Connecting the Dots between Spirituality and Trauma HealingSubscriber First Name, People have been coming to me for spiritual advice lately. Not only are people relying on spirituality to help make sense of life as they heal, but they’re telling me stories about hauntings in their houses and strange lights on the side of the road, for example, and asking me what it’s all about. That’s obviously not what we’ll go into in this newsletter (even though I LOVE getting into those topics), but what is important to know for self healing trauma is… Spirituality (whatever that means to you) can be a powerful tool in a self healing journey. We’ll get into the real science behind this in just a minute. The words you hear in spiritual circles often translate directly to words you hear in trauma healing circles, because it’s the same stuff, just through two different lenses. We’ll connect some of those dots in a minute too.
Spirituality as a Healing ToolI love supporting clients in growing their various flavors of spirituality because it’s such a powerful tool for healing. Here’s the proof. Dr. Lisa Miller, PhD, a clinical psychology professor at Columbia University and New York Times best selling author, has done research into how spirituality literally changes the brain to make it more resilient, staving off depression, trauma, and addiction while at the same time increasing optimism and fulfillment. She explains her groundbreaking neuroscience research in her book The Awakened Brain, which is now on my to-read list! Would you like to read it too? In the meantime, here’s a fantastic episode from the Rich Roll podcast where Dr. Lisa Miller talks the neuroscience of spirituality. I first heard of Dr. Lisa Miller’s work from a fellow trauma-informed certified coach, Ashley B. Jones, who I’ll introduce you to further down in this newsletter. Shadow Work = Reconnecting Fragmented Parts after TraumaThe term “shadow work” is used in psychology, but it’s also really prevalent in spiritual circles. There, it can be described as transmuting negative or dark energy. That simply means learning to accept and integrate the parts of yourself that you reject, which are oftentimes triggers when reflected to you by others. You likely reject parts of yourself or suppress certain parts of yourself because you were conditioned to, somewhere along the line. And if you’ve had a traumatic past, you’ve likely disconnected from parts of yourself as a way to cope and keep yourself safe. With trauma, memories fragment and therefore parts of yourself do too. Ever heard the phrase “the only way out is through”? I believe it. And so processing suppressed emotions (if you’re at a point in your healing journey where it’s safe to do so without re-traumatization) and reconnecting to parts of who you are that you’ve forgotten or never really gotten to know is key when you’re healing from trauma (an injury, not a life sentence.) And yet, this is exactly what shadow work is—shining the light on what was in the darkness to confront it, listen to it, and allow it to exist within you in a constructive rather than a destructive way. It’s all the same. Many people avoid this work because they’re afraid of the dark. But, the dark isn’t necessarily evil. Think of all the goodness the dark provides us with — the ability to see the stars at night, the comfort of a mother’s womb for a developing baby, and even the space to fall asleep and recharge. The dark isn’t bad when we’re looking at it from a place of healing rather than wounding. (I’ll also be introducing you to another fellow trauma-informed coach, Tian Yuming, in just a minute who believes our spirit is unwoundable.)
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