https://pixabay.com/users/jplenio-7645255/
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“Trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. . . . Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”
Bessel van der Kolk
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My two cents: Trauma is stored in the mind and body, we have certain areas where our trauma manifests.
Mine is around my solar plexus.
The secret is learning to observe these sensations without judgment or reaction.
If we do not sit still with our awareness intently focused, how will we ever know our internal world (reality).
The more familiar I became with my trauma, the more I understood its mechanism.
Trauma needs fear to exist.
When my fight or flight mechanism lost power, life took a giant step towards healing.
Takes practice and courage to face our adrenal stress response, calmly.
If you are like me, looking to the past brings agony, making any comparison to others can drive us nuts and predicting the future has to much worry.
The only place that is free for me is this moment, empty of thought, empty of loss and most of traumas impact.
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PTSD - A Way Out.com 
Posted by Dom Q on June 26, 2020 at 3:47 pm
Knowing our triggers, and where they manifest is probably the best approach for people suffering from multiple complexe traumas. For me, I tend to dissociate a lot, maybe 60% of every day.
I tried EMDR, working with different targets of different severity, and it had some benefits, but this would be years of intense therapy, needing 3 days of emotional and physical recovery after every session. Now that I am on full disability, I can focus on this, and the fibromyalgia severe flairs, often baught on by anxiety. Easier said than done…
When my therapist switched our approach to dealing with triggers and physiological responses with the EMDR, I started realizing I can control the intensity and avoid a mental breakdown. This was much more effective and gave me more tools to deal with new repressed memories that get triggered and cause relapse.
This said, I have to get back to it, as I have regressed… And COVID complicates things quite a bit, but won’t let it get the best of me.
It’s a lifetime battle I would wish to no one.
Posted by Marty on June 26, 2020 at 3:57 pm
I did EMDR, depends on the therapist, I did bio feedback also.
I did not benefit slot from these two, but know they are beneficial.
I think we heal in increments and different therapies can move the ball forward.
Dissociating is the key
Your scoreboard would read
Time spent in past 60%
Time spent in present 40%
PTSD fuels in intrusive thought, it is jet fuel.
Remember what fires together wires together
Where we place our attention grows where we withhold withers. And dies
60% of day you are fueling that demon.
Meditation changed my dissociating habits
Unless something explodes I rarely spend time fueling past trauma
Some of the little habits I developed meditating daily made huge changes
Posted by Marty on June 26, 2020 at 4:06 pm
When my therapist switched our approach to dealing with triggers and physiological responses with the EMDR, I started realizing I can control the intensity and avoid a mental breakdown. This was much more effective and gave me more tools to deal with new repressed memories that get triggered and cause relapse.
This is wise
Try only one thing at a time one symptom
Like using a laser instead of shotgun
You will find out healing heads toward what we fear not away
Meditation gave me a way to focus and observe when those triggers exploded
If you can stay present slowing your breath Ptsd loses power
When your fight or flight calms down the impetus to fear thoughts now has lost it hammer
Your breath controls your nervous system
So with your breath you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system the brakes
That anxiety can be dissipated with aerobic exercise and focused meditation
Your fibromyalgia will calm along with your pain level
Posted by isidrobuquiron7876 on June 27, 2020 at 12:42 pm
For me as if all the trauma is trapped in the body and it feels very suffocating and extremely difficult to deal with…..perhaps the price to pay for ages
of neglect and resistance.
Posted by Marty on June 27, 2020 at 12:54 pm
Ptsd grows worse as it ages
Remember surrender to the storyline
That is use your heart as a butterfly net and catch the agitation in your body
Meditation is the way we explore ou inner world
Master ten long slow breaths
The trauma stored in the body needs attention through entertaining the storyline
Calm the nervous system first
Calm the fight or flight mechanism
Stay present, focused when trauma erupts and it will lose power
Posted by rudid96 on June 27, 2020 at 3:12 pm
Amen!
Posted by northofcenterinbuffalo7267 on July 10, 2020 at 11:20 pm
Thank you for sharing! I know some of my fears, but I’ve been having trouble not succumbing to the fight or flight responses. I’ll use your advice here to try to do better. Thank you! Wishing you well on your journey ❤️
Posted by Marty on July 10, 2020 at 11:37 pm
Remember we are not trying to squash or exert any force on our body sensations or fight or flight mechanism
Try to observe with a curious intent
Feel your defense mechanism dump cortisol, that big jolt in the solar plexus, just a powerful neurotransmitter sling with other changes.
Breathe into the center of it
Enjoy its power
It is your defense mechanism, your friend
It is just firing erroneously from old trauma memories
The Danger has gone the storyline brings the danger
We are not thinking when we observe and breathe into our agitation
Nothing to think about
Good luck
Nothing new comes easy and it takes persistence everyday and you will succeed
I can help you meditate and focus on zoom if you feel comfortable
Posted by northofcenterinbuffalo7267 on July 10, 2020 at 11:49 pm
Thanks for the tips. You’re right. Trying to squash fight or flight is a terrible habit. It’s hard not to when it changes everything about you. “Radical acceptance” I think it’s what you’re referring to. Yes, I’ll try that more. Would love to zoom some time, thanks.
Posted by Marty on July 10, 2020 at 11:55 pm
Meditation takes aim directly at our internal agitation, like depression, Ptsd or other disorders
It is like a Roto rooter what we fear what trauma and unworthiness is directly in our path
Build your focus when things are calm
When a trigger goes off have a plan
Build 10 slow focused breaths you can do without thought
You can discourage a fight or flight eruptions with ten long slow fly used breaths
Or take most of its power away
You have to learn you can impact it you can calm it or use it when needed
Our breath and our focus are the basic tools
People try to do to much and make things complex
I did the opposite
Start small and expand