It’s 3 AM I should sleep

Focus.

They’re sad, I should say something

Focus.

I love them, I should let them know

Focus.

I just want to talk about how I feel

Focus.

Why can’t I speak? Why has my voice left me?

Focus.

Me: this is not helpful

My brain: but how else will you know whether they will abandon you

Me: well we could talk to th-

My brain: nope

Me: but i trust my friends

My brain: naw

Me: stop it

My brain: well right now it’s just you, me, and this hypervigilance so

The goal of trauma therapy is to stay in the resilient zone while processing the past trauma, so today Alexa and I teach you some techniques to do just that! Since fight, flight or freeze are ways our body responds when our sympathetic nervous system is maxed out, we have to find ways to calm it back down.

We have talked in the past about grounding techniques, and how those can help when we are dissociating or in the “freeze” state, but what do we do if we are in the fight/flight state? Alexa talks about how we are soothed as children and how our brains are actually wired for connection. With that in mind she gives us some ideas of ways to recreate that soothing feeling and how to build a resiliency box, so you have these tools with you when you need them.

When we are babies we connect with our mother through feeding. We make eye contact, we suck and swallow. We can be upset, crying and even throwing a tantrum, but a few moments being fed and we become calm. Alexa uses this image to offer up some soothing techniques. We can suck on candies, make eye contact and hear the voice of someone we love and who is safe, and do some slow deep breathing. She recommends asking that safe and loving person to leave a voicemail or send us a video saying something nice. Then keep that in your resiliency box so you can hear it and see it when you need it most.

me: fix what?

Please understand if youre mentally ill and physically or emotionally fatigued, that is not you being lazy! It is your body and brain being tired of fighting your illness! You are tired because youve been fighting.