6 Simple Strategies For Overcoming Trauma

TRAUMA              AFFECTS              EVERYONE 

Relationship endings, losing a job or not getting that much needed promotion to more severe events such as your house burning down or coping with injuries after a serious car accident. The list is truly endless yet knowing that trauma is common-place is not enough to help us through it. 

What to do? & How to cope? 

After surviving a cycling accident, then acquiring a Traumatic Brain Injury as a result, for many years afterwards I felt lost & helpless. I pondered those same questions for years; what to do & how to cope?! After years of recovery, through the highs & lows, I developed these 6 simple strategies which have not only become my own personal blueprint to surviving trauma but actually going beyond any immediate crisis and truly thriving! 

1) FEED YOURSELF! 

Yes nutritionally but in addition to food, feed your Optimism, Your Faith in the Miraculous & the Belief that your situation is only temporary.

2) CHALLENGE YOUR BELIEFS!

As well as the beliefs of others. Remember: Facts Are Fluid, consequently they are always changing. We all want closure thus we are attracted to answers and some of them hinder rather than help-they keep us stuck. For example, if I'd chosen to believe the 'experts' who had insisted that I would not recover beyond the 2 year post-injury mark then I would not have progressed any further than that...I challenged their ideas about my recovery potential. 

3) TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY!

Your life or life-situation is yours to create or un-create. Remember that only you can make this commitment and that no one else can make the decision to change. You are also 100% in charge of your life and 100% responsible for your recovery! I spend  months, probably years blaming the person who ran me over with her car but eventually all that energy was redirected into positive change. 

4) MEDITATE!

Okay, I know we've all heard this one yet so many people just do not make the time. If your time is really tight then why not try Brainwave Entrainment? It's easily accessed via Youtube and other sites plus it's free! Binureal Beats are digitized simulations of our brains' natural states such as: Alpha, Beta, Theta & Delta brain-wave states. This technology, when listened to through stereo headphones, causes our brains hemispheres' to synchronize, not to the input but rather the difference between the two separate tones which comprise the Binureal Beat . It's a bit technical but it works & best of all you only need to set aside 10 minutes a day but trust me, you will soon want more! 
Go To: http://fractalenlightenment.com/category/spirituality (page 3). I was a daily meditator prior to my injury and not until I discovered this technology did I once again feel the pure bliss, calm and peace of my former yogini life. I cannot live with out this stuff, it's a difference-maker for me. 

5) GET OUT!

Outside that is. Reconnect with nature not for just the fun & enjoyment of it but because nature stimulates our brain to function in the calmer states of Alpha & Theta, and in some cases Delta (think of a Yogi on a mountain top). Our brain waves synchronize with the natural 'heartbeat' of the earth sometimes referred to as Isochronic Tones or Schumann Reasonance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7DiOB8E5Zc & (http://www.isochronictone.com/). This rhythmic tone emitted by the Earth is it's signature; it's primal voice if you will. Our brains are naturally drawn to and resonate with this sound-wave vibration. 

6) PRACTICE GRATITUDE!

Say thank you for Everything especially those things which challenge you. As Rumi said: '...each has been sent as a Guide from beyond.' My favorite quote regarding this subject sums it up perfectly: 'If Thank You was the only Prayer You ever said your whole life, that would suffice." Meister Eckhart 
Through this practice you will allow your being to become saturated with gratitude until soon you will feel grateful without even trying;)

In real life though...it's easy to get off track. Sometimes a minor bump in the road can lead to a permanent derailing if we are not fully committed to going beyond the trauma. My most reliable go-to strategy, especially in difficult times, has been the addition of an Accountability Person/Partner in my daily living regimen. This person can be a partner, a family member, a friend or even an acquaintance the important criteria being that they are someone you trust with your 'personal stuff'-impeccably! An Accountability Person/Partner is the person who will help dislodge you from your denial. They will, at times, be brutally honest but will back it up with love, which is exactly what we all need when we are stuck, slacking off or in a 'thought-rut.' We don't always want to hear the truth about ourselves especially when we are afraid to move forwards however, is it a requirement of healing-to keep pushing on. Imagine if our ancestors gave-up when life got tough or tougher?! We wouldn't be here if it were not for their extreme level of persistence and perseverance. 

The bottom line: You can do it with the right strategies and a sufficient amount of loving support. You have what it takes to go on and get through trauma. It's in all of us. 

Michelle xo