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We
have learned how traumatic memories and experiences can become stuck and held
in the body, manifesting as physical reactivity to triggers, a heightened sense
of vigilance, habitual stress or tension in the body and so on. And we also
learned that the body has inner resources and an innate tendency toward balance
and harmony, which we can tap into and strengthen with the help of Reiki as a
trauma informed touch and energy healing practice.
Our
subconscious minds also hold resources and wisdom to help us navigate all life
circumstances and for those of us who survived trauma, abuse and sexual
violence, these resources have already served us well in keeping us safe and
alive.
Now, we could even think of those who have experienced trauma as people
who have also experienced their ‘super powers’ in action. For example,
dissociating (detaching from a sense of self and the present time) during an
attack can help someone get through the traumatic event; it proves to be an effective
coping mechanism at the time of the event. While in our day to day lives we
generally strive to stay present in our bodies and environments, we can use
this ability to ‘dissociate’ – or enter a different psychological state - to
our advantage in a therapeutic setting to bring about deeper healing to the
subconscious mind.
Hypnotherapy is of great
assistance in the healing process for those who have experienced trauma and
abuse, because it enables the client to enter different psychological and
biochemical states at will, reorganizing, mastering and integrating past
experiences and gaining a greater sense of control.
As
a way of strengthening the ego, we can use a variety of techniques to help
someone make direct contact with various parts of themselves that are strong,
wise and brave. Techniques like empty chair dialogue help facilitate emotional
processing of unresolved feelings toward significant others.
Clients
also learn to modulate their physical reactivity. Mindfulness skills, like
observing and attending to the breath and the here-and-now sensations of the
body are taught to help with emotional containment in case of a flashback. People
with traumatic experiences in their past reclaim their own strength, voice and
unique talents and virtues and are finding a healthy sense of confidence and
pride moving forward into their best selves.
Recent
research on the neuroplasticity of the brain (see Norman Doidge’s The Brain’s Way of Healing for an accessible account of discoveries in neuroplasticity)
shows that the brain has the capacity to change and heal itself.
Hypnotherapy
offers an effective way to directly speak to the subconscious mind and rapidly and
creatively engage the clients’ internal resources.
When
I use hypnotherapy and teach clients self-hypnosis to address recurring
nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts or feelings of shame, guilt or
worthlessness, we generally start with establishing a safe place and a grounded
way of being in the body.
I invite you to follow
these suggestions – or adapt them to your own liking – to connect to yourself
right now.
1.
Invite in a sense of calm and relaxation into the breath and body and some ease
into your posture and the space around you . . .
Breathing
out . . . releasing tension and anything not needed, breathing in . . . taking
in nourishment and a sense of peace and spaciousness.
2.
Feeling yourself breathe and relax . . . and welcoming those pleasant sensations
spreading all the way from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet,
feeling your face relax, your shoulders, your heart, your hips relax.
3.
And as you continue to enjoy this easeful flow creating a unique inner state of
peace and well-being . . . you know there is this core center within you,
knowledgeable and wise . . . this core center that’s always been there, since
you were born. It has helped you survive . . .
4.
And your core center is connected all the way down to the core center of the
earth, the place of all resources, as you are a child of the earth. And you can sense into this connection or
imagine it as a root, going down from your core center to the core center of
the earth . . .
5.
And if there’s anything right now that prevents you from being here and in your
body right now, simply send it out and down through your root – for the earth
to compost and transform into new energy . . . releasing, with your outbreath
and down and out into the earth. Make some sounds if you wish.
And we know all our emotions are simply energy for the earth . . . she receives whatever it is you’re letting go off as pure energy – transforming it back into new energy for you and I to take in . . .
And we know all our emotions are simply energy for the earth . . . she receives whatever it is you’re letting go off as pure energy – transforming it back into new energy for you and I to take in . . .
6.
And as you create space, take some moments to feel into that space and whenever
you’re ready beginning to draw in and up from the earth anything you need at
this moment to become more present in your body . . . in your heart . . . in
your day right now. Drinking in whatever nourishment, element, mineral brings
you back here and now.
Breathing
in being present . . . breathing out being present.
Welcome back to yourself!
In the course of Hypnotherapy we not
only emphasize the client’s internal resources but we assist the client in
learning to direct those resources toward correcting, reorganizing and
integrating experiences from the past. Supporting the client’s ego strength, we
assist in trauma resolution by helping release feelings of shame and guilt and
transforming those into healthy confidence, pride and an integrated sense of
self.
In addition, I also like to encourage
and support everyone in seeking out and establishing community and a social support
network, so that trauma survivors have opportunities to form healthy
connections with others and learn to reach out in appropriate ways.
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Ewa (pronounced Eva) Litauer works as a Certified Clinical and Medical Hypnotherapist (CCHT), Restorative Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master Teacher in the Usui Tradition.
Ewa brings a transpersonal approach to her therapy and teaching work. She draws on various systems of energetic healing, spiritual and meditative practices and a deep foundation in feminist psychology, blending them into a unique model of empowerment to assist everyone in bringing out their best selves. Compassionate, respectful, and caring, she is passionate about guiding people toward greater health and well-being by connecting them to their inner resources.
Ewa offers workshops, classes, and her one-on-one services to various medical and health clinics in the Bay Area, as well as in private practice in SF and she is available for private sessions worldwide on Zoom or Skype. In 2011, she assisted with a study with the University of California investigating the benefits of stretching and Restorative Yoga for the Metabolic Syndrome and she is bringing Restorative Yoga and Reiki workshops to various studios in the SF Bay Area.
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