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Stress or Trauma
Stress is an emotional, psychological and physiological response we have to something in or around us. We may favor our thoughts or emotions more than we attend to our body reactions, but our bodies often react before our minds are even aware. Too much stress in our lives, whether emotional or physical, can wear our bodies down and result in a spectrum of health problems, from mild to severe.
Trauma is largely misunderstood - it would actually be better named as a“severe stress response". Trauma is about the reaction more than the event. An overwhelming event activates the stress response systems of the body, and can get stuck, either keeping that anxious, alert feeling going or leaving us in that fuzzy, "checked out" state, where we feel like we are not completely there. Even experiences as infants or young children can be "remembered" in the body- before words were formed- and influence how our nervous systems react to things that occur in our lives. This can impact our sense of safety and well-being, our relationships, and our health.
Most people do not realize the extent of the stressful experiences that have built up over a lifetime- we all just go through our lives and what happens happens! Yet, our bodies record each and every experience.
If any of the experiences on the list below apply to you, you may benefit from somatic therapy- work that will help your nervous system return to a state of flow and ease.