Trauma
What is trauma?
Trauma is complex. It speaks a language all of its own. Trauma can manifest through our bodies, images, sensations, vibes, thoughts, and more. It further impacted personal, generational, collective, historical, institutional, and systemic layers. That makes navigating trauma even more difficult.
We often know the traumatic event, such as being bitten by a dog. However, did you know that your brain takes a snapshot of the experience? It remembers everything unsafe at that moment. For example, when you got bitten, a yellow car drove by, a baby cried, and a bag blew in the wind. As you were bitten, you were stumbling backward. Now your brain says all these are unsafe. Next, you are in a car accident. You are hit by a blue car. The driver is a man with a mustache, and his female companion is wearing a floral dress. The roads were icy, and you could smell burning rubber. Your brain has now decided that blue cars, ice, mustaches, flowering dresses, and the smell of burning rubber are unsafe. This is your survival brain at work. It often does not tell your rational brain. Your survival brain’s function is to keep you safe. This is your personal trauma.
Generational trauma is trauma that has happened to our family members and has been handed down to us. Historical trauma is what has happened to a group of people, like slavery, genocide, and war. Generational trauma and can be historical as well.
Systemic and institutional traumas are traumas experienced because the system you are engaging in is not designed for you. Our systems, such as our justice and educational systems, were designed with prejudice. Our justice system is more likely to incarcerate bodies of culture over white bodies. Our academic systems also create trauma in the different ways white bodies and bodies of culture are treated. Another example of institutional trauma is the AID epidemic, where people were isolated and mistreated due to their sexual preferences.
All this trauma gets stored in your body and your psyche. And if you feel led, I am also here to support you on your healing journey. I have extensive training in trauma and you can learn more here. You can also learn about me here.
Take your time exploring this page and all its content. Below, you will find handouts, assessments, yoga for trauma, and meditations.
Questionnaires and handouts
Check out the handouts below to support you on your healing journey.
Trauma hacks handout
SCOPE handout
POAD (Pause, Orient, Assess, Decide) handout
I use the below frequently in my practice. You can take these and share them with your mental health professional and you can also ask them what assessments they use for trauma.
ACE- Adverse Childhood Experiences
PCL- Post-Trauma Checklist
UCONN -Racial Ethic Stress and Trauma (unREST) short version
TSDS -Trauma Symptom Discrimination Scale
MEIM 6- Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure
DES- Disassociative Experiences Scale
Learn more about why I am qualified to support you in your healing journey.
Somatic Exercises, Yoga and meditations
Video 1: What is trauma?
Today’s shirt Is from Inclusive Therapists, whose mission is to provide access to therapy for marginalized communities, including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+.
Video 2: Trauma hacks
Exercises when your trauma is activated (and to help you connect with yourself)
Today’s video is vital to supporting you and your trauma work. I will demonstrate and practice with you various ways to work with the nervous system, especially when it’s been activated.
Today’s shirt is by NTVS supports the Buffalo Project, advocating for no more murdered missing indigenous women (#MMIW).
Video 3: A yoga flow with grounded movement
Today, we have a vinyasa flow that not only moves the body it also supports you in feeling grounded.
It can be handy to have the trauma hacks handout nearby to support you during your practice today. Remember, if you feel activated, charged, overwhelmed, triggered. Come back to mountain pose or sit on your mat. Look at your anchor object. Bring yourself into your room, by looking at your walls, floor, ceiling and behind you, with curiosity notice your space.
You can:
Say no, watch, pause, turn off, do your own thing.
Listen to your body, how does it want to move? Allow your body to move you. Does it need to shake, be still?
I trust you, you know what's best for you and what feels best. You don’t have to do anything that feels uncomfortable or unsafe.
Today’s shirt was created by Only Human, an LBGTQIA+ company, this shirt is all about inclusion.
Video 4: Restorative yoga flow
Restorative to yoga to help you connect to your body and ease your nervous system
Today’s practice is a restorative yoga flow. Each pose will be held for 5 minutes. Don’t worry about the time, I will cue you. If you’d like, play some of your favorite relaxing music.
Gather your pillows, blankets, bolsters, to support your body during this sequence.
Another gentle reminder, if you feel activated, charged, overwhelmed, triggered. sit on your mat, in whatever position feels the most comfortable and least activating. Look at your anchor object. Bring yourself into your room, by looking at your walls, floor, ceiling and behind you, with curiosity noticing your space.
Remember you can:
Say no, watch, pause, turn off, do your own thing.
Listen to your body, how does it want to move? Allow your body to move you. Does it need stillness, to shake, to walk around your room?
I trust you, you know what's best for you and what feels best. You don’t have to do anything that feels uncomfortable or not safe.
Today’s shirt by Mahagony Mommies, a company celebrating black culture.
Guided meditations
LIght a candle or start some aromatherapy. Play your favorite background music. Get your favorite pillow, cushion, blanket, get comfortable and settle in.
Grounding
reset, ease and settle your nervous system
Protector
someone or something that protects you
Oftentimes, when we experience trauma, especially certain types of trauma we didn’t have a protector, someone to keep us safe. In doing trauma work it can be helpful to have a protector.
If you feel called to, you can have a figurine, a picture, symbol of your protector.
Ancestor
healing you and your family
Working with ancestors can be a rewarding experience. As you do your trauma work, can be beneficial to work with your ancestors, especially when working through racial, historical, generational and institutional trauma.
If you’d like to work with your ancestors, check out this handout to create a space just for your ancestors.
Ways you can invest in your community:
What indigenous people lived on the land you now call home,find out here.
Ideas and links for places to donate:
New York Strategist list of places to donate.
Charity Navigator list of organizations to donate to.
Support local, especially BIPOC (people of the global majority) and LGBTQIA+ businesses, local charities (monetary or volunteer), and businesses in your community, again look for BIPOC and LGBT!A+ businesses.
There are so many amazing organizations you can support that are doing amazing work!
Honorable mentions:
Haerfest: Designed the shirt I’m wearing. You can’t quite see it in the picture, the shirt says, “Inhale Exhale.” An awesome company that designed a shirt that brings awareness to AAPI mental health, proceeds from the first run of the shirt go to AAPI mental health.
Yoloha yoga mats: an eco-aware yoga mat company (and the yoga mat I’m standing on I use in the videos)
Poe the soon-to-be therapy dog.
Nero, the cat who makes a couple of appearances in the videos.