Trauma is an obliterating experience. It obliterates important parts of our identity; our sense of place and purpose in life; sense of predictability, security and order in the world; numerous brain functions; hormonal health and balance and in many cases it destroys parts of the physical body as well (whether through the trauma itself or …
Tag Archive: self-expression
Mar 22 2015
Novocaine Zombie – A Poem About the Frequencies of Terror of PTSD
Novocaine Zombie – A Poem About the Frequencies of Terror of PTSD 95-100 sheer terror blown apart stretched far beyond the perimeters of self a plaster explosion of me solidifies while screaming ( silently ) frantic …………….stillness ………. )I( ……..feeling-less (can’t) hot whiteness )see( ………. within…………this………….endless…………….moment all life is suspended in a super-sonic flash in …
Mar 08 2015
30 Haikus About PTSD (Haikus 1-5)
I attended a Writing from the Heart workshop with Aile Shebar on June 14, 2014. During the workshop, Aile Shebar gave us many writing tips. A number of tips were about what to do when facing a feeling of stagnation, overwhelm, or writer’s block with a writing project. One tip was to write a haiku …
Oct 21 2012
Are You Part Rageaholic? All About Rageaholism and PTSD
The definition of rageaholic is, “a person who gets excited by expressing rage; a person prone to extreme anger with little or no provocation” (Dictionary.com). This is a rather underdeveloped definition. On the Wikipedia page there are more details, mainly focusing on developing self-control and anger management skills. But what is going on underneath? Eliminating …
Oct 14 2012
Peter Levine’s Felt Sense Exercise
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
The P.A.T.H. to Internal Awareness Exercise (Pressure, Air, Tension, Heat)
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 …
Oct 08 2012
Flash Rage – Anger After Trauma is a Sign of Healing
What is anger? How can those recovering from trauma use anger proactively as part of the healing process? How can we distinguish between anger related to developmental challenges (for example anger due to abandonment as a child), versus anger lodged in the nervous system after an impactful traumatic event (“fight response”, “flash rage”), versus anger …