Trauma

[avatamsaka3]

What are the basic principles of trauma-informed mindfulness?

I'm aware there are plenty of books and talks out there on this topic. I'm asking about your experience as practitioners.

[tingdzin]

Do you mean the practice of mindfulness after a traumatic episode, or the practice of maintaining mindfulness in situations which are potentially traumatic? Not sure of your intent.

[avatamsaka3]

the practice of mindfulness after a traumatic episode

This one.

[Ayu]

I heard of mindfulness being a first step in different therapies.
Trauma is really a thing for being guided by a good therapist. In general, trauma therapy made very good progress the last decade and e. g. PTSD can be healed completely by a quite new method (EMDR).

(My studies circle around the topic trauma therapy right now.)

[Johnny Dangerous]

Ime trauma treatment usually starts with either fairly measured talk therapy, exposure therapy, or some combination.

There is a lot room for ‘mindfulness’ in terms of things like exposure therapy simply because some level of it is needed to maintain bodily calm while re-processing a trauma, EMDR comes to mind.

It’s kind of what you expect in any of the circumstances though, being able to simply let feelings and experiences be without attachment or aversion, and without turning away from them or repressing them -I.e. ignorance.

You can take a look at James Gordon, teaches a super basic mindfulness of breath practice and some shaking/dancing practices for trauma.

[avatamsaka3]

Thanks for your replies. This book seems like a good resource for all those who are interested in the topic:

https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393709780

[Ayu]

Thanks for your replies. This book seems like a good resource for all those who are interested in the topic:

https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393709780

Sounds not too bad.

The difficult process in trauma therapy is to get scaring memories away from a certain brain areal of panic and bring it to another brain areal that is storing normal memories.
Because the traumatizing experiences are so unbearable, the mind tends to split them and lock them into restricted areas. From there they can cause constant pain and wrong decisions.

The healing process includes several layers from 1 (unconscious wordless stress expressed in physical pain) to 6 (it is possible to look at the trauma and evolve a stable story about what happened).
If this process could work successfully, the person is able to look at the past without getting overwhelmed.

Because this is not so easy, I believe no human being should try this with a book alone. Skills like empathy and reflecting to eachother are needed in order to manage this process. A skilled second person, a witness and companion is needed, I believe.

[tingdzin]

the practice of mindfulness after a traumatic episode

This one.

One very useful technique that does not require training is to be mindful of how of only your mind but also your body reacts to stimuli that recalls the trauma. A couple of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's books outline a very simple but very useful technique that one can apply in all circumstances . I have found it extremely valuable and productive. The technique involves three "pills" for body, speech and mind, and I think the book that outlines these most cleanly and practically is "awakening the Luminous Mind", but others who have the books at hand might be able to confirm or correct this.

This might be related to what JD refers to as exposure therapy, but I'm not sure of current Western terminology.

[avatamsaka3]

The healing process includes several layers from 1 (unconscious wordless stress expressed in physical pain) to 6 (it is possible to look at the trauma and evolve a stable story about what happened). If this process could work successfully, the person is able to look at the past without getting overwhelmed.

This is key, yes.

[tingdzin]

On the other hand, being able to develop a "stable story" about the trauma-causing incident alone will assuredly not prevent surges of chaotic energy when triggered. This would seem to require working at deeper levels than the conceptual-ideational. However, since I am not a professional therapist, and this aspect may be in icluded in "levels" 2 through 5, I will say no more.

[Hazel]

the practice of mindfulness after a traumatic episode

This one.

One use: Replacing high cost coping mechanisms.

[Dream_on]

Healing is done in and outside of the meditation sessions.

What do you mean by trauma?

Pysical or mental?

I have suffered a psycosis. So its a mental problem.

If you stop cling to concepts, you get better.

If its a broken leg or something, cancer, blod pressure, heart disorder, or..

You may meditate in a proper way.

It culd help to focus the meditation on one or so, practice.

You shuld not stop with shool medicin, if you start to practice meditation.

Try to combine it.

[avatamsaka3]

On the other hand, being able to develop a "stable story" about the trauma-causing incident alone will assuredly not prevent surges of chaotic energy when triggered. This would seem to require working at deeper levels than the conceptual-ideational. However, since I am not a professional therapist, and this aspect may be in included in "levels" 2 through 5, I will say no more.

Yes, just working with concepts won't be enough.

What do you mean by trauma?

Here, we are speaking about psychological trauma after overwhelming incidents.

[Ayu]

On the other hand, being able to develop a "stable story" about the trauma-causing incident alone will assuredly not prevent surges of chaotic energy when triggered. This would seem to require working at deeper levels than the conceptual-ideational. However, since I am not a professional therapist, and this aspect may be in icluded in "levels" 2 through 5, I will say no more.

Your assumption is right. Steps 2 to 5 are quite profound and detailed. I can't squeeze it in a short post in English. I have to admit I cannot even translate the title of that article. I just read it recently in a German paper. The author's name is Rosemarie Barwinski and she wrote about it in books from 2016 and 2020.

[muni]

On the other hand, being able to develop a "stable story" about the trauma-causing incident alone will assuredly not prevent surges of chaotic energy when triggered. This would seem to require working at deeper levels than the conceptual-ideational. However, since I am not a professional therapist, and this aspect may be in included in "levels" 2 through 5, I will say no more.

Yes, just working with concepts won't be enough.

What do you mean by trauma?

Here, we are speaking about psychological trauma after overwhelming incidents.

Concepts about will only keep us in the thinking mind. And talking about feels to help at the moment since we are supported but this takes it not away when we are again confronted. Reading about can have the same effects, comforting at the moment but is not enough.
When overwhelming feelings come up, it is like we get a tsunami over us and we are totally locked in that. We can freeze or go in kind of shock as well. Being aware of the feeling while not wanting it goes away, neither trying to neglect it but face it ( like watching by taking a distance of it) without comments. Because commenting thoughts cannot help us and could only help in a way to agree with what we feel, our panic.

I do not say I master this, only one thing: concepts by thinking are indeed no help like you all said. This is a good reminder.
Meditation guidance helps.

Its like our mind is a worlds on itself, what there happens is just amazing. Do a trip there to clean the area is not always a pleasure, it could be as well scaring, or just be avoided and therefore keep seeking the causes 'outside'.

May we all be free from the torments of mind.

[muni]

I like to add this youtube:
When the youtube seems to stop, it doesn't, it continues a while.

[Ayu]

I like to add this youtube:
When the youtube seems to stop, it doesn't, it continues a while.
.../www.youtube.com/watch?v=kShIAVw04jE

Thank you so much, muni. This is wonderful. There are many different approaches to healing and it's so interesting to hear from this perspective as well.

[avatamsaka3]

When the youtube seems to stop, it doesn't, it continues a while.

This is a good resource, thanks.

[Anders]

Similar to trauma therapy, I would suggest to have some awareness of pendulation.

In some arenas, going deeply or all the way through can work. With trauma, you are more likely to re-traumatize yourself when doing so. It requires a very open and resilient system to be able to do that. Hence, any sort of exposure therapy etc should be very delicate work and not performed without having a clear out or a reliable safespace to pendulate towards.

I really do believe therapy is advisable, at least as an adjunct. Not just because the relational aspect of it can be a strong support, but because the process requires quite a bit of skill, subtlety and broad attention to learn how to navigate. And those aren't qualities easy to come in the midst of trauma.