Trauma is a negatively life-altering event or ongoing situation that affects us in mind, body, and soul. As Bessel van der Kolk's (2015) famous book title tells us, "the body keeps the score." So does the human brain. Trauma, even when the event or situation is long in the past, can haunt us. We may feel overwhelmed with tumultuous feelings, such as depression, anger, shame, and grief. Sometimes it feels inescapable; even when we sleep, we have nightmares that pursue us like a hungry wolf, ready to gobble us up. Our body aches and recalls the feelings of the original event. Trauma is everywhere we turn.
Because of this, it sometimes feels that all we are at our roots is our past. It has caused so many changes in us that we may end up thinking that it defines who we are as a person.
But this is not the case. Yes, trauma can alter us, sometimes in surprising ways. But underneath it all, there is still the same spark of who we were before it happened.
By committing to healing ourselves in body and mind, we can rediscover that spark. We can become ourselves again.
We can become whole.