“the calendar does not determine your growth and healing. your soul does. when your soul is ready you will do the sacred work. may you be free, you precious, worthy, living thing. may you be free. —Jaiya John

ABOUT SOMATICS→SOULMATICS & TRAUMA

somatic means relating to the body, especially as distinct from the mind. ‘soma’ means ‘the body of an organism’ in english. ‘soma’ simply means body in latin. in greek, ‘soma’ means ‘the living body known from within’, or known to the SELF.

white supremacy, colonization, patriarchy, capitalism impact the body and may separates us from this knowing from within.

trauma (including racialized trauma and microaggression) lives visually and visceral on the body. more specifically, it lives in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). time does not heal trauma. we focus on the body as racialized healing | recovery | traumatic growth emerges from tending to the body. this is a circular process.

when navigating trauma, developing a relationship with the body, attuning to it, trusting it and finding safety within are important to healing. a possible starting point is attuning to one’s biological needs and honouring them. over time this may build trust and discernment. it is also healing to return to one’s cultural context, ancestral wisdom, cultural and communal practices….healing at root level.

“the body is where we live. it’s where we fear, hope, and react. it’s where we constrict and relax. and what the body most cares about are safety and survival. when something happens to the body that is too much, too fast, or too soon, it overwhelms the body and can create trauma.

contrary to what many people believe, trauma is not primarily an emotional response. trauma always happens on the body. it is a spontaneous protective mechanism used by the body to stop or thwart further (or future) potential damage.

trauma is not a flaw or a weakness. it is a highly effective tool of safety and survival. trauma is also not an event. trauma is the body’s protective response to an event—or a series of events—that it perceives as potentially dangerous. this perception may be accurate, inaccurate, or entirely imaginary. in the aftermath of highly stressful or traumatic situations, our soul nerve and lizard brain may embed a reflexive trauma response in our bodies. this happens at lightning speed.

an embedded trauma response can manifest as fight, flee, or freeze—or as some combination of constriction, pain, fear, dread, anxiety, unpleasant (and/or sometimes pleasant) thoughts, reactive behaviors, or other sensations and experiences. this trauma then gets stuck on the body—and stays stuck there until it is addressed.  ―Resmaa Menakem, my grandmother's hands

MEDITATION, SPIRITUALITY & TRAUMA

though helpful, meditation or spiritual practice alone cannot address / process trauma. touching peace in meditative practice or worshiping can be resourcing and as BIPOC folks we cannot stop there especially if we are easily triggered / activated. cultivating mindfulness / awareness is helpful as it helps to understand and navigate the inner terrain. it may help to facilitate the reconnection of disconnected parts and restore the knowing from within. however, trauma needs to be metabolized. 

SOULmatic practices are body-based healing practices that help one create a relationship with their body. tending to the body, finding pleasure and safety on the body, connecting to your own body-wisdom. it is the practice of mindfulness of the body in the body - a knowing from within. i use SOULmatic as we explore at the level of our soul nerves that may puts us into fight, flight, freeze, rest & digest or social engagement / connection. 

at the root, SOULmatic practices are our birthright indigenous cultural practices such as rhythmic chanting, various forms of communal dancing and movement, breathwork, chanting and dancing, humming, rocking & swaying, SOULsounding, etc. these cultural practices have been very important for our ancestors to navigate and survive atrocities.  

“trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. being frightened means that you live in a body that is always on guard. angry people live in angry bodies. the bodies of child-abuse victims are tense and defensive until they find a way to relax and feel safe. in order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past. ―Bessel A. van der Kolk, the body keeps the score

we are much more than our traumatic experiences. there is something inside of each of us that remains untouched by trauma. it’s possible to anchor there. Resmaa Menakem reminds us that, WE ARE NOT DEFECTIVE, and we deserve to know that in our bones.

spirituality does have a place in trauma recovery. prayer, meditation, compassionate witnessing, spiritual community, ancestral rituals, cultural practices, cultural foods, sacred spaces, SOULmatics, social justice work, communing with the earth, communing with ancestors, etc. all have been an integral part of my generational trauma recovery - in addition to meeting each activation (pathway to the unprocessed trauma) and processing it with the support of an ethno-integrative mental health practitioner.

ABOUT NERVOUS SYSTEM AND TRAUMA

i found these two videos helpful in understanding the nervous system and trauma. please feel free to research the work of both Dr. Stephen Porges and Dr. Deb Dana, who developed the clinical aspects of the Polyvagal Theory.