Life is complex.
When speed is added to this complexity, which today has become a "normal" everyday phenomenon, we get a cocktail that has modern name - stress. Simply put, stress occurs when we lose contact with our own body. The physical body is singular, here and at the present moment, it has no ability to be in two or more places at the same time. Unlike the body, the mind can be in several places simultaneously, seeking ways to speed up the physical dimension and complete tasks and obligations as soon as possible. This is where the first split occurs - the mind and the body are no longer aligned. The body is in the present moment, the mind mainly in the future with occasional excursions into the past. Along with that, the demands of the others do not help to stay centered – we are pulled away by family, finances, work, various obligations ... and all at the same time.
Indeed, it is not easy to be a human being of today.
However, the story about the modern human only starts here. Along with all that speed and complexity, life is also unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, sometimes in a pleasant, but often in a shocking and unpleasant way. And that's also a part of life, you will say: bear it, go on, fight...that’s an old motto for survival. But our lifestyle is already so overwhelming and intense that we usually do not have the strength remaining for additional constriction and moving further. It's time, says the life then, to stop, reevaluate priorities and see if we actually live our lives, or the one that is imposed by society and its often distorted values.
Well, let's deal with the individual first.
When events occur too quickly, too intensely and suddenly, conditions are created for a phenomenon known in medicine and psychology as trauma. Let's take the example of a car accident: the vehicle moves at a certain speed and along a certain path. Another body in motion with its own acceleration suddenly appears, gets on our path, or by a miracle we get on his, and an abrupt movement halt occurs. The impact is large and powerful, vehicles damaged or destroyed and people injured, in shock or, at worst, deceased. For survivors, this experience has profound consequences for the physical body and the psyche... which are, in fact, at a certain level, one and the same thing. How, you might be wondering?
From the point of view of the energy field, or aura, both the body and the psyche are energy of different frequencies, of course, but they are part of the same energy and awareness system. Psyche is a subtle, intangible form of energy, while the body is its rough, material manifestation.
Nature has endowed us with a "chip" for survival. It is a natural instinct in every human being that is intended for survival and extension of the species. Before we come up with a way to protect ourselves in such sudden events, the adrenal glands are already producing adrenaline, the heart beats stronger and faster, the pupils dilate, the digestion stops and all the consciousness and energy focus only on one thing - the preservation of life. In situations like those we described above, neither consciousness nor the body had the time to prepare for defense. This huge energy charge, as well as the impulse that arises in order to protect life, both remain frozen in the body, particularly in the muscles and in the nervous system. Some psycho-somatic symptoms appear, such as panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome), convulsions in the body, dizziness, vomiting, shiver, hallucinations, uncontrolled urination etc. It depends on the type of trauma, as well as on the individual, which combination of symptoms will follow.
This was one of the classic examples of trauma which is, unfortunately, still common. But what happens to the so-called "small stresses" that we are exposed to daily? They get accumulated in the body, especially in our nervous system. As the body, as well as the psyche, has its limits – there’s a finite amount that can fit into one person - there appears a bunch of unresolved things of high voltage, which at one moment causes a short circuit - also known as "the last straw that broke the camel’s back". At that moment, a person feels like losing ground under the feet, losing security, stability... like a short circuit that breaks out in an apartment due to lack of electricity grounding.
In this case, as seen on the level of aura, there appears an imbalance between the upper and the lower parts of our energy field. The first chakra, due to the speed, doesn’t get into contact with the earth, nor can it be energized by it. As a result, we lose contact with the physical body, or in other words, we are not aware of what is happening in the body and which signals it sends to us. Personal needs, whether physical, emotional, social, or spiritual, are often neglected. "There is no time"... Pleasure... it becomes pure luxury! And without pleasure, there is neither relaxation of the nervous system nor the expansion of the energy field, which slowly loses its colors, its flow.
Loss is often related to trauma. Like if all that we've described above was not enough. In addition to the physiological factor, the emotional one enters the scene and that doesn’t concern only the emotions we cultivate towards ourselves, but also the relationships and feelings that we nurture for others. The loss of the loved ones, whether because of their decision (or even ours) to get out of our life, or the loss through their departure from the physical dimension, leaves a "hole" in our body (most often in the chest area) and in our physical existence. The space becomes simply empty. We need to go on bearing the vacant place, which is not easy. The energy field becomes denser, emotions are stagnant (because we are often still frozen in shock), congestion is created and it is increasingly difficult for energy to flow through. As a result, the depression and her sister - anxiety arrive as guests, life seems meaningless, we have no will to get out of bed, and certainly not to move on in life and in our process of creation. Everything stops.
Luckily, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Even those who have gone through traumatic experiences such as violence, alcoholism, car accidents, invasive medical procedures, family loss, change or loss of work, etc., can continue to live. There are efficient methods that we can use to ease passing through traumatic experiences, release the impulses and energy in the body, as well as the emotions standing as boulders in us.
Dr. Peter Levine developed Somatic Experiencing, a method based on body approach to trauma. Body which sends us messages, in the forms of sensations, that, often, we are do not notice. So, it is necessary, not only for those who survived a trauma, but for everybody, to slow down and pay attention. At this place, within ourselves, the process of awareness, evolution and possible changes begins; changes we crave for, but we do not know how to implement.
The sensations (numbness, cold, warm, shivering, contractions etc.) that are the body language, send us a message concerning the condition in our body, in our system of energy and consciousness. The body responds to the things that the mind even doesn’t get to record, or it does, but much later. These sensations, if we remain present with them long enough, lead to impulses, body movements, bring up pictures, memories. The emotions, that want to finish their journey and come through, would follow. After a release of this kind, the nervous system and the body get back to themselves, in balance, in composure. In a safe and gentle way, slowly, in small doses, the high voltage is channeled through the body, physically and emotionally. The charge in the nervous system slowly decreases, while relaxation and a sense of safety get reestableshed.
Energy work can instigate the healing of the kind. Dr. Barbara Brennan has developed a energy healing method known as Brennan Healing Science, which can reconstruct some parts of the energy field and put them back at the alignment with the whole. Energy work on the first chakra and reconnection of our energetic cords with the earth brings back the feeling of ourselves and our boundries. The sense of connection with the body grows,as well as the energy supply, and a person slowly regains the will for life and the incentive for creation.
Various traditions and cultures have their ancient ways of dealing with the trauma and Soul Retrieval is the most known one, used in many communities practicing shamanism. This approach considers any trauma (including the wake-up alarm!) as a cause for a split in the soul when one part of our psyche, our soul, splits and leave the whole. In psychology, this phenomenon is known as dissociation. In this process, the shaman, in an expanded state of consciousness, embarks on the search for a soul that has left due to great fear and returns it back to a whole.
In this delicate type of work and the overcoming of physical and psychological crisis, we need help from the others, especially from a good and trained therapist that we have confidence in. The presence of another human being, along with us, in places that are vulnerable, frightened, sad, desperate, angry, is crucial to our acceptance of ourselves. Slowly, through direct contact and through the harmonic induction of our energy fields, we release traumatic events and experiences from our body and energy field, returning to balance.
Of course, there are many situations when we do not have another human being to help us when frustration, nightmares, disturbances appear. Here's what you can do to calm your system and get back to composure: put your right hand under your left armpit so that the root of your hand is partially on your heart, and your fingers are under your armpit. Holding yourself this way, put your left hand on your right hand between your shoulder and the elbow. And breathe.
Another form of first aid would be to put one hand on your forehead, the other above your heart, on your chest bone. After a while, you can move your hand from the forehead to the stomach area. The results of these simple procedures are miraculously calming and people who, for example, suffer from insomnia, manage to fall a sleep (recommended by Dr. Peter Levine).
Traumatic experiences and loss are not the end of life, although these moments can be very dark and painful. With the help of friends, family and an experienced therapist, with their support and love, we begin a new journey. From these ashes, the Phoenix is born, from the inner ruins, a new sense of self, new power and light are emerge.
May our inner light illuminate our path to Self, unity, harmony and love!
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