Our Biggest Triggers are Not What They Seem

I have a lot of clients at the moment who are enraged at the political landscape of the United States right now.

I have clients crying over the leaked draft from Rowe vs. Wade.

I have people who spat horrible words towards the current or last President.

A woman in session spoke loudly about Uvalde and that she wanted to burn cities down over gun laws.

I am aware of what is going on, yet I am calm.

I sit quietly every day and do a practice that helps me.

I believe in my heart that there is more love in the world than pain.

I am not ruled by my nervous system all the time.

I realize when I am getting revved up and take measures to shift it.

From experience inside my office, I know that strong opinions and emotions about religion, politics, and society come from places of old wounds.

They are NEVER entirely about the issue at hand.

All the rage we have seen in the protests over the past three years is not entirely about why they are protesting.

These types of nervous system overwhelm that lead to emotional outbursts on social media or in person is a deep wound from a hidden place being kicked and responding as though the original danger is still present.

The key to responding to this world from the place you would like and not a place where your nervous system is slamming you forward is finding awareness.

Awareness of the deep wounds you hold and how they make you feel, think and talk.

Awareness of your body's feelings and whether it knows safety and rest or vigilance and nervousness.

We can never know ourselves too well, and the stripping away of our egos and breathing into who we are takes silence, time, and the ability to be honest with who we are.

When we come closer to our centers, we calm down, and the capacity to hold fear, grief, and anger grows exponentially.

We cannot get there by watching the news and raging on social media.

We have to choose to work on ourselves and recognize that no matter how violently we believe in something, there are ten other ways to view the bigger picture.

Somatic psychotherapy can help establish a firm grounding in self-love, awareness, and the freedom to choose responses.

Consultations by zoom or in-person are always free.