While the sensations of the body are paramount in trauma recovery, it is common for trauma survivors to be overwhelmed by them. Sometimes we get caught up in the practice of witnessing sensations and find ourselves trapped in a vortex. This article covers what that looks like and how to safely exit the situation.
Mitigating risk
Considering the sensations of our body are at the roots of our traumatic experiences, it is understandable that it doesn't come without risk to approach them (but a necessary risk if we are to heal trauma). We take the biggest risk when we:
Don't know when to back off
Don't have stabilizing resources
Work with too much too fast
Knowing when to back off comes with time and practice. The more you are able to comprehend your sensations the earlier you'll be able to tell when things are heading in an unhelpful direction. In the previous article, "How to Feel Things In Your Body: Practical Steps to Focus on Sensations", I outline some signs to look for.
Have reliable stabilizing resources is another important part of reducing risk in trauma. We're going to dive deeper into this in the next section.
Working with too much too fast is the most common issue I have come across. Coming from a "no pain, no gain", productivity-centric culture can lead survivors into striving to work too aggressively. The annoying truth is that trauma processing takes time and is most successful when it is slow and consistent. This gives the nervous system time to metabolize the somatic work you are doing and reprogram itself with longterm changes.
What it feels like to fall into a sensation vortex
An example might be the easiest way to explain this.
Let's say that you are doing a typical interceptive body scan. As you go down you're body you begin to notice a twisting sensation in your stomach. You give it more attention. You notice how it feels really intense and tight. The longer you stay the more the sensations grow. Eventually the stomach twisting triggers a feeling of panic – you often feel a twisting stomach when you're panicked after all. This rise in panic makes your heart begin to race and your underarms sweat. You might even have a flashback of a time when you experienced these feelings before.
You tried this body scan technique because you were told it would help you come into a present state of calm and instead end it feeling completely overwhelmed, destabilized, and panicked.
If you have experienced anything like this I want to normalize it for you. I also want to reassure you that it isn't because you are "broken" and there are things we can do to mitigate risk and come out of the vortex when you do happen to fall in. ❤️
Finding your resources
For this article we're assuming you've already fallen into the vortex so we're primarily going to focus on how to safely get out. The magic word here is "resourcing".
What is a resource anyway:
Resources are internal or external tools that guide your nervous system to a state of safety and/or calm. Some of my favorite to recommend work within the 6 P's:
Props that calm you – This could be a trinket you got from a loved one, a blanket whose softness settles you, or a drink that you associate with good times.
Pleasant memories – You know when the hero is about to be struck down and in their final moments we get a montage of flashbacks of them laughing with their friends then all of a sudden they found their strength and win? That's the vibe.
Physical sensations in the body – Finding sensations that feel good in contrast to the ones that are overwhelming us can broaden our lense of experience and help remind us that we aren't ONLY feeling bad.
Practices that encourage regulation – Exercises such as breathing, orienting, centering, grounding, or tapping are all designed to help regulate us in moments of overwhelm.
Pretend scenarios – Visualizing yourself in an imaginary place or with an imaginary person is a great resource for some. If you are religious or spiritual you could imagine a spiritual entity supporting you.
A person or pet – Sometimes the most powerful resource can be a person you trust offering safe touch like a hug or holding your hand or even just breathing slowly with you. This could also be an animal that comforts you.
Other resources – The list of resources are endless and what works for you will be unique.
Five resourcing practices
The P for "Practices" is what we typically reach for in group work. For a large segment of trauma survivors at least one of these practices will help provide a measure of stability.
Straw Breathing
Take as full of a breath in as you are able. Shape your lips like a straw for the exhale (like you're trying to suck in something). Allow your exhale to be slow and full. See if you can extend your exhale to be longer than your inhale. The shape of the lips should help slow down the exhale so you are able to empty more of your lungs. When we exhale we activate the branch of the autonomic nervous system that provides rest and repair (the parasympathetic branch).
Orienting
Open your eyes and allow yourself to look at your surroundings without focusing on anything for too long. You can try noticing different colors and shapes. You can label the things that you see. This exercise uses our body's built-in orienting instincts to find safety. It also brings our awareness away from our internal experience. Noticing that you are here and now and not in danger can be very resourceful.
Butterfly Tapping
Place your arms across your chest with your hands on opposite shoulders. Tap your right hand then your left. And again and again. Continue this pattern for a minute or two. After the first little bit see if you can slow down the pattern a little. This bilateral motion helps by simultaneously stimulating both sides of the brain. This exercise offers a secondary resource of containment. Bringing the arms in this posture of a self-hug can help us feel like we're holding ourselves together.
Grounding
Find a place on your body that is either touching the ground or touching something that is touching the ground (the couch you're sitting on, bed you're laying on, etc.) Place your attention on this part of your body and notice everything you can about the connection you are making with the ground. You can try shifting your weight forward and backward to sense into this further. The process of grounding can help you find stability and can slow down any anxious energy.
Shower
Take a shower! Try and make the temperature something soothing. The key here is to pay attention to the feeling of the water on your skin and the sound of the water as it falls. We have a beautiful built-in reaction to the sound of water that can help encourage a sense of calm and connection to nature. The sensation of the water on your skin can also help guide you gently out of an overwhelming internal experience.
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