Survival Mode

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The roots of emotional wounds and trauma 

• Leaders in the mental health field indicate we have ALL experienced forms of emotional wounding and trauma. This includes:

  • moments in life we did not have control over (e.g. death of a loved one, diagnosis, betrayal, etc.)

  • any event where we didn't have the resources at the time, that we needed to cope with an experience (e.g. being bullied)

  • Note: This is common for all of us, especially in childhood, and does NOT necessarily imply abuse or neglect. (See Stress, Trauma and Disease tab above).

• As children we may have faced manipulation, neglect or criticism from caregivers, which distorted our sense of self-worth and healthy boundaries -- leaving us craving approval and validation. 

• In those moments of helplessness, we are left in a state of SHOCK (such as being emotionally abandoned, betrayed, rejected) which leaves an energetic imprint of OVERWHELM on the nervous system. You likely don't remember -- but your nervous system remembers -- affecting everything from your emotional resilience to your physical health. 

  • Emotional wounds from childhood can show up in adulthood as people-pleasing, hypervigilance, perfectionism (i.e. FAWNING). Proving and performing, hoping to one day finally feel like you are enough.

But those coping skills, essential for survival in childhood, can start holding us back from living our best life. 

• According to Poly Vagal Theory, emotional trauma imprints on our Vagas Nerve and results in nervous system dysregulation. When the nervous system is dysregulated, the body can't fully heal (physically, mentally, or emotionally). 

• A dysregulated nervous system also contributes to your body, and mind, living in survival mode (chronic fight, flight, freeze, fawn) which: 

  • creates havoc in your body and an environment where disease can thrive due to the ongoing release of stress hormones (adrenalin, cortisol, etc.) aka Sympathetic Dominance. Think of it like the "pot is always on simmer" which then contributes to chronic inflammation in the body and zaps you of your lifeforce energy

  • hinders your body's ability to access and remain in the Parasympathetic state, which is when your body RESTS, DIGESTS, FILTERS, DETOXIFIES, and HEALS

    • No matter how much you detox, eat clean, supplement, exercise, etc., healing actually takes place when your nervous system is in a regulated state -- the parasympathetic state

  • scientific research in recent decades has clearly shown there is a "direct dose/response relationship between unresolved childhood trauma (see ACEs Study) and the incidence of autoimmune disease"

• If you feel stuck, disconnected, overwhelmed, or numb, it could be a sign you are living in a "freeze" state

  • This is a survival mode your brain activates when it feels like there is no way out, so it shuts down as a way of protecting you

• Some of us carry burdens that don't belong to us. Emotional trauma -- inherited through generations is carried in our cells.

• As adults, it's not uncommon to have experienced a significant emotionally distressing experience before a diagnosis of an auto-immune condition. The distressing experience tends to occur 6 - 12 mo. prior to the symptoms or diagnosis. 

• Living in survival mode also leaves your subconscious mind running your life behind the scenes. 

  • Self-sabotage is an example of this, especially regarding things that matter to us deeply, but we can't seem to move forward on consistently. You "know what to do (or want to do) -- but you don't do it". And then you wonder "why do I do that"? It's like having one foot is on the gas pedal trying to move forward while the other foot is on the brakes.

  • We all have outdated software running our brains. That faulty programming sabotages our success in health, wealth, relationships or purpose. 

  • A deeply conditioned fear of change, paralyzes you from acting on great opportunities that enter into your life

"STUCKNESS" = THE SILENT DREAM KILLER

Unresolved emotional trauma is often at the core of our pain and suffering. "Energetically" it shows up in our health, relationships, finances, vocation and the pursuit of our heart's passions and desires

    Did you know "stress" and "unresolved emotional trauma" require different treatment approaches?

• • Although conventional mental health approaches are extremely helpful with the cognitive aspects (awareness of patterns of behavior, limiting beliefs, etc.), it simply lacks the ability to address the impact of chronic stress and emotional trauma on the nervous system. These require somatic (body-based) approaches to restore healing within the nervous system. Somatic approaches are integrated into the healing modalities which I use. 

• Regulating your nervous system is essential to feeling good in your body, mind and soul. 

• You can't "call something new into your life" if you're still holding on to unprocessed pain and grief

  • no amount of vision boards will clear resentment or grief

  • you can't override your brain's wiring with willpower

  • no number of affirmations will dissolve betrayal or what your heart has not yet forgiven

  • you can meditate for years and still struggle with a nervous system wired for hypervigilance, self-doubt, or emotional disconnection

• Your rational brain works on efficiency. Its default is not to show you what is possible but rather show you what it expects to find based on past events. When something new shows up in your life, it works like a filing cabinet, pulling up old files (on that topic) and responding from previous information. Sadly, this information is often tainted, based on outdated or limiting beliefs. Those beliefs are commonly based in fear, lack and suffering which may hinder or interfere with your ability to go out and try something new or risk following your heart. 

Poly Vagal Theory 

There is a hidden key to healing that practitioners may overlook -- it's your Vagas Nerve (VN). It is a powerful communication super-highway that connects your brain to every major organ. When it's out of balance you can feel it anywhere, including in your digestive system, your mood, energy levels, sleep and immunity. It may even be the culprit behind chronic inflammation. 

Did you know the residue of trauma can imprint on the Vagas Nerve (VN) -- affecting how we perceive the world.

Dorsal Vagal (back side if the VN) - responds to cues of EXTREME danger which results in FREEZE - the body's innate drive for self-preservation 

We cannot shift out of a freeze state with a change in our thoughts (e.g. telling ourselves we are safe)

Safety is a FEELING (not a thought or an idea). You must work within the body at the level of the nervous system to restore a FELT sense of SAFETY. This is achieved by incorporating somatic practices into treatments and therapies.