Gosh I have had several wakeup calls these past few weeks and I am still processing a large amount of information and very grateful for the resources that have been provided.
Those of you who know me will be aware that I am passionate about assisting people to be their best selves and be more open to finding their purpose. On my website I have written that I am able to put together recovery from trauma packages to suit each client. It has been such a joy to work with clients and see the way they are embracing change and I am also aware of the enormous responsibility a practitioner has in working with people who are courageous enough to share their vulnerability. Whilst I have undertaken considerable study of a number of modalities, I began to feel that there was more that I could offer them.
As so often happens when we begin earnest inquiry, the answers come and they have come with a rush. I wanted to improve my knowledge of strategies for trauma release but little did I know I had to do some work on myself first and this has been a mammoth task for me. It began when my daughter asked if I would like to experience a kinesiology session undertaken by some advanced students. I like this modality so agreed. I was asked if I had anything that was causing me any anxiety. I figure I have a beautiful life but offered what I considered was a minor irritation. The next hour and a half brought me a knowledge that threatened to unseat me. Through this remarkable science that identifies memories still in the body, the very capable woman working with me was able to identify where my current irritation stemmed from and the memories that came up caused me a great deal of pain. Everyone experiences trauma and I was certainly no exception. I had worked hard on dealing with some very significant traumas but there they were, jumping right at me and causing an emotional response. My first response was disgust with myself. I felt like a fraud. Was I letting my clients down by not being fully recovered? It took me quite a while to understand that all I had done in the past was paper over these traumas and the fact that they came up just meant another layer needed to be peeled.
When I was writing Rainbows through Cobwebs, I was moved to include a chapter about my ex-husband’s wife. Working closely with her the year before her death helped me to understand her better as she was able, for the first time, to relate some of the deep trauma she had experienced in her life. I had judged her as a difficult old woman, but as I gained more knowledge, I grew to understand and love her. It reminded me that our traumas influence who we are. Not only our own trauma but the generational trauma of our forebears.
Now that I have sent out my desire for more knowledge it has been rewarding to garner some significant information. I signed up to a Collective Trauma Summit which consumed many hours of my time and I have to admit that some of the academic language left me a bit cold, but as I listened, I became excited about what I was hearing. I was particularly impressed by Dr Scilla Elworthy who has written many books, her latest being, “A Business Plan for Peace”. Her TED talk is worth listening to. She spoke about the importance of ‘Going Quiet – for silence is the language of the soul.” This was echoed by others and I’m now making more attempt to allow what needs to come up without judgement.
I always thought I was a good listener until I realised I wasn’t, and I’m constantly working on that. Dr Elworthy had some good suggestions about how listening can resolve conflict. Her suggestions need a separate article.
Last week I unexpectedly had the opportunity to experience some healing from a beautiful man I hadn’t seen for a number of years. I was making an enquiry about a possible modality that he uses and he offered me a session which was amazing and allowed me to understand where generational trauma had been part of some 0f my own significant trauma. Not only did this help me, I know that by embracing this knowledge it can help me to help others.
Meanwhile, I am excited about the book launch in Tenterfield on the 1st November. The reason I wrote Rainbows through Cobwebs makes even more sense now.
