Here’s a little of my own healing story for #ruokday
(Note: trigger warning)
In late 2005 I experienced a frightening physical assault by someone I knew, in my own home.
I wasn’t sure I was going to survive the night.
Obviously I did, but I had no idea that I’d developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
That the way I was feeling was so much more than just shock and fear. That my nervous system, my brain organisation and my ability to handle stress had become extremely compromised.
I was so confused, I didn’t ask for help.
I lived with untreated PTSD for 3 years
Without any idea that something was very wrong, I just tried to cope as best as I could.
The thing is, I don’t believe for a second that my experience of trauma and PTSD is unique. In working with my clients, I’d say it’s a lot more common than you might expect.
You mightn’t realise how many people you interact with each day, who are trying to cope with trauma and stress that they simply don’t understand.
My performance at work suffered. My personal life was mostly non-existent. My short-term memory wasn’t working so well, and I was in a constant state of fight or flight.
I thought if I simply waited long enough, things would get better.
But that’s not how trauma works. Untreated, it festers.
But oh! Bodies are amazing! Eventually my body manifested EXTREME pain in my left shoulder.
Which sent me to a GP, who gave me a series of scans and told me “There’s nothing wrong with you”.
Ummm, that was clearly not the case.
I took the scans to my chiropractor – who I’d been seeing all that time, but I hadn’t even told him what’d happened (this is quite normal in trauma cases).
He agreed the scans showed nothing. BUT very crucially he asked me…
What else is going on in your life?
I started to explain in small pieces. At first I said… “Nothing really, life just isn’t much fun and I keep waiting for it to get better”.
He gently and kindly kept asking questions. And finally, once the story was out, he told me how important it was that I’d shared those things. And that he would refer me to a trauma therapist.
That night as I went home, my shoulder was 80% less painful!
That marked the beginning of my healing process.
To unwind the trauma, I used many different modalities, including: talk therapy, EMDR, yoga, naturopathy and Kinesiology.
Kinesiology was the most powerful tool for me, and look at me now… a Kinesiologist myself.
So how are you today? RUOK?
Much love,
Ambha Amanda Roberts is a Kinesiologist, Intuitive Healer, educator and facilitator based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She offers Kinesiology sessions both in-person and via Skype/Zoom all over the world. Ambha Amanda is the co-creator of Adventures of Staria, which includes a series of Staria cards, and an upcoming book for children (including inner children). |