Blog Posts

Healing Generational Trauma

The trauma your parents experienced well before birth could explain why you are easily anxious… A traumatic event is terrible at the moment, but as anyone who has experienced trauma knows, it does not stop there: the emotional and physical side effects last for weeks, months, and even years. This trauma can also take a toll on others, particularly your children, grandchildren, and other generations that follow. This is called generational, or inter-generational trauma.  For example, someone may have grown up in a household where there were generations of yelling and shouting  in anger, stemming from a place of unresolved trauma and pain. This may have been because yelling or shouting was adaptive behaviour for survival or they had their own parents yell at them because those parents and those before them did not have the tools, energy, modeling, support, or space to speak kindly or gently to their children due to constant stressors and the trauma of historical struggle or abuse. Those affected by intergenerational trauma might experience symptoms similar to that of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including hypervigilance, anxiety, and mood dysregulation. Inter-generational trauma is inherited across generations, and it can be fully healed by creating an environment where additional trauma does not occur for multiple generations. It can be healed even in the context of continuing stressors with the tools, inner resources, and support needed to care for symptoms and heal the root cause of the inter-generational trauma on physical/somatic, emotional, mental, cellular, and ancestral levels. If you experience generational trauma, trauma-informed coaching can help you understand the impact of the trauma, identify your symptoms, and equip you with tools to help change deeply embedded patterns, release the trauma and heal while stopping generations after you to experience inter-generational trauma.

Unresolved Childhood Trauma

Unresolved trauma can feel like a nagging pain throughout our lives in ways that often do not seem direct. As adults, we may attempt to forget or gloss over the past. We may think, “my childhood was not that bad,” or “many people had it worse than I did.” We do not realize that these old wounds can have physical and psychological effects. Certain events may involuntarily trigger reactions in us that we have not thought about in years: guilt, shame, fear, or anger sourcing from early in our lives. “Unresolved childhood trauma” is an active and usually disruptive emotional response to a terrible event or experience while growing up. Trauma “unresolved” can be characterized by mental, physical, emotional, and/or behavioural symptoms or distress. Unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, relationship problems, and physical symptoms like headaches or nausea are some ways unresolved trauma can manifest, according to the American Psychological Association. Unresolved childhood trauma can show up in many ways, including: self-blaming casting blame on others feeling depressed withdrawing from social activities When Should You Seek Help for Overcoming Childhood Trauma? The short answer is to seek help sooner than later, since the longer unresolved childhood issues persist, the greater the likelihood that other negative behaviours and physical and mental health aspects will surface and cause problems. Ready to overcome childhood trauma, our expert Coach at Blooming in Freedom is here to assist you to release and find healing from childhood trauma.

CONFIDENCE…I got you!

Have you ever woken up one morning in a purpose driven mood but have the day just slipped past you? One thing after another just kept going wrong? And with that mood you slowly slipped into one of depression. We have the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions. During times like this we may feel like we can’t do anything right, and our confidence will take a direct hit. But if we let our emotions dictate our experience of life without pinpointing why we feel a particular way, our emotions will control us. Over time, this affects how we feel and act every single day. . . How can you avoid being bogged down by negativity, unhappiness and fear? The truth is that you can choose to take charge of your feelings, including whether or not you feel confident. Once you understand that your feelings are within your control, you are well on your way to understanding how to be confident. Confidence is not something people are born with – it is something that ought to be create and learn. Building confidence creates the feeling of certainty that you can accomplish what you set out to do. Confidence is like any other emotion. It is something you feel, and you can train yourself to access it. The first step in building confidence is knowing why you want to achieve it. This is birth through knowing your purpose. Ignore the uncertainty that holds you back; second-guessing yourself will open the door to hesitance, doubt and fear. As you let go of negative thoughts that are holding you back, your body will take the cue that it’s time to stand up straighter, stop fidgeting and present the most confident version of yourself. Your mind and body begin a positive feedback loop, each part noticing the increasing confidence of the other and responding in kind.

Just Relax

Has someone ever told you to “just relax” when you are in the middle of a stressful situation, and you thought to yourself, “Well, that’s easy for you to say!” Many of us spend our days just running from moment to moment. We are busy, have demands coming from several different areas of life, and simply do not feel like there is time to stop and smell the roses. We wonder if we can get the rose scent in a to-go package. I know, I have been there. I am a mother of three to children under five years of age, a wife, and an entrepreneur. With Covid-19 around and children are at home, 24 hours does not seem enough. However, with a focused effort, we can take the time to slow down. And, yes I know it is not as easy as it sounds. Know that there are great benefits to relaxing including helping us to manage our stress levels. It is a known fact that stress puts us at risk of developing mental health conditions. Stress can also exacerbate underlying conditions and for those reasons, I thought it very important to share ways we can relax especially now living in this pandemic. Here are some ways I have relaxed. Deep breathing When you anxious our breathing tends to be shallow and rapid. One of the simplest ways to relax is to take some deep diaphragmatic breaths, also called belly breathing. Here’s how to practice deep breathing: · Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet on the floor or lie down. Place one hand on your stomach, and the other hand over your heart. · Inhale slowly through your nose until you feel your stomach rise · Hold your breath for a count to three · Exhale slowly, feeling your stomach fall. Spend time in nature to help you relax Do you have those days when everything seems to be going in the opposite direction? It’s maybe time to take a walk, head to the beach, a park, as a matter of fact, any safe place outside. Getting outdoors allows us to connect to the physical beauty of our world: the oceans, flowers, trees, wildlife, and the earth and tune into our senses, which can help alleviate negative emotions. Observing a sunset or sunrise allows us to take the focus off our challenges or admiring the rainbow after the showers of and the sun comes out in its glory, what magnificence. Most people know they feel relaxed and good when they are outside, but not everyone knows there is scientific evidence about nature’s healing. Dr. Eeva Karjalainen, of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, highlighted that blood pressure and heart rate are lowered by being in nature; so is the production of stress hormones such as cortisol. Being in a natural setting also reduces muscle tension. Massage and other soothing activities Lying on a padded massage table, you can feel your stress melt away even before your therapist enters the room. The dim lights, calming aromatherapy scent, and soothing music all encourage relaxation. The gentle pressure of massage stimulates the body’s circulation and helps us to relax and rest. Practicing these relaxation techniques and others not mentioned here can have many benefits, including: · Slowing heart rate · Lowering blood pressure · Slowing your breathing rate · Improving digestion · Maintaining normal blood sugar levels · Reducing the activity of stress hormones · Increasing blood flow to major muscles · Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain · Improving concentration and mood · Improving sleep quality · Lowering fatigue · Reducing anger and frustration · Boosting confidence to handle problems · To get the most benefit, use relaxation techniques along with other positive coping methods, such as thinking positively, finding humor, problem-solving, managing time, exercising, getting enough sleep, and reaching out to supportive family and friends. We are a sisterhood and I am here if you need additional support.