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In my view, both trauma and depression have developed
from a mind-body reactivity cycle that continues to
reinforce the state of emotional discomfort. The mind
runs habitual thoughts and images that
produce the distressing feeling states in the body.
Some of these thoughts are conscious, whereas others
are unconscious and pass beneath your level of awareness.
The result is a continued state of depression or trauma.
In the case of trauma, an extremely stressful situation
or a time of high stress can cause the body to
form a trauma reaction. Associations are formed
between the body and the mind that continue to run and
create the trauma experience.
Shifting thoughts and associations around the trauma
can help. However, trauma is more than a
psychological problem—it is also a biological problem.
The body needs to complete the stress reaction cycle
that was started by the traumatic event or high-stress
period of time. By using awareness, embodiment, trust,
and the mind-body continuum, you can complete past
experiences and release charged-up processes that are
incomplete.
A depressed person turns his or her feelings inside
against himself or herself, or continually attempts to
disown or disconnect from his or her feelings. The
healing process requires a safe healing environment
that encourages you to become more connected with
your body. Then you can slowly start to unwind the negative
reactivity cycles by feeling bit-by-bit the full force
of your feelings.
In my view, anxiety is a state, not
a feeling. When you slowly and safely feel your
feelings, you let go of the congealed and continually
activated state of anxiety. Feelings that you fully
acknowledge and experience can then shift and move through you
like an intense weather system, and you find that sunny
weather or a sense of calm follows. As you use subtle energy
techniques, working with the relationship between body
and mind, you can create a new cycle of
calming connections between body and mind.
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