Overcome Traumatic Memories-Karma Gaia

 

Soothe Emotional Trauma Meditation

Trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or events that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. It can stem from a single incident or repeated stress, affecting one’s mental and emotional well-being.

Healing from trauma may involve therapy and practices like meditation, which help manage and soothe the long-term effects.

This meditation harnesses the power of the breath and mindful visualization to soothe anxiety and gently ease the responses triggered by past trauma, promoting emotional regulation and resilience. Join me in embracing calm and understanding through these mindful moments, as we guide our minds and bodies toward peace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=149tYQEhqvY

Traumatic memories: what are they?

Traumatic memories are frequently stored in the subconscious until they are triggered by particular events.

Places, experiences, emotions, and people can all act as triggers. For instance, being in a crowd could trigger a terrible occurrence you had at a concert. Triggers cause the memory to become salient and can mean the person feels like they’re reliving the event.

This can induce psychological and physiological symptoms such as issues regulating negative emotions, increased heart rate, nervousness, and sweating.

Some attempt to suppress painful memories in an effort to avoid negative emotions. While doing so may temporarily alleviate symptoms, over time it may make the problem worse.

Solutions:

1. Identify possible triggers

Even if it could seem like unpleasant memories are all you can think about, you might be able to ignore them for the most part.

You may, however, be able to recollect these memories in response to specific internal or external stimuli, or triggers. The traumatic memory itself determines how specific these triggers are.

Certain memories are activated by specific stimuli, like a certain house or aroma, while others are triggered by more general ones, like loud noise or crowded areas.

You might be able to prevent unpleasant memories from being triggered if you can recognize your triggers and stay away from them.

However, if the triggers are more general, this may be difficult. Finding the trigger in this situation is still beneficial since you can use soothing methods like breathing exercises, grounding (staying in the moment), and flashback halting strategy.

The method known as "flashback halting protocol" takes you back to the present by preventing the flashback from occurring.

Researchers suggest that triggers can be reassociated with different memories. Reducing the impact of a traumatic memory on your life might be achieved by associating such triggers with pleasant experiences or emotions.

2. Exposure therapy

One popular type of psychotherapy that tries to expose people to their concerns is called exposure therapy. A mental health professional offers safe spaces for you to confront unpleasant memories and helps you develop useful coping mechanisms.

Numerous research have proven that exposure therapy works. One study showed that exposure therapy could reduce PTSD symptoms in female veterans.

Narrative exposure  is another form of exposure therapy that involves an individual telling the story of their entire life rather than just repeating the one traumatic event. This method has been effective, particularly with refugees and individuals who have gone through torture and conflict.