The Body as a Storehouse: Consciousness , Trauma, & Healing Through Integration
Humans love stories. Stories are used to transmit the essence of wisdom, as a vehicle for accounts of the past, to bring levity, and to feel and process difficult things more deeply. Stories are used to connect, and connection is fundamental to human health and happiness. Stories are powerful, and perhaps the most powerful stories are the ones we carry within that keep us imprisoned without our knowing it.
Our bodies are also storehouses of stories. The stories of our ancestors are carried in our DNA. The stories of our own lives, intermingled with the ancient DNA stories, are also held in our tissues, nervous system and bone. Then there is our thinking minds which constantly weave stories of meaning-making and classification, most of which turns out to fall short of objective reality. Of course “objective reality” is perceived subjectively by most, but that is a can of worms for another day. This article is about our embodied stories, how to bring awareness them, experience them, and release them.
The Body Keeps the Score
Bessel van der Kolk, in his seminal work "The Body Keeps the Score," eloquently describes how trauma is imprinted on the body and brain. Traumatic experiences alter the way our brain processes information and how our body reacts to stimuli. This often leads to a state where the past continuously intrudes into the present, manifesting in various forms such as chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and other physical and emotional ailments. The energetic movement that these manifestations share in common is they tend to be contractive.
The body is a catalog of the stories of feeling sensations from our past and even from the past of our ancestors. These feeling states are held in our bodies, and when situations arise in our present lives that our senses categorize as similar to past events, our body signals to the brain how to feel and react. When the feelings are good and the stories are wonderful, this can be a blessing. However, when the feelings are filled with suffering and the stories are ones of trauma, we can relive those stories over and over again even if in the present moment everything is safe and sound.
Mindfulness and Presence
Thich Nhat Hanh, a revered Zen master, teaches that mindfulness and presence are essential in recognizing and healing the wounds stored in our bodies. Through mindful practices such as meditation, we learn to observe our thoughts and bodily sensations without judgment. This compassionate awareness allows us to gently touch the painful memories and emotions, creating space for healing and transformation.
While these feeling states and reactions may have saved our lives and kept us safe in the past, if they persist into future present moments, they become our prisons. In these prisons, we perpetuate the old stories over and over again, leading to feelings of being trapped, hopeless, frustrated, depressed, or lost. The good news is prisons have doors, which lead to pathways out into new possibilities.
The Roots of Trauma
Gabor Maté's work highlights the connection between mind, body, and the environment, emphasizing how early life experiences and societal factors contribute to the development of trauma. Maté explains that trauma is not just what happens to us, but what happens inside us as a result of what happens to us. The unresolved emotions and stress become embedded in our bodies, influencing our health and behavior.
When we feel stuck or trapped in a way of being, it feels like there is no way out. The paradox is it is through deep presence with these feeling states within this place that we find the door. Since the body holds all these feeling stories from our past that continue to inform our present, if we bring our awareness into the present where these stories are arising, we can begin to become aware of their mechanism and thus their true nature.
Somatic Experiencing
Peter Levine, the developer of Somatic Experiencing, offers a body-oriented approach to healing trauma. He posits that trauma resides in the nervous system and that by accessing and releasing the trapped energy in our bodies, we can restore balance and vitality. Levine's approach involves gentle and mindful attention to bodily sensations, allowing the body to complete the natural processes that were interrupted by traumatic events.
If we can become aware of its mechanism, then we can become aware of its source. When we bring awareness to the source of the story feelings held in our body, this very awareness and willingness to be with them allows for the healing and integration of these old stories. This creates space, or perhaps a shift of focus from content to the space the content occupies. In this space, the possibility of curiosity and creativity arises, and we have the freedom to engage our imaginations on what stories we want to live into in our lives.
Intergenerational Trauma
The concept of intergenerational trauma underscores how the experiences of our ancestors can be transmitted through generations, affecting our emotional and physical health. This transmission occurs through both biological means, such as epigenetics, and cultural means, such as family dynamics and societal narratives. Understanding and acknowledging this aspect of trauma is crucial for holistic healing.
Within our very struggle to not want to feel what is there, to not want to be with these past pains, lies the perpetuation of the mechanism for the old stories to take precedent over what is actually happening in the present moment. The key here is awareness, but keys don't unlock doors by themselves. If awareness is the key, then our willingness to "be with to move through" is the action of turning the key.
Integration for Transformation
Healing requires us to integrate the old information held in our bodies. This involves not only acknowledging the pain and trauma but also fostering a compassionate relationship with ourselves. Practices such as yoga, mindfulness, breathwork, and somatic therapies help in reconnecting with our bodies and releasing stored traumas. By bringing awareness to our bodily sensations and emotions, we begin to unravel the stories held within us.
Really being with these feeling states in awareness as they arise releases their grip, as full presence with them disperses their energy, metabolizing it into fertile soil for new stories to be grown. If you're like me and have spent many years in this human body living out old stories and feeling like the old story will always be the story of you, I'm here to tell you integrating these old stories and creating new ones is completely possible. If I and so many others have done it, so can you. And if you think that is not possible for you, then I would challenge that story with the truth that you are not alone in feeling and thinking that. The truth that others such as myself have also felt and thought that and then became free.
The Path to Healing
1. **Mindful Awareness:** Cultivating a regular mindfulness practice helps in recognizing and observing the sensations and emotions in our bodies without judgment.
2. **Compassionate Presence:** Approach your past with kindness and compassion, acknowledging the pain and trauma without letting it define you.
3. **Somatic Practices:** Engage in somatic practices like yoga, dance, or somatic experiencing to release the stored energy in your body.
4. **Support:** Seek support from helping professionals trained in trauma-informed approaches to help guide your healing journey.
5. **Community and Connection:** Surround yourself with supportive and understanding individuals who can offer empathy and connection.
Healing is not a linear process but a journey of rediscovering wholeness. By integrating the old information held in our bodies, we create space for transformation and a more vibrant, authentic life. Our bodies, with their incredible capacity to heal and transform, remind us that we don’t have to be stuck in the conditioning from our past. Through awareness, presence, and intention, we can open to the resilience and wisdom our systems also inherently hold.
