At the heart of recovery is self-awareness. The two most important statements in trauma therapy are: ‘Be aware of…’ and ‘What happens next?’
Traumatized people live with seemingly untenable feelings. It feels like their heart is broken, they are left with unbearable feelings in their stomach or literally feel oppressed. Yet any avoidance of such feelings actually makes our bodies more susceptible to being overwhelmed by them.
Body awareness puts us in touch with our inner world, the landscape of our organism. Simply noticing our annoyance, nervousness or anxiety immediately helps us gain a different perspective on these feelings and open ourselves to ways of responding that are different from our automatic, habitual reactions.
Mindfulness puts us in touch with the transient nature of our feelings and perceptions. If we focus our attention on our physical sensations, we can recognize the ebb and flow of our emotions and therefore gain more control over them.
