Transcending Trauma by Moving Through It

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Trauma has been a hot topic post-Covid finally removing the stigma to recognizing the impact on the health and welfare of families. Transgenerational trauma is also finally being talked about where parental stress and trauma are transferred instead of being transformed. Transforming trauma is achieved by moving through it, without being psychologically dragged through the experience. It is the emotional charge of the energy from the trauma that needs transformation.

Probably the best role model for someone who went through rigorous childhood trauma is Gavin De Becker, author of The Gift of Fear and Protecting the Gift. He grew up in a volatile and violent household but rather than lean into addictions, he transformed his experience into knowledge and is now a security specialist responsible for protecting public figures like Jeff Bezos. His trauma taught him signals and cues which predicted violent behavior which, in turn, gives access to prevention.

Trauma and Highly Sensitive People

My journey with trauma has been complicated and amplified by a sensitivity that is only now being recognized in the field of psychology as sensory sensitivity processing. To feel deeply every emotion is overwhelming. I had to stop reading fiction because I processed the emotions of the characters so much so that sleep was sacrificed. It was unsustainable. To see if you are highly sensitive use Alane Freund’s self-assessment quiz. Elaine Aron, who pioneered the study of the innate temperament trait of high sensitivity has her own self-assessment on her site along with one for determining if your child is highly sensitive. This information was not available when I grew up or when I was raising my daughter. Alane Freund’s site and talks along with Elaine Aron’s research help discern the perception of sensitivity and inner skills for being a highly sensitive person in an often harsh world with a low tolerance for diversity of any kind.

A couple of decades before I came across this research, I had pursued healing solutions so I could transform negative experiences with life into positive energy. As a thinker, my intellectual curiosity led me down paths that I hoped would help make sense of an often-confusing world.