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Writer's pictureJaime Collins

Trauma. Therapy. Spirituality.

Updated: Oct 18

A Spiritually Guided Focus Towards Trauma and Healing.


We all have ‘mental health’ or rather we all need to take care of our mental, emotional, and social needs just as much as our physical well-being.  It isn’t enough to just meet our basic human needs for survival.  It is no surprise that the more we talk about mental health, the more people in the public eye talk about mental health, and the more doctors and therapists like Gabor Maté talk about trauma, the more our cultural attitudes loosen their grip on the negative stigmas. 


So this prompted an inquiry, if the wellness landscape is changing, therapy must be evolving too. Is traditional talk therapy effective for trauma?  How can spirituality play a role in our mental health and well-being? 


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Trauma can be ‘big’ and trauma can be ‘little,’ and just because you haven’t experienced big trauma doesn’t mean you don’t have a reason or a right to feel the way you do.  According to Dr. Anita Phillips (Trauma Therapist & Minister) little traumas or developmental traumas, are situations in which ANYTHING changes your perspective on people, situations or how you view the world.  For example, an off the cuff remark about women being bad drivers, a young man’s weight, or how kids ruin everything, can change the way you view yourself, others and your place in the world.  It is like a tiny seed and every time it is watered, it begins to grow bigger and bigger.   


Often it is our parents, or close family members that influence us the most and without delving into your past and your traumas, you probably don’t even know where your beliefs, behaviours or fears came from.  This is in no way meant to shame or guilt your loved ones (including yourself) as we are a collection of beings that make up a community, that all influence each other. 


You are doing the best you can right now with what you’ve been taught and what you have learned.

So if we ALL have trauma, what can we do about it? See post on Navigating Trauma & Your Emotional Needs. We can all on some level recognize that we need a variety of behaviours that help us to feel good and they vary with each individual: adequate sleep, healthy food, exercise, breathing mindfully, hobbies, socialization, and work/life balance to name a few.  But what happens when change suddenly hits us and healthy routines aren’t enough?  We’ve ALL been there and we will continue to ride the waves of transitional times our whole lives.  What tools and strategies we needed 10 years ago might not be what we need today and could change in another 10 years time.


This is where therapy can be helpful as both a tool for intervention and maintenance (see my 9 step process below).


For as long as I can remember, I spent a lot of my childhood lost in the fog of fear and sadness. Medications and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) were the tools that worked for me at the time and perhaps laid the groundwork for what was to come. 
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I was able to shift my thinking to explore how my thought patterns weren't helpful and re-organize the thoughts in a way that was helpful.  But it didn’t stop me from thinking, I still believed I had to use all my energy to think my way out, and I was exhausted.  


Even so, being in a less fearful place allowed me to explore the questions that kept nagging at me, What on earth am I doing here? What is this all for? 

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Spirituality is what we believe about the world that we can’t see, hear, or touch.  We typically want proof through our five senses that something exists but we also want our lives to have meaning.  Could we explore the possibility of being comfortable not knowing but feeling instead?  


Mental health is evolving to include the mind AND body, as there is growing evidence to suggest that trauma can be experienced in the mind, and felt in the body.  Yoga, Somatic Movement, Vagus Nerve Stimulation and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) are among some of the ways to explore this connection


Often during yoga classes, students will share that they have moments of tears and often aren’t sure why.  That brings to mind the question, how many other students have feelings bubble up but decide not to share them? 


From personal experience, when my hips and my chest are relaxing, trauma stored in my body is released without having to relieve the experience in my mind.  Alas, the physical act of tearing up is simply registering that there is stress in those areas of the body.  In my opinion, the body is simply letting you know something your mind isn’t fully aware of yet.  As I keep practicing, I have become much more attuned to the emotional stories in my mind and how they match up with physical feelings in my body (see my 9 step process below to keep going!).


For yogis, the spiritual Self can be referred to as the Breath or Prana which means Life Force (energy).  Matching the flow of breath within the subtle body or energy system (chakras/vortices and nadis/channels) helps to align the body and the mind.  It is sort of like the glue that binds all three together. 


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In other traditions across time and space, the names used to describe this spiritual aspect of our lives, refer to this Life Force as: Self, Soul, Spirit, Light, Energy, God.  


Traditional therapeutic practices have separated mental health from the body and most certainly distanced itself from spirituality.  I never experienced anything but talk-therapy and it was one of the reasons I never pursued a career in therapy, until now that is.  While attention has now focused more on how trauma affects our mind, body, behaviours, and relationships, evidence suggests that incorporating spirituality into treatment (among other tools as well) matters to a majority of clients (J. Hughes).


“Spirituality and religion are critical sources of strength for many clients, are the bedrock for finding meaning in life, and can be instrumental in promoting healing and well-being. There is growing empirical evidence that our spiritual values and behaviors can promote physical and psychological well-being. Exploring these values with clients can be integrated with other therapeutic tools to enhance the therapy process.”  


 Gerald Corey, Integrating Spirituality in Counselling Practice


If you believe you are more than a mind and a body, you deserve to talk about your beliefs with your therapist and discuss therapeutic approaches that work FOR YOU. It also works the other way around, you shouldn't feel pressured into believing in something that doesn't feel right for you. You deserve to explore a deeper connection with your Self, with God or whatever concept resonates for you or doesn't.  Just remember, your faith should be supportive, loving and healthy.  


For me, I believe I am more than my mind and body, I am energy.  That one understanding has led to more peace and joy than I ever thought possible, it has given my life meaning.  I feel powerful, I feel loving, and I feel like I can create the life I want and need. 

I don’t subscribe to any particular faith, but continue to gather data from many different traditions that resonate with me.  I accept that the only thing I really sense is that everything is energy.  I am growing comfortable simply not knowing with scientific fact or with my five senses, the ‘truth’ of my spiritual beliefs.  That is why it’s called faith.


Connecting body, mind and breath through my yoga practice (so much more than just movement!) allowed me to relax my body which in turn, slowed down my thoughts.  In that space, I explored beautiful meditations. From that deep place of love and peace, I was finally able to begin to examine my past, my traumas and see how they influenced my current reality, and make changes to enhance my overall well-being, and that of my family.


Our lessons are necessary for growth.  If you didn’t experience darkness, how would you ever appreciate the light?  

For example, if a situation arose where I acted out emotionally, I learned in therapy to:


  1. Take a break.

  2. Find my breath (spirituality).

  3. Scan my body (where do I feel stress).

  4. Acknowledge the emotion/experience: name it (mind).

  5. Why did that trigger me? Processing & getting to the root (mind).

  6. What did I learn, what does this mean (spirituality/faith).

  7. Forgive myself & talk kindly to myself (mind). 

  8. Shake it off, body scan & breath check in (body & spirit).

  9. Take action if necessary (ex. talk it out with someone, apologize, forgive, make a plan - next time I will..)


For therapy to work for me, spirituality had to become a key component in my healing journey.  I believe talk-therapy has a place but not without the connection to my inner Self and the way I feel in my body.  Beginning and ending with guided breath-work and deep physical relaxation, sends signals to the mind that it is safe to process and work through life’s lessons.  It becomes easier to talk about it and feel better afterwards.  After all, you are a collection of experiences and you are doing the best you can with what you know in every moment of your life. 


Mind, Body, and Spirit, it’s time to take care of all aspects of your being. 


Jaime xo

Ontario Certified Teacher,

Reiki III Practitioner,

Certified Yoga Teacher,

Masters of Counselling Psychology Candidate


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