, how it happened, why and where. These thoughts can be problematic if the person is unable to let them go, or they turn into what we call–“flashbacks”, or pictures/recurrences of the original trauma(s) that may pop into the mind at any given time. It is important that the thoughts be redirected, or that they be worked with in some way. I often suggest various practices that will help to lessen or eradicate the intrusiveness of them. For some, writing works, for others, drawing, painting, clay, or something creative with the hands.
We are emotions. We have feelings that are attached to the incidences of trauma. When trauma happens in childhood, there is much that gets caught up in it. If parents or family are the abusers, there is a lack of trust and most often a fear of those who are in authority. There may be feelings of abandonment if one parent was the abuser, and the other either wasn’t there, didn’t know, or did nothing to protect the young one from the abuse. There will also be feelings of sadness and loss around the childhood that was thwarted. These feelings may be even stronger, than the incidents that caused the trauma in the first place. it is not my point to make this sound simplistic–it is not, as each of the family members involved have their part in what has happened, it is often very complex, and may involve much in the way of time and energy to allow the healing to begin and move forward.
In Transpersonal thought, there is the addition of “spirit”. By this term, I mean the inner self, the part of the self that lives on after it leaves the body at death. During life, the spirit is often wounded as well. Our spirit is where our sense of drive and forward movement comes from. It is where we hold our desires and dreams, and is the part that is easily wounded, as each new spirit that comes into the world comes in pure and clear. A young spirit can be broken by being pressured to do something it doesn’t want to, or by being forced to accept life conditions that are painful or scary. Healing the spirit requires a different sort of work. The young self may feel very lost and alone. It may involve calling forth ancestors or helping spirits. This work is best done in a setting that is different from the usual therapy session, and in my opinion works best in sacred space.
As a priestess, I have performed probably hundreds of rituals during my 30 years as a purveyor of the sacred and the divine. A number of these rituals have been during and part of a therapy session, as it has been a way to help some to come to grips with all that has happened to them.
Ritual, in my estimation, has been a powerful way to create openings in the healing work, to acknowledge the desire to heal, and to celebrate the work that has been accomplished. Each person’s ritual/ceremony will be different, depending on what has happened to them, and how they have been coping with it all along. Trauma affects the spirit in many ways, to bring forth the greatest healing will look different for each person. They often wish to first let go of whatever they deem no longer needed from their painful past. From there, given that the letting go has created a vacuum, they may wish to find symbols, or representations of their healing and newly found strength to bring into themselves as they move forward. Beyond that, there is often closure that may be needed for them to come to, so they can effectively finish that chapter of their lives, and begin to move on in new ways.
Trauma is so much a part of our culture it requires a great deal of will and desire to begin healing from it. What I have set forth is a model from work I’ve been doing over the years with many individuals. If you contact me, you will see what I can offer you, in light of what you need to work with. I offer a safe space, a place of power, where one can take their life back from whatever has been in the way or keeping them from living as fully as they wish to. I also offer, along with ritual, a place of hope, a circle where other beings, helper spirits and ancestors can communicate their support and presence. Depending on the trauma, this process may take time, but I am here to offer hope that it can be overcome.