Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Matthew Torrington, MD
Trauma can be experienced through one’s own life events or passed down through family. Personal trauma can begin with experiences while in the mothers womb and life events throughout a person’s history. Generational trauma can be passed down through multiple generations both consciously or unconsciously. Trauma influences a person’s nervous system, mind, body, and brain. A trauma response can be evidenced by a person’s instinct to fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
What is Trauma?
You may have heard the terms Big T or Little T to describe categories of traumas. Big T’s are major event trauma(s) we experience. Little T’s are a culmination of smaller traumas. Trauma is often defined as an emotional response to a terrible event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. As an individual, only we can define what trauma is for ourselves.
What is Generational Trauma?
Generational trauma is learned trauma from our ancestors and sometimes can be identified as a form of PTSD. The trauma can be passed down to us directly or through subtle messages from our family members or members of our community. For example, South Asian and South Asian American individuals may not be able to advocate for themselves because of behaviors their ancestors learned as a result of British rule in their countries.
Responses to Trauma:
Fight: Brings out the act of staying and fighting in the event as well as when the trauma is triggered
Flight: The act of running away from the trauma and similar situations
Freeze: The individual is frozen and unable to think, feel, or act. This is where somatic therapy in Los Angeles can be particularly effective, helping to gently thaw this freeze response by working directly with the nervous system. Shakti Therapy is a nervous sysem reset first practice.
Fawn: The individual is prone to people pleasing or overly apologizing
How Do You Identify Trauma Triggers?
Ask yourself…
(1) What triggered me?
(2) Use “I” statements and answer “I felt…”
(3) Have I previously been triggered by this?
(4) Connect the trigger and feeling back to a memory
Trauma Triggers:
Trauma can be triggered by external or internal experiences. Examples of some triggers are:
| Internal Trauma Triggers | External Trauma Triggers |
| Memory | Sight |
| Emotion | Smell |
| Anxiety | Sound |
| Poor Sleep | Taste |
| Stress | Touch |
Identifying these triggers is the first step. Once identified, modalities like somatic therapy in Los Angeles can help you release the physical tension associated with these internal triggers, rather than just talking about them.
5 Things You Can Do To Manage Trauma:
- Journal about the event, your thoughts, and your feelings
- Meditate or practice somatic grounding techniques to regulate your nervous system. These are part of somatic therapy tools we use.
- Take care of yourself by having good sleep hygiene, diet, and exercise
- Lean on your support system (friends and family)
- Talk to a holistic trauma therapist in Los Angeles
Shakti Therapy is a holistic & psychotherapeutic mental health clinic. We realize that we are an integral part of the vast and complex web of life – that the health of the whole is intimately connected with the health of the individual. Shakti Therapy ancient Eastern wisdom with evidence-based modalities like somatic therapy in Los Angeles, to create a basis of connection – mind to body, human to nature, individual to community, physical to spiritual, past to present to future.
To learn more about Shakti Therapy and Healing services, please visit www.shaktitherapyhealing.com