Power after a Trauma

Traumas can wreak havoc on the central nervous system and the pre-determined coping mechanisms in your brain/body. Especially if it causes significant distress and impacts day-to-day functioning.

If you have gone through a form of trauma, chances are that there are some “non-negotiables” that you must do in order to feel safe. The non-negotiables may look like someone who refuses to sit with their back towards a door due to feeling unsafe or someone who carries around a weapon of some sort just in case.

Our brains will aways actively try to protect us from threats and what we need to be aware of is that we should not be letting that drive or shape our lives.

So how can we get our power back after a trauma?

The first step, is to acknowledge that something has happened that is impacting you.

Once you have processed that, you can take a look at whether it is something you need help processing (with a professional counselor) or some life adjustments that you can make on your own.

I assign a few exercises for clients to review their traumas and investigate how the trauma is impacting them. I will list the questions below:

• What happened?

• How did you feel before and after the event?

• What feelings are still residing in you today?

• How would you want your life to look?

• What needs to change?

While an actual counseling session can provide much more insight, having somewhere to start and some idea of what to ask yourself can help you start gaining back your power. A trauma does not define you and I encourage you to fight for the best version of yourself.