Look at the hand of the child as it reaches for the hand of the mother in this photo. Can you feel the trust and love of the mother-child relationship? The child has every right to believe that it is going to be well-taken care of, and given what it needs to grow.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, happens when this basic right to 'be' is violated tragically.
The victim feels powerless, and experiences threat to their very existence at the hands of others or or natural disaster.
The key in psychological terms is the victim has survived something 'outside the range of normal human experience'.
In doing so, the brain 'switches' to a different kind of memory recording system. Like the 'black box' in an airplane, the 'black box' in the brain are the memories that are encoded in the presence of high levels of norepinephrine (a powerful neurotransmitter and pressor like adrenaline). These are the memories which might get 'buried' because the subconscious is unable to cope with them (it would overwhelm the individual--the subconscious goes into 'protective mode'), or may remain conscious to some extent.
I will talk more about the aftermath of these memories later, but for now, let us explore the types of violent experiences that encode the memories of PTSD:
- Rape
- War
- Torture
- Assault
- Ritual Abuse
- Large-scale natural disaster
- Witnessing the above in another person
What does it feel like when you go through one of these experiences? I know, I speak first-hand as a survivor. Basically you think you are going to die and you leave your body. In psychology terms instead of 'energetic ones' the term is 'you disassociate'. You feel like an outsider looking in to the attack.
In the immediate aftermath, you just think 'it's over and I am going to be okay'. For a majority of the people, this is true. But for some, like me, sooner or later the symptoms come up.
Here are some of my symptoms I had before I remembered:
- Hypervigilance
- Nightmares
- Mood swings
- poor close interpersonal relationships
- avoidance behavior (for example, I would take well-travelled paths in college so 'I wouldn't be another statistic')
- psychic awakening (in 'leaving the body' you 'discover' the higher 'registers' of your soul/energy body--the ones that are psychic, and they stay 'open'. You 'discover them' by trying to 'hide' from the brutal attack, as a soul.)
I had those symptoms, which were vague, for twenty-two years before I 'remembered'. Then I had:
- Flashbacks--re-experiencing bits and pieces of the trauma like it was real (the norepinephrine memory is 'clearer' and does this to people as it heals. Bits and pieces. First the sounds, then the vision, then the feelings)
- Trouble sleeping, waking up screaming from nightmares 'reliving' the event
- Not wanting to eat, tearfulness and other signs of depression
- Feeling 'not in your body'
- Feeling 'dirty'
- Wanting to be held. (this one is hard because a loved one can't reassure you in one hug. You need MANY, and my first husband left our marriage over this.)
- Talk, talk, talk your story with anyone who will listen. Sometimes even those who find it TMI
In time, the person regains ability to function. And the memories are triggered less and less, but still are only 'under the surface' and "thirty seconds away from full fetal position on the floor covering the eyes and ears rocking and crying and staying 'make it stop!' 'make it stop!' "
Once a soul is shattered, as loved ones how do we help 'put it back in'?
Listen.
That's all you have to do is listen with your heart, and if you can, touch the patient/victim to let them know you care.
Repeat until patient feels better. And also offer tea. Lots of it!!
Dr. Peter Levine is an expert in this field. I took a class on CD by him, and it uses a technique called 'somatic experiencing'. Your body is STRONG and it is still HERE even though you thought you would die, basically. He teaches you to use 'tapping' to reassure yourself that 'all is well'. It triggers the natural healing mechanism in the body and soul.
What I recommend is that when a victim is sharing with you, they are 'overwhelmed' by negative sensory input, or memories of it that are slowly processing at the rate the subconscious deems it 'safe'.
Your hands, particularly Reiki hands, have the power to address this by adding POSITIVE physical contact--hold the hand, and rub the arm, not too light, not too heavy. Or touch gently between the elbow and the shoulder as the victim confides in you what is happening, how they feel, what they want you to know.
When it comes right down to it, in children who are fresh from a trauma, they need to 'tell their story', often with art drawings or role play through dolls more than words. Many times they have to tell their loved ones, in their own words, what happened, how it makes them feel, and how they never want to talk about it again. (There is a special field in this in psychology for survivors who are very young.)
It is a question in adults of finding the right 'loved one to tell'. Mamie Van Doren, the Miss America who spoke up about her incest she experienced growing up, found healing in telling her boyfriend. She said, 'The one person you think you should never tell, is the one you need to tell' (to heal). I found that one person, for me, and told them, even though I think they didn't want to know. Although I didn't get the warm loving arms I had hoped to get when I came to this important step, on a soul level I healed, and my symptoms after over many, many years of suffering, trouble me no more. My person doesn't speak--he has a vow of silence, and I marvel at how smart my subconscious is to 'find someone that wouldn't tell' to share the 'secret' with. My person is gentle and loving and spiritual, not too into emotions, but supportive enough to let me know he cares. I healed by writing him many emails. He didn't even respond to most. But knowing he was 'there' was enough for my soul to finish the healing process on its own. The drive to be whole is one of the most powerful energies in the Universe...
In these times of change across Gaia, is it important for healers to recognize the need for 'victims' to 'reconnect' with Love and Light and beautiful healing Goddess Energy.
People in Egypt and elsewhere who are bringing about change for a fair and positive society, might get PTSD after the fact.
Imagine how all those 'asleep' are going to feel when they discover the truth about the Illuminati and government's intentions? Total shock and denial at first, but then some major grappling!
I can see hundreds of thousands of people dazed and in shock after the Flash of The Event, going to the ATM and finding that it does not work, and trying to use a credit card that is basically useless. Even though this is only for about two weeks for a bank re-set, you can imagine the chaos that will follow.
Healers, you are not alone in this! There are Angels, Guides, Deceased Love Ones, Ascended Masters, the Inner Earth Family, and the Galactic Family who have a 'higher perspective' to assist. Ask for guidance and help in dealing with whoever is before you in need of your care. There will also be broadcast on the media, by the Light workers, what is going on, what to expect, and what needs to be known to the general public. Still, there is a great need for YOU. Keep these guidelines in mind:
- Who is the right one? The one who is with you.
- What is the right way to act? What your heart is saying to do Now.
- How will I know it is enough? Anything you do is better than not doing anything for those that suffer.
I want you to keep this one in your back pocket, okay? Between the Event and the healing chambers, a lot of people are going to need your help! Any modality you are trained in, in this lifetime or others before (if you are one of those 'born healers' this means YOU <3 ), you will be guided to step in and assist others.
Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,
Reiki Doc
