Trauma Part 3

Trauma can show up in the body & we still don’t know a lot or have gaps in our knowledge when it comes to our body & mind interaction around emotions & trauma. Part of that mystery is somatic memories which are our body’s physical reaction to events. Sometimes these reactions are not conscious to us. Often times these physical reactions relate to how our trauma affected our body. If your mom always pulled your ear when you got into trouble, you may find your ears burn a lot when you are worried. Not all somatic memories are clear or simple like this one, but we know our body is a log book of our experiences, just like physical scars show what your body has physically been through, sensations can also give us a clue to our physical/emotional/ mental experiences.
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Experiencing trauma can also deeply disconnect us from our bodies. Often people who have experienced a physically violating event (sexual/physical abuse) they cannot tell me how their body feels, or they feel numb. When we experience a physical trauma our body gets taken from us. Our physical boundaries are non-existent & our brains may end up disconnecting or hating our bodies because that was the location of the abuse. Many times I will have sexual abuse survivors tell me that they gained a lot of weight simply so people did not see them as attractive & their bodies were no longer seen as sex objects. Bodily trauma takes on a deep & complicated nature, in which we can become just as unhealthy towards ourselves. These feelings & struggles can be very hard to unwind & heal, but it's possible. The first step is to accept what happened to you, & reconnect with your body.
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TAKE HOME: If you find yourself having odd physical symptoms that your medical providers do not see clear answers for, try reconnecting with your body, seek mental health treatment, & play around with body work healing, like acupuncture, reiki, etc. Overall observe your body & try to connect with it in different ways.