The more time I spend with men and women who have experienced combat trauma, I am humbled to be in this line of work. Healing from these traumas is both challenging and powerful. It doesn’t matter the root of the trauma; as soon as the body goes into fight-or-flight mode, the mind attaches to disorganized pieces of the experience that move within the body, causing small blips to embed themselves in the neurological pathways of the mind and body.
Memories surrounding the trauma have created recognizable patterns within the body as to where the categorized emotions are stored. These emotional patterns show fear and burden are stored in the neck and upper back, guilt and shame in the gut, grief and sorrow in the chest and lungs, anger and sadness in the hips...
Often times, when my partner, @specialomperator, shares a story related to combat, his heart rate increases and he speaks with an intensified tone. These stories trigger internal chronic sensations and fear, causing discomfort and a constant ‘need’ to adjust.
A simple recognition, or the awareness of my hand on these areas, allows him to continue speaking while softening these areas. If you’ve ever watched a deer after having experienced trauma, you see their entire body shaking, as if the trauma is moving through them and they are, quite literally, ‘shaking it off’. As humans, our minds and bodies ‘work through’ traumas similarly by uncontrollably convulsing as we move through and beyond the experience. The difference being, that the brain can so easily recall these traumas through words, body language, senses and more.
The trauma remains until we feel through the pieces that got lost in translation.
After any traumatic experience, comes a period of adjustment, reflection, and the need for healing. The physical practice of intense yoga sequencing, combined with a powerful breathing practice, provides a controlled environment in which the body can work through stored traumas while learning to soften the mental, physical, and emotional responses.
About the Author:
Amanda Tomac @Alpha.Tango.Actual
Yoga Teacher (E-RYT)🤸🏽♀️
Thai Massage Therapist (LMT)👐🏽👣
Veteran Wellness Advocate ♠️
#taskforceyoga
Ex. Director👉🏽 @beneath_the_surface_foundation