Podcast Summary
Understanding Trauma Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn: Trauma responses like fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are automatic reactions recorded in our bodies, not choices. Recognizing and reflecting on these responses can lead to healing and compassion for oneself.
Our nervous systems respond to traumatic events with reflexive trauma responses such as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. These responses are not choices but automatic reactions recorded in our bodies that can act as triggers. Understanding these responses, including fight, can help us approach our own experiences with compassion and curiosity. Anger, a natural response that triggers the fight response, develops as a protective mechanism. However, recognizing and reflecting on these responses can be vulnerable and take time. Elizabeth and Jennifer, co-hosts of Trauma Rewired, share their personal experiences with fight trauma response and invite listeners to build their toolbox for healing at rewiretrial.com. Remember, you're not alone in your experiences, and understanding these responses can lead to new connections and compassion for yourself.
Understanding the natural response of anger: Anger is a normal response to threats, but suppressing it can lead to negative consequences. Recognize, express, and regulate emotions through practices like meditation.
Anger is a natural and normal response to perceived or actual threats, triggered by the amygdala in our brains, which initiates the fight response. This response is reflexive and happens before we are cognitally aware, leading to increased heart rate, muscle tension, and suppression of the prefrontal cortex. Suppressing anger instead of expressing it can make it worse and lead to negative physical and emotional consequences. It's important to understand and acknowledge our anger, express it healthily, and learn ways to regulate our emotions through practices like meditation. The best approach is to recognize and sit above our anger, rather than being afraid of it, and continue to move safely in the world.
Managing Emotions in Trauma Responses: Recognize and Express Anger Appropriately: Recognize anger as a response to trauma, express it appropriately, and release underlying emotions to build safety and healthy relationships.
Managing emotions, particularly anger, in the context of trauma responses involves recognizing and acknowledging emotions without letting them control our actions. Anger can manifest in various ways, including aggression, passive aggression, passive anger, and assertive anger. The goal is to move beyond internalizing or turning anger outward, and instead, learn to express it appropriately and without causing harm to oneself or others. It's essential to understand that emotions like fear can also trigger anger responses, and engaging in practices to release and understand these emotions can lead to new insights. Ultimately, the goal is to create safety within oneself, allowing one to show up authentically and build healthy relationships.
Absence of emotional connection triggers intense responses: Neglect or perceived neglect can trigger intense emotional and physical responses, negatively impact relationships, and have long-lasting effects. Recognizing these triggers and working towards creating safe, trusting relationships is crucial for personal growth and healthy relationships.
For some individuals, particularly those with complex PTSD and childhood trauma, the absence of emotional connection and presence can trigger intense anger and negative emotional responses. These responses can manifest physically, with sensations deep within the body, and emotionally, with thoughts of self-criticism or external criticism. This lack of connection can also negatively impact relationships, creating a cycle of mistrust and disconnection. It's essential to recognize these triggers and work towards creating safe, trusting relationships where emotional needs are met. Neglect or perceived neglect can have long-lasting effects, and addressing these issues is crucial for personal growth and healthy relationships.
Trauma Responses vs. True Selves: Trauma responses, such as anger or emotional imbalance, can be misunderstood as our true selves. Practicing emotional release techniques and building trust with others can help us move through these reactions and find safety and balance. Proper nutrition, like Athletic Greens, also plays a crucial role in overall health and wellbeing.
Our trauma responses, which can manifest as different personalities or behaviors, are often misunderstood as our true selves. The speaker shares her personal experience of suppressing anger due to past traumas, which led to physical symptoms and emotional imbalance. She emphasizes that these reactions are driven by the trauma living inside her body and not her true self. Through practicing emotional release techniques and building trust with others, she has learned to move through her anger and find safety and balance. Another important takeaway is the significance of proper nutrition in overall health and wellbeing. The speaker shares her positive experience with using Athletic Greens, a daily supplement that provides essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, contributing to her improved health and vitality.
Expressing Anger: A Sacred Process: Practicing anger expression through various methods can lead to emotional release, improved emotional health, and overall well-being.
Expressing anger and releasing built-up emotions through various methods, such as screaming, shaking, or even being outside, is a vital and sacred process that can lead to renewed energy and emotional release. It can be scary at first, but with practice, it becomes easier and more natural for the body to express these emotions. Suppressing anger can lead to unwanted stress and tension, but allowing oneself to feel and release it can lead to a sense of calm and renewal. Mother Earth can also serve as a helpful recycler of emotions, providing a grounding and calming effect during the process. The more we practice expressing anger, the more our bodies remember how to do it naturally. Ultimately, embracing anger work and allowing ourselves to feel and release emotions can lead to improved emotional health and overall well-being.
Expressing emotions and forgiveness for deeper healing: Expressing emotions, especially anger, and practicing forgiveness can lead to increased energy levels, deeper healing, and profound self-discovery. Trauma can serve as a catalyst for growth and expansion of consciousness.
Expressing emotions, especially anger, can lead to increased energy levels and deeper healing. Forgiveness plays a crucial role in this process, allowing individuals to find gratitude and trust in themselves and others. Trauma, though difficult, can serve as a catalyst for personal growth and expansion of consciousness. The journey towards healing is not always easy, but finding ways to express emotions and practice forgiveness can lead to profound self-discovery and deeper connections with others. As Peter Levine says, unresolved trauma can be a source of suffering, but the process of healing can be a portal to awakening and self-awareness.
Understanding the impact of experiences on emotions and decisions: Experiencing life shapes us, but managing emotions is crucial for higher consciousness and living a fulfilling life. Recognizing and being with emotions, rather than suppressing them, leads to emotional intelligence and a deeper connection to our humanity.
Our experiences, whether it's getting sober, dealing with breast cancer, or managing emotions, shape us and can lead us to make decisions to live differently. Building a connection to our bodies and emotions is essential for higher consciousness and freedom. However, we cannot change the fundamental aspects of our emotional system, so learning to manage and regulate our emotions is crucial. Anger and other emotions should not be suppressed as they can lead to dysregulation and hinder our ability to experience other emotions, such as joy. Repressing emotions can lead to numbness and a disconnection from our human experience. Emotional intelligence and the ability to recognize and be with our emotions are essential to living a fulfilling life.
Exploring trauma responses through nervous system regulation: Starting the day with intentional practices can help regulate the nervous system, enabling healthy emotion expression and joy in life. Begin small, focus on regulation, and explore emotional processing and anger expression with guidance from rewiretrial.com.
Understanding and addressing trauma responses involves regulating the nervous system to observe and process emotions instead of reacting with numbing out behaviors like food, alcohol, or technology. Starting the day with intentional practices can help create a more regulated nervous system, making it possible to express emotions healthily and find joy in other areas of life. The process may seem scary initially, but it's usually less daunting than anticipated. By starting small and focusing on regulation, individuals can gradually explore emotional processing and anger expression, allowing their bodies to guide them through the healing journey. For those ready to begin their own trauma response exploration, consider visiting rewiretrial.com for a free 2-week membership and potentially booking a consultation for additional support and accountability.