Healing from trauma has no time limit on it. Nicci Roscoe author of new book, Manifest Your Everything and accomplished holistic health & wellbeing practitioner reveals 3 ways to heal trauma from within
Suffering any kind of trauma can be frightening and debilitating.
It can send you into a state of emotional turmoil and can heighten your anxiety, lower your self-esteem, cause breakdown in communication with others and leave you feeling depressed, and not knowing how to manage your mental pain.
Asking for help can give you your life back by giving you strategies to show you how to manage this pain and live your life again. This is your healing journey and going through this process can be challenging and open you up to a rollercoaster of emotions.
Be kind to yourself and give yourself the love and nurturing you need.
The memory may never go but in time you can learn to manage the pain which starts to fade as you begin to let go and breathe the light back into your life again.
READ MORE: What is a positive mindset and why is it good for our health?
The power of the mind
Your mind is the most powerful tool you have. It will help you heal when you are ready to take your first steps to releasing the inner turmoil you are holding on to. When you are constantly in a state of fear and negativity your subconscious will continue to feed your conscious mind negative thoughts.
This can affect how you feel mentally and physically through the negative energy you are constantly focusing on. Your mental state and wellbeing can be affected greatly from any negativity when you suffer from any kind of trauma that life throws at you.
The impact of re-living certain experiences can take you into a dark place. If you are holding on to trauma you have been through and don’t want to talk about it, you may be feeling ashamed or embarrassed and are worried you will be judged. By asking for professional help you can start releasing this inner turmoil you are carrying.
There are different ways to help you release this pain you are carrying and one of them is taking that first step to reach out and talk to someone you feel comfortable with.
The impact of re-living certain experiences can take you into a dark place
If you, a family member, loved one or friend have suffered any kind of trauma in your life, you’ll know and understand how painful and overwhelming this can be.
I have seen many people suffer over the past forty years and have helped them release the inner turmoil they are fighting by giving them mind tools to enable them to feel calm and peace from within, and smile and laugh again.
The effect on your mental and physical wellbeing can be profound and finding a way back for you to feel happy, laugh and smile again can seem almost impossible.
When you’ve been affected by trauma the memory of it happening never goes away but it fades into the background, and you can learn to manage your feelings. There may be long periods where you never think about it and life resumes to a happier more stable place for you.
The effect on your mental and physical wellbeing can be profound
The experience can feel like you are stuck in a dark tunnel that is never ending with no way out. There is a way to manage this and find the peace you’re searching for.
It may take time, care, and a lot of self-nurturing to release the overwhelming pain, hurt, sadness you are feeling physically and mentally but there are ways to help you release from this emotional turmoil over time.
Here are some positive and powerful ways to begin your healing journey and help you heal the trauma you or a loved one or friend may be carrying from within…
#1 Say Goodbye with a Burning Ceremony
A burning ceremony is a powerful ritual that helps you release the negative emotions or trauma you have held onto to enable you to begin the healing process. You may need to do this several times when you feel you need to.
Every time I do this ceremony with individuals or in a group workshop such as my Love Yourself workshop, I always compare it to peeling the layers off an onion one by one. There are many layers, and it takes time.
This is a very powerful and effective release that can bring your emotions to the surface as you see some of them burn away. Every time you do this, you’re able to release a little bit more.
Here is how to do your own burning ceremony:
- Write down on A4 paper everything you want to say goodbye to. Draw lines of boxes or squares and cut each square out one at a time. Focus on what it says as you prepare to let it go. Fold each piece of paper several times, so you are left with lots of tiny pieces of paper.
- Place all the pieces of paper in a shell dish or other fireproof dish that won’t be damaged by fire.
- Put the dish containing all the pieces of paper in the sink (or you can do this outside in a safe area).
- Open the window, then start lighting the papers and watch the flames as they burn.
- Let go of everything you have carried with you that’s been painful, anything that has hurt or frightened you, or any emotions you have felt toward a situation or a person that you are now saying goodbye to.
Different emotions may come up for you as you’re doing this. These are natural and all part of the letting go and the healing process. Be kind to yourself and give yourself time to process what you are doing.
As you see your papers burn to ashes and you smell the embers it is confirmation that a new chapter of your life is about to begin. Tell yourself ‘That was then, this is now! I’m free!’.
The symbolic release of a burning ceremony can also help you to feel a sense of closure and empowerment to heal from trauma. It is also a helpful process in helping to visualise your feelings.
READ MORE: From feeling ugly to drinking too much…7 ways childhood trauma is affecting you today
#2 Meditation to release inner turmoil
Meditation exercise, and healthy eating all play a big role in your journey of self-care, loving yourself, and healing trauma from within. Meditation is a wonderful way to clear your mind, give you clarity, and help you feel inner peace and calm.
The more you practice meditating, the more you will feel the benefits. Meditation will not only help you control distracting thoughts, but it will also enable you to focus on the positive.
You’ll then start to feel so much more open to loving and healing yourself. It can help in so many other ways—you may notice that you have much more energy, are sleeping better, and can start giving yourself the self-care you need.
The first time I meditated I was shocked at how powerful silence can be. I now meditate daily for 30 minutes each morning and evening. This may not be practical for you, so find a schedule that works best for you and your lifestyle.
The first time I meditated I was shocked at how powerful silence can be
There are many ways to meditate, including focusing on your breath, visualization, walking in nature, and listening to music. You can also focus on repeating positive words over and over again, such as “I am letting go of my past and embracing the future and that feels good” or “I feel happy, peaceful, and ready to live my life.”
If you haven’t meditated before, just start with a few minutes each day, and notice how much better you begin to feel. You can then increase your meditation time as you become more comfortable with the process and feel the positive benefits it has on your life.
I suggest meditating for two minutes to begin with. Then build up to five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and, finally, 20 minutes or more. It can be helpful to set an alarm on your phone or clock to time your session. You might also like to play some relaxing music or listen to the soothing sounds of nature.
READ MORE: Feeling stressed? This 5 minute meditation will help
#3 Reframing Negative Thoughts to Positive Ones
When you have been focusing on the negative for such a long time, you may need to re- train your brain to start thinking positively and change the outcomes of your behaviour toward both yourself and how you come across to others.
If you tell yourself ‘I’m never going to change’ or ‘I’m stuck, and no one can help me,’ then you’ll stay in this negative pattern. By constantly focusing on the negative you will also keep getting more negative things thrown at you.
Reframing these thoughts can start to give you a new outlook on how you deal with your life and challenging situations. You’ll notice how by focusing on the positive there will be exciting new outcomes instead of staying in the negative state that won’t give you what you need.
Reframing involves looking at your negative beliefs in a different way
Your new positive thoughts will enhance your life and give you a new perspective instead of thinking ‘why me?’, ‘I’m not worthy’ which will only create more doubt and negativity.
Reframing involves looking at your negative beliefs in a different way, from a positive perspective, and changing the words around to give a positive focus to what you are telling yourself.
The more you practice reframing your thoughts, the more you can change your mindset to a positive one and start feeling happier and relieved from not constantly focusing on what hasn’t helped you mentally or physically.
Having a positive outlook could also help to add time to your lifespan. Just by telling yourself ‘I’m looking forward to today, ‘I feel strong and in control’ or ‘I feel calm, relaxed and happy’ – you are re-training your brain to focus on positive outcomes and making the changes you want.
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