The word Trauma derives from late 17th century Greek meaning ‘wound’. One that is unseen, but present within the mind and body, but not the soul.

At the simplest level, trauma is a disconnection from our true self and our Nature. Our inherent worthiness and knowing of who we really are. When we’re born we’re whole (though we may be genetically pre-disposed to certain things, along with the atmosphere of the womb). We are witnessed through the eyes of our parents, our family, and community who are in their own patterning’s and conditionings. It’s around this time period (age 0 – 5) that we are the most influenced by our external environment. We’re like sponges soaking up the energy and information, learning from those around us.

It’s here we learn how to walk and talk, but also how to see ourselves, learning our relational patterning of how to get our needs met.

When we’re met with love, praise, acceptance, and structure as a child we learn to love ourselves as we are. Through our challenges, hurts, joy, play, and emotions we are shown what to love about ourselves, or what to reject. When our parents, or the people around us, reject certain aspects of our personhood – we learn to hide and suppress those parts of ourselves within our psyche. This becomes trapped energy, which can manifest later as disease or substance abuse.

If we expressed anger and we’re punished, instead of shown or educated the proper way to channel our emotions, we then learn to block out that part of our personality. In its place we create a ‘false self’, a mask that learns how to deal with that emotion or behavior in a way that is acceptable to those around us. One that will (hopefully) get our needs met. The false self’s value rests upon what others think about us, and is externally validated.

The true self is different. It’s value rests upon what one thinks about themselves. It’s sovereign and self-sourced. It honors and trusts it’s feelings, intuition, and personal expression.

It’s from this place we can live a life in alignment with our soul.

Even if we weren’t handed down a secure and regulated nervous system with an empowering belief system by our parents, it’s something we can earn through work, education, and practice.

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I’ve experienced (some) trauma from both of my parents as I grew up, as they both had their own. It’s been part of my life’s work and journey to heal, and understand what happened, why it happened, and how to come back into alignment. It used to be the most difficult thing to traverse, now it feels like freedom.

In studying somatics, our culture, attachment theory, shadow work, and biochemistry (not a doctor), you can see the interconnectedness of the human system and how people’s life experiences play into their current way of being.

In retrospect, our subconscious will constantly re-attract certain experiences until we transcend that aspect of our psyche. The phrase ‘wherever you go, there you are’ is exactly what I mean. Until we become more self-aware, consciously recognize our patterning, and make a different choice as a response to what’s going on.

An example, if you feel your body tighten up and constrict in anger as a response to someone putting you down (for any reason), that anger is a mask protecting you from part of yourself – asking you to go deeper and see what part of you hasn’t been loved enough, and integrated within yourself. If we learn to sit with and hold the emotion, giving it the attention and acknowledgement that it’s asking for, it will naturally begin to release. Expressing emotions is incredibly natural and normal, and the younger version of yourself would have done it naturally (in a healthy way) had you not been taught not to.

In giving ourselves (or having others give you) a space of unconditional love and rapport to express the unseen aspects of your personality, you can begin to rewire safety and acceptance into all parts of your psyche and physiology.

Overtime, this creates an earned secure attachment. Something everyone deserves.

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Our healing allows us access to higher vibrational emotions and perspectives, a new baseline of living. It’s an expanded version of yourself that thinks and behaves more in tune with who you really are, and why you came here.

You’re no longer fighting against yourself, suppressing parts of yourself, trapping energy within your system. There’s more flow, you’re intuitively guided through life, and you’re attuned to your needs and the needs of others.

From this places, there’s more harmony. You know yourself, the only place we can truly come to know another.

When you’re living from your soul, you empower others to do the same.

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With love,

Broderick