How to Release Trauma From Your Body

Trauma is very common. But despite how common it is, trauma treatment is complicated, and complex trauma, stemming from years of abuse, really impacts the brain in long-lasting ways. So I’m not going to pretend that I can just teach you how to fix it in one short video. But we can break trauma treatment down into practical steps. It’s not that hard to learn how to release trauma in the body. So let’s talk about that.

In my previous video I talked about how trauma gets trapped in the body- the FFF response gets kicked on over and over, it doesn’t get resolved, and it become habitual, essentially a muscle memory that turns on that physiological response. Adrenaline and cortisol flood the body, the pupils narrow, the muscles tense, the heart and lungs pump faster, the immune system and digestion turn off.

When it comes to trauma, our body is not only reacting to the present moment's sense of danger or safety, but the memory of past danger that has basically been stored in our nervous system. This activated, stressed-out, hypervigilant response becomes habitual, and when it’s chronic, the toxic stress harms your body and makes it difficult to function mentally and emotionally.

But your beautiful, brilliant body is not designed to just leave you trapped there; it’s designed to heal, to repair, to connect, to restore its sense of safety.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

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