Body Stories, Celebrating our Bodies, New Year to Release

Notes and Resources by Danielle Palmer

Body trauma, Embodiment & (everyday) Addictions, + Ways to heal (whole)

What is “trauma” and have I experienced it? 

Textbook definition: According to the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) trauma requires “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” (p. 271). Stressful events not involving an immediate threat to life or physical injury such as psychosocial stressors (e.g., divorce or job loss) are not considered trauma in this definition. 

More expansive definitions understand traumatic events as experiences that leave people feeling overwhelmed, confused and powerless. (Consider the kinds of experiences that have left you feeling this way. Consider how easy it is for children to feel this way, and how early experiences that may not have even been considered “negative” can still be traumatic for a young person.)

Ultimately, trauma is what happens inside of you as a result of traumatic events. When these experiences and their corresponding affective (feelings), cognitive (thoughts), somatic (physicalities) content are unprocessed and unintegrated, the result is a loss of connection to oneself/the body and to the present moment. 

What is “embodiment” and how do I do it?

Source: Hilary McBride https://archive.yellowco.co/blog/2018/06/25/belief-body-shame-embodiment-freedom/

Embodiment is the understanding that the mind is not separate from the body, and that the body and the “self” are the same thing. We are not separate from our bodies, we are our bodies.

Embodiment is the word we give to the felt sense of being in our bodies, not just evaluating them from the outside.” It is a shift to think of ourselves as our bodies, and our selves/bodies as good.

Benefits: preventing body hatred and shame, moving away from disordered eating and towards intuitive eating, bringing us more fully into our creativity, intuition, sensuality, present awareness and the sense of our power, enjoying movement and play, finding more pleasure in sex, feeling our emotions and finding ways to express them without shoving them down (which leads to improved mental health!) 

Embodiment is like moving into a house you’ve only ever seen the outside of. We’ve been told all our lives the house is bad. But the house isn’t bad, the story is bad. Let there be no confusion: our bodies have never been bad, no matter how they look. Maybe we all just got tricked into thinking so. Embodiment can be an act of reclamation, as we assert the right to embody ourselves without shame

To embody is to stop thinking so much about what your body looks like (to you, or others), and instead, adopting the practice of feeling life from the inside out. 

Ways to heal: how to be in our bodies, feel feelings, and stay present with sensation 

1 - How to feel your feelings (a thing that sounds obvious but totally isn’t) 

1. An unpleasant feeling arises.

2. Your mind launches into whatever inner story accompanies this feeling Ex: “I can’t handle this...I’m unlovable… I’m a loser…. I resent my face” STOP! You are THINKING your feelings.

3. Redirect your mind away from these thoughts and into the sensations in your body. Mentally name them (ex: my chest is tight, I feel a buzzy sensation in my…)

4. Breathe into the feeling/sensation and allow them (Cry, shake, move)

5. Your mind will really want to go back into thought-story-mode. When this happens, redirect your awareness back into your body.

6. Take deep breaths. Keep feeling into your body. Let the feeling exist and trust that it will pass. It may intensify before it decreases. Observe it changing. Watch it move. Notice that you have survived. 

Also, read “How to Release the Painful Memories and Emotions in Your Body” by Jennifer Sterling https://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-release-the-painful-memories-emotions-stored-in-your-body/

2 - Getting in tune: through body sensing, movement, stillness and breathe

1. Body sensing is the intentional practice of embodiment- feeling our bodies.

2. Activities such as running, dance, yoga, stretching, tai chi, and even singing in a choir can be incredibly facilitative in releasing the imprints of stress and trauma. 

3. Cultivating stillness is an essential practice. We can learn to inhabit our bodies and be anchored in the present, rather than distracting ourselves with external realities and thoughts about the past and present. Finding a home within yourself.

4. Learn to breathe. There’s a lot of resources out there (yoga pranayama, schools of breathwork, Wim Hof method, simple belly breathing) - find what works for you and then practice regularly. Working with the breath can reconfigure your entire nervous system.

3 - Work with a practitioner that that understands trauma and the body

• Clinical counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists but also massage therapists, physiotherapists, and people who practice rolfing, bioenergetics, acupuncture, etc

• Be selective in your search for a counsellor. Look for therapists who practice body-based modalities such as sensorimotor, somatic experiencing, lifespan integration, EMDR & OEI

• Interview therapists. Many will consult with prospective clients for free. Ask them about their philosophy and approach to healing. How do they understand trauma? How do they incorporate the body into their work? You’re allowed to ask any questions you want. 

• Be choosy. If they don’t feel like the “right fit” for you, they aren’t. Listen to your body and trust your intuition. Only work with people you feel comfortable with and confident in. 

Resources

Books (trauma and the body)

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Bessel van der Kolk. [I consider it my “trauma bible” - a good starting place to understand trauma]

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.Peter A. Levine  [A sensorimotor approach to understanding how to heal from trauma]

Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. Pete Walker. [Not particularly body-based, but the best book on healing trauma I’ve come across]

When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress. Gabor Maté. [Details the relationship between stress and health outcomes, it’s eye-opening]

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment. Janina Fisher and Pat Ogden. [A lot of helpful exercises, best used in conjunction with therapy]

Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy.Clare Pain, Kekuni Minton, and Pat Ogden.

Somatics: Reawakening The Mind's Control Of Movement, Flexibility, And HealthThomas Hanna.

The Body Heals Itself: How Deeper Awareness of Your Muscles and Their Emotional Connection Can Help You Heal.Emily A. Francis

Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body.David. Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper

Books (running specific)

ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running. Danny Dreyer and Katherine Dreyer.

The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer.David Roche and Megan Roche. [Not particularly body-based, but focuses on unconditional acceptance, which is an essential part of embodiment!]

BIO: Danielle Palmer is a clinical counsellor and trauma therapist working in the greater Vancouver area of British Columbia. She is passionate about getting to know the brain, body and soul, giving dogs good homes, and finding joy in the ebbs and flows of everyday life. Learn more at daniellepalmer.ca