Embodiment is the first step
This story of inner (r)evolution speaks to the importance of embodiment as a spiritual practice, and as the means for healing, growing and letting go of trauma. Not long ago, I shared a 5-part series on doing the deep work of resolving traumatic experiences with energy healing. Modeled after the psychological 5-step process to trauma healing, it helped articulate how energy healing is a beautiful support to people who are doing the courageous work of healing from their trauma story.
Here’s the background on Diane’s experience:
Diane has spent years healing the physical and emotional trauma that she experienced as a young child. I’ve spent quite a bit of time connecting with Diane, and to be truthful, I don’t know much of her story at all. She’s shared that trauma took place, but minimal details. I don’t need to know the details to know she can heal, evolve and grow beyond the story. Energy is at the core of all of our stories. Clear and release the energy, your story no longer holds you in its grip. What a relief — for Diane, for me, for you! Everyone has a story. Everyone has stuff that dictates their behavior and responses.
The Present of Presence and CLEAR skills have shifted Diane’s understanding of herself (her Self), and have enabled her to come fully home to her physical body.
Diane’s Evolution:
I am embodied and whole, emotionally and physically present and integrated.
My story about Embodiment:
I had a very traumatic childhood. I’ve done a lot of work, including therapy, journaling, soul retrieval, somatic release, inner child work – it’s all helped me heal, gain a sense of who I am, separate from, and not defined by the trauma story. I’m so grateful for every piece of my inner journey.
Yet I knew I was missing an important piece. I remained amorphous and disconnected, unable to occupy my body and fully inhabit my life. I found the Embodiment Protocol, a series of skills offered in the CLEAR course, and it put my feet on the path, to the solution I was seeking. Grounded awareness. Embodiment. Wholeness.
It all makes sense – your energy informs how you participate in your life and experiences. I checked out of my body to survive what happened in my childhood. As an adult, I was still operating and living through that energetic pattern! Out of my body, out of my life.
I’m safe now, and I can and do take care of myself. I don’t need to disengage to survive. In fact, it’s through connection and embodiment that I have the opportunity and presence to fully live and thrive!
Beyond embodiment, I’m using the CLEAR skills, particularly the ones for dealing with complex patterns and behaviors — Programming, Karma, Agreements and Contracts — to dissolve the triggers, the energy from old stories, and to resolve patterns and behaviors that inhibit my best, most authentic self.
CLEAR, the Embodiment Protocol, energetic boundaries and chakra regulation have been essential tools for fully moving on from childhood trauma.
Thoughts & Insights
Energy practitioners are careful not to advertise or promote that they treat trauma. Unless the practitioner is a licensed therapist, trained in trauma treatment strategies and protocols, it’s not appropriate to do so. Often clients use the CLEAR skills to resolve and release trauma in conjunction with or subsequent to their therapeutic process. They gain the insights and agency required to heal through their therapeutic interactions, and energy clearing to release the held triggers, reactivity, behaviors that keep them cycling through the story, attracting similar experiences and relationships.
Energy healers need not know the full context of the trauma story their clients are resolving. While it’s essential to honor and respect the client’s experience, energy healing practitioners largely work with patterns, behaviors, themes, not story. Our work helps clients release and dissolve energies that set them up to repeat what they’d prefer to let go!
Often embodiment is a process, a journey to the S/self. There can be a perceived safety in being out of the body, disconnected, disengaged; it was a brilliant strategy at one point in time. Embodiment can generate fear, anxiety and resistance, a lack of safety in coming home to full awareness. Compassionate appreciation of the self that chose disembodiment as a strategy — a life-saving strategy — is essential. Then, gently, lovingly inviting that self to recognize that conscious awareness enables healing, evolution, growth and thriving.
It can also be a relief for those healing from trauma to learn that clearing energy is not generally highly emotional or triggering. Why? Because it’s not about the story, it’s not about the victimization or wounds. It’s about incrementally letting go of whatever is ready to release. Cleaning out a drawer full of memorabilia is emotional; taking what is no longer wanted or of interest to the recycling bin is not.
Let me ask you:
Is being fully present to your life something you’re wanting to address? Do you have a trauma story you’re ready to resolve and heal? Have you done the work of acknowledging and contextualizing the story with a therapist (we don’t advocate bypassing the important work of acknowledging and understanding your experience)? Are you ready to live your life without the triggers, reactivity and trauma-laden behaviors?
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[The skills and tools referenced in this post are from two online courses that EHI offers to the consciously curious. The Present of Presence is a free, 1-hour engagement with two foundational skills for energy regulation and embodiment. CLEAR is a self-paced, online course that offers a series of skills, for energetic self-care, and for clearing and releasing patterns, themes and behaviors that inhibit authentic presence and in the moment choice.]