Trauma and Biodynamic Breath
“The first truth, Buddha taught his disciples, is that suffering is part of the human condition. If we simply try to avoid confronting painful experiences, there is no way to begin the healing process. In fact, this denial creates the very conditions that promote and prolong unnecessary suffering.”
― Peter A. Levine, Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body
Although the word trauma has found its way into mainstream culture, many people use this term with only a limited understanding of its meaning and significance.
For instance, trauma is often equated with extremely shocking and painful events, such as physical or sexual abuse, war, or a natural disaster. However, researchers increasingly confirm that it is not just specific events or situations that cause trauma, rather how a person perceives and reacts to the event is what better determines whether trauma develops; in fact, different people can experience the same events with widely varying degrees of psychological consequences, depending on their emotional vulnerability and the resilience of their nervous system.
Thus, any event can impact the nervous system as a trauma if it interrupts the body’s innate coping mechanisms. Examples of trauma-causing situations may include accidents, invasive medical procedures, sexual or physical assault, emotional abuse, neglect, war, natural disasters, loss, or can result from ongoing and continued stress, fear or conflict.
Trauma can also be inherited from previous generations.
Processing Trauma
Interestingly, our bodies are actually capable of processing painful or shocking events without significant adverse effects when the "fight, flight, or freeze" response is triggered in our bodies and allowed to fully complete its cycle.
A situation only registers as traumatic when these innate physiological coping mechanisms are in some way prevented from completion, keeping the unfinished nervous response trapped in our physical tissues. This trapped charge creates stress and tension, which may emerge in the form of a variety of symptoms either immediately or later in the future when another event triggers the original trauma.
A situation only registers as traumatic when these innate physiological coping mechanisms are in some way prevented from completion, keeping the unfinished nervous response trapped in our physical tissues. This trapped charge creates stress and tension, which may emerge in the form of a variety of symptoms either immediately or later in the future when another event triggers the original trauma.
Trapped Charge Creates Obstacle
These obstacles to the natural flow of energy can alter our behavioral patterns, change our perception of reality, and impact our mental, emotional, and physical health. Moreover, they may continue to develop additional defense mechanisms that can appear to prevent more short-term wounding yet prove self-defeating in the long run. While these defenses once kept you safe and secure, that very armor may now be preventing you from reaching your full potential within relationships and as an individual.
BioDynamic Breathwork for Healing Trauma
In a BioDynamic Breathwork session, your body is encouraged to complete and release those unfinished fight, flight, or freeze responses in a highly supportive, nurturing environment using open-mouth connected breathing, therapeutic touch, sound, conscious movement and emotional expression.
“Trauma creates change you don't choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose.”
― Michele Rosenthal, CLC, NLP, CHT