Jun 17 2015
(continued from PART 1) One thing I set out to do initially with this experiment on meditation and PTSD was to find out if there were any “pitfalls,” or really just difficulties or challenges, for people with PTSD who want to meditate. I specifically wondered if meditation would end up triggering dissociation or triggering a …
Jan 17 2015
I love using pressure for grounding. In the above illustration, I show the way pressure can sometimes help to dissipate intense activation in the nervous system. The red lines in the picture represent “activation” – upset, distress, fear, panic, terror, or other kinds of chaos and overwhelm. The activation can be provoked by a memory, …
Jan 07 2015
Synonyms (Alternate Titles): Into The Body Exercise, Physical Containment and Support Exercise, Connecting Body To Earth Exercise, Mind Body Ground Linking Exercise, Awakening Physical Presence Exercise, One Location One Time Exercise. Healing Mechanisms: Focused attention on bodily sensations. Focused attention is a skill of the mind. Sensation is an attribute of our biology, our nervous …
Jan 06 2015
Grounding is a powerful tool in the trauma healing toolkit because it generally reduces states of activation, sometimes quickly and significantly. Experiencing an almost total reduction in activation just through grounding can be surprising, since grounding is very simple. Definition: Grounding is the act of connecting more deeply and completely to the body, strengthening the …
Apr 06 2014
Here are some visual symbols that came up for me as a result of my second session of Rapid Resolution Therapy. Terms related to generating images of inner states: active imagination, visualization, symbolic representation, guided meditation, visions, visual intelligence The Three-pointed Flame – Symbol of Freedom, Clarity and Wholeness I saw a symbol of a flame …
Jan 06 2014
In the book I have been working on, The Art of Healing Trauma (tentative title), which chronicles my healing journey through PTSD, I identify 7 Feedback Loops that act like quicksand, pulling one further into PTSD even as one desires to find one’s way out. This needs further research, but feedback loops could be one …
Oct 14 2012
I read the book Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine back in 2009 and then from October 2010 until December 2011 had sessions with an excellent Somatic Experiencing therapist to address symptoms of PTSD (Somatic Experiencing is the somatic therapy developed by Peter Levine). A central component of Somatic Experiencing is the “felt sense.” The …
Oct 14 2012
Comments: During our experience of PTSD we may find that we scan the environment constantly trying to get as much information out of it as fast as possible. This is called being hypervigilant. We may not notice, but underneath this habit of watching our surroundings is a kind of wild, scared feeling of searching for …
