Human beings and domesticated animals are the only species that store trauma in the body. Animals in the wild, in their natural habitat will shake off trauma automatically, moments after it has occurred. The gazelle running for its life, chased by a hungry lion is fueled by their fight or flight response - an acute short term stress-response triggered by the threat of survival. According to the science, the brain has sent a signal to the adrenal glands to secrete hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) to make the heart pump harder delivering oxygen and fuel faster. Epinephrine prompts the liver and other organs to convert complex food molecules such as carbohydrates and fats into simple sugars the muscle cells can use directly to power speed and strength. In other words you shit your pants and take off.
If they get away, animals go into a trauma response of shaking or trembling which comes from the limbic brain (part of the brain that holds emotions) sending a signal that the danger has passed and that the fight or flight system can turn off. They literally are finishing the nervous system response to release the trauma from the body. Animals often die id they are unable to shake off their trauma, but in humans, unresolved trauma may evolve into mental or physical illness. Experiences that become stored in the body can lead to PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
After trauma, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) becomes activated keeping the body and mind on high alert. Says psychologist, Beth Shaw, ‘the brain and nervous system become stuck in trauma and are rewired in a way that makes healing challenging’ (Shaw, B. 2019 When Trauma Gets Stuck in The Body). As the carer of a teenager with a range of challenging behaviours, I slept with one eye open in that hyper-vigilant state for several years. I felt like a super-hero drawing on energy day after day, thinking I’m invincible. Once my kid recovered though, I fell in a heap, realising there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Being constantly ready for anything, having to run out of work meetings, being frightened to fall asleep etc. had taken its toll. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. It was time to pay the ferryman.
Fast paced modern life does not always allow us the time and space to process the slings and arrows of everyday life let alone the big stuff that’s going on or the stuff from the past we buried somewhere to deal with later.
There are evidence-based ways of dealing with trauma and PTSD with expert clinical help such as; psychotherapy, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, as well as CBT and DBT - you can look them up if you’re interested. Psychedelic therapy trials in Australia are also showing remarkable treatment effects for PTSD which according to Mind Medicine Australia, ‘are offering breakthroughs in mental health treatment of the likes not seen in decades’ (Warner, M. et al, 2019).
Journaling is up there too as an evidence-based way of releasing trauma and improving health and wellbeing. Dr James Pennebaker, a pioneer in the field carried out numerous studies beginning in the 1980’s and coined the term ‘expressive writing’ to describe a technique he began using in clinical trials with university students, producing remarkable results. One group of students were asked to write about traumatic events in their life, the other group were asked to write about every day things. Both groups were given full medical examinations beforehand where bloods were taken and other health indicators were recorded. Incredibly, the first group writing about personal traumatic events showed dramatic long term improvements in both physical and mental health with less visits the doctors and other health practitioners. Whereas the second group, writing about everyday things showed no real changes in health or wellbeing.
I do not suggest to people that they roll up their sleeves and start writing about the trauma in their lives unless it is supported by a clinical practitioner. In my workshops I never tell people what to write about, I simply give them a technique and some examples and let them write about whatever they want. Sometimes the subject matter they come up with, is around some traumatic event in their lives. They may have gone fully into it or skirted around the edges, it doesn’t matter, it’s their process. I also always flag at the beginning of writing workshops, that emotional stuff can come up through writing, and to be mindful of this. That if they find themselves heading into uncomfortable territory, they can stop their pen and write about something else. If they choose to keep going then sharing what they’ve written with the group can be really validating and supportive for them. And after the session I always do a check in with everyone to make sure they’re travelling okay. All of these measures are part of that ‘shaking off trauma’ process. Writing things down means it’s out of you onto the page, sharing those words with a group means your experiences and feelings are validated. Having people check in with you, shows you that your feelings are real and that others care.
Any writing technique can be a gateway to writing about meaningful things. There’s no need to push the river. Writing should be fun and enjoyable so, as I mentioned before, don’t be prescriptive about what you’re going to write about, focus on the technique instead. Here’s a great one to start with: Stream of Consciousness. This technique guarantees you won’t know what’s going to end up on the page. Here’s what to do:
Forget about all the rules of writing; spelling, grammar, proper sentences etc.
Set the timer for 5 mins or until you fill a page, or two, or three, whatever you want
Don’t let your pen stop. If your pen stops, write my pen is stopping, write anything that comes to mind, the sounds around you, your feelings, random memories, whatever comes up is welcome, nonsense is welcome, it doesn’t matter
Stream of consciousness has many functions; it challenges the blank page and writers block; it bypasses the left brain- the inner critic, the voice that says, this better be good; it allows you to write about things you wouldn’t normally, diverges from those well-worn tracks; it gets you into ‘riffing’ one word or bunch of words bouncing off another; it presents interesting word associations; taps into what Natalie Goldberg calls Wild Mind, that unstructured part of ourselves link to the unconscious where dreams reside, ideas are formed and untapped creativity abound.
Enjoy!