USING MINDFULNESS Safely FOR Trauma Recovery
How Mindfulness/Meditation Can Support Trauma Recovery and Why Exercising Caution Might Also Be Important.
Trauma expert Judith Herman once wrote that “survivors feel unsafe in their bodies. Their emotions and their thinking feel out of control.” When you’ve suffered events that compromised your sense of basic safety, it can be extremely difficult to feel at home in your own self. This is one of the reasons why mindfulness can be an excellent tool for trauma recovery. But there’s a few things you should know before trying it out.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness involves focusing on the present moment with an open and accepting attitude. It encourages awareness of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment. Within the context of trauma treatment, mindfulness offers evidence-based practices that can significantly reduce trauma-related symptoms (Briere & Scott, 2015).
The Benefits of Mindfulness in Trauma Recovery
Research shows that mindfulness not only alleviates post-traumatic symptoms but also strengthens crucial neurobiological functions. For instance, it enhances attuned communication—an essential component of healthy attachment, or our ability to bond with others in a healing way (Forner, 2019).
When we practice mindfulness, we cultivate a deeper connection to ourselves and others. We feel less alone. We bounce back from distressing situations faster. We have the ability to soothe ourselves. We understand what our emotions are telling us about what we need, and how we can meet those needs.
Navigating the Challenges
While mindfulness/meditation can be incredibly beneficial, it’s essential to approach it with care. This is especially true if you tend to have intense trauma responses. For example, if you experience strong intrusive thoughts or you have big negative emotions that can lead to you harming yourself or others, mindfulness might be destabilizing (Germer et al, 2005). This is because it encourages facing emotions and memories that are often kept at bay through “experiential avoidance” (Baer, 2003). For example, if you keep yourself extremely busy all of the time in order to avoid the awful feelings that come up when you sit still, you are probably skilled in the art of “experiential avoidance”.
I can say that meditation has been a powerful ingredient in reducing the numbing/emotional avoidance that is the legacy of my own traumatic experiences. It is common for me to begin meditating, and then succumb to tears. This practice regularly helps me to connect with emotions that have been roiling under the surface, just out of reach.
Mindfulness can be like handing a magical object. Imagine the palantir in “Lord of the Rings”; when Pippin looks into it, he sees what is real, but is not ready to handle the power of the vision. Make sure you have the support you need to safely experience what your body has been holding onto.
