Peace by Piece: the hope of healing after trauma
A guest blog written by: Jenna Little, MS, RDN, LDN, RYT-200
Making peace with our stories of loss will ask more of you than you ever wanted to give. Peace doesn’t come cheaply or easily, especially embodied peace.
Why do I use the word peace instead of healing? Healing has become a very trendy and ambiguous word as of late. Healing can mean all sorts of things to different people, but the word peace has a felt sense to it. My body knows the feeling of relief that only peace can bring. My heart rate slows down, my jaw relaxes, my lips may even crack a smile, my hands begin to relax and open. Some even experience a lightness in their whole body. Embodying peace is one of the hopes of healing. Those who have suffered greatly, from trauma or loss, are desperate to feel it. Many wonder if it’s possible to feel “normal” again after trauma. I want to encourage you by saying yes it is possible, but it will be a “new normal”. Things will be different. You will be different. Normal looks different after trauma and loss. I would propose that the deeper cry of the heart is “will I find peace for my soul?”
Trauma Imprint
I define trauma as any overwhelming experience that leaves the individual unable to cope and respond. This means that the normal functioning to cope, or soothe, did not work and your system was overwhelmed to the point of fight/flight/freeze/submit. This trauma response hijacks the emotions, body, memories and thoughts, leaving a feeling of chaos and loss of control. This trauma imprint is recognizable by the belief of powerlessness. The imprint of trauma is one that demands respect, care, and mindful attention. Through my personal healing and work with individuals who are on their healing journeys, I have learned that peace only comes when respect, honor and grief are valued. Peace is a gift from grief. Peace is the steady ground our feet get to travel on once we have shaken, trembled, wept, and raged. Peace doesn’t come first, it comes lasts. When people offer you wishes of peace it is kind, but it feels misplaced if we haven’t first been allowed to remember, to feel, and to speak the unspeakable.
Facing Powerlessness
Engaging your trauma requires admitting the ways you feel powerless. The trauma imprint is felt in both body and soul. However, trauma does not imprint the spirit. Your spirit is your super power that will guide you to peace. Once you acknowledge feeling powerless to what happened, you have taken the initial step towards peace and wholeness. This is the beginning of what I call a shedding. The shedding is felt in our emotions, thoughts, and physical being. This shedding is like taking off an old skin or body wrap that is restricting the life force that wants to heal, live and renew. I often compare it to dead snakeskin that is awaiting its release. The shedding comes in layers: by speaking the truth, letting ourselves be seen by another human, and engaging our bodies. Speaking the truth and being seen happens in safe relationship. Neuroscience has taught us the power of connection, compassion and attachment. Finding our pain in another’s eyes changes us. Once the brain knows it is not alone, it is willing to do hard things.
Peace on the mat
One of the ways that I work with clients to heal, shed and embody peace is teaching them to breathe and experience their body in the present moment. I start with trauma informed yoga. Yoga is a practice of blending breath with movement to create awareness and union in the body, soul and spirit. Trauma divides, while yoga brings unity. This union serves as a healing balm to the body and soul as it knits the fragmented pieces back together. The yoga practice literally invites us to move and shake off the dead skin that is suffocating us. The simple choice of showing up to the yoga mat is enough to find a moment of peace. If I can find peace on the mat then I can find it off the mat. Inviting peace to show up one movement, one moment, at a time, cleanses the soul.
Piece by piece you find your new normal, you witness your pain in another’s eyes, and you take a long exhale. One day, your jaw will relax, your hands will open, your body will lighten and you will know that peace has washed over you. You will experience a new space within you, this union of peace, that no one can fragment.
Bio: Jenna Little is the founder of Jenna Little Wellness in Raleigh, NC where she guides people to healing, wholeness and freedom in their body, soul and spirit. Jenna is passionate about helping others come fully alive wherever they find themselves. Her offerings include holistic wellness counseling, trauma informed yoga classes, and her curated Yoga for Healing experiences. Jenna balances her time as a wife and mother of three girls with running, yoga, adventuring with her kids, and going on beach trips with her sisterhood. She holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling.
Jenna Little, MS, RDN, LDN, RYT-200
