Trauma: A Universal Predicament

Trauma is a ubiquitous crisis, affecting everyone. Trauma is a personal, national, and global pandemic. Even though it is an unpleasant topic, it is essential to understand trauma – the invisible “elephant in the room.” The causes and effects of trauma can be pervasive and devastating, leading to disease, addiction, and suicide.

Trauma is contagious: passed from person to person, from generation to generation. Is trauma so normal (hence invisible) that we should continue to overlook it? Traumatized people are not weak or crazy, as they may seem and many people deem them to be. An alarmed media called COVID-19 a pandemic and flooded us with information since its appearance in 2020. But COVID has far fewer victims than people suffering and dying from trauma, which has existed since humans appeared on earth. Why is trauma not a national rallying cry for help?

?Traumatized people affect every system: families, schools, churches, businesses, and government. I believe that we bring trauma with us from past lives. Traumas continue to flourish by caregivers who strive to civilize children by punitive measures. As a mother, I know how difficult disciplining children can be. Traditional spankings, time-out isolation, and physical punishment can be ineffective, fuel anger and retaliation, and be emotionally damaging if children don’t understand what is happening to them. Adults need to remain cool, calm, and collected and then tenderly, without anger and irritation, explain in ways the child can understand. What a tall order! That is excessively difficult for anyone who carries unhealed trauma.

The Problematic Results of Trauma

Trauma causes pronounced and often buried emotional pain, resulting in misery, addiction, violence, murder, and suicide. Research reveals that trauma impacts physical and mental health, creating anxiety, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autoimmune disease, cancer, suicide, and more. According to the American Medical Association, the COVID pandemic made the drug overdose epidemic much worse in the US. Over 40 states reported an increase in opioid-related mortality. In the article, Treatment Of Depressed-Suicidal Patients and Those Experiencing Prolong And Complicated Grief Disorders, Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D. reported that every year about 40,000 adults die by suicide in the USA. For each person who dies by suicide, at least 20 more attempt suicide. Since the start of COVID-19, calls to suicide hotlines increased 800%. Suicide is the #10 leading cause of death in America, #4 leading cause for people age 35 - 54, and #2 for ages 10 - 34! Yet individuals, families, and governments often react by ignoring and denying the causes and effects of trauma. Isn’t it time to become more compassionate, educated, and solution-focused?

Gabor Maté, MD, a survivor of severe trauma, takes a unique viewpoint: “So much of what we call abnormality in this culture is actually normal responses to an abnormal culture. The abnormality does not reside in the pathology of individuals, but in the very culture that drives people into suffering and dysfunction.”

In the 2021 video documentary called The Wisdom of Trauma, Dr. Maté asserts that trauma arises from hurtful, harmful, threatening events and from unmet needs such as the absence of loving touch, nurturing, and attention. I HIGHLY recommend viewing The Wisdom of Trauma https://thewisdomoftrauma.com for its humane look at this devastating universal phenomenon.

ADHD diagnosis in children has become epidemic. Perhaps ADHD is a set of symptoms of people who have been traumatized, are sensitive empaths with trauma, or have complex PTSD. The nervous systems of children with ADHD become so overwhelmed because they can't fight or flee. When a child’s brain becomes wired to tune out overall ongoing stressors in order to survive, the child experiences difficulties controlling emotions, focusing, and trusting. Our society habitually treats such symptoms with medications instead of addressing and treating the true causes.

On the Bright Side

The trauma of loss, disease, fear, shame, and pain can set us on a healing journey. What once might have felt like torture or a death sentence can be transformed through consistent patience, abundant love, expanded awareness, and compassionate support. Countless people have defied a dreaded medical prognosis and completely healed by non-medical interventions when doctors and “experts” said it could not be done. Counseling, support groups, healing retreats, abundant self-love, prayer, indigenous ceremonies, and spiritual connection have contributed to holistic healing and spontaneous remissions.

Disclaimer: Do NOT abruptly stop medical treatments. I am advocating an increase in holistic interventions to allow the body and mind to heal in new ways and see what happens.

We need to deal with what happened to us to heal. I have healed many of my traumas and triggers through years of hard work, many teachers, counselors, supportive friends, and devoted spiritual practice. I like to focus on solutions. When abundant doses of Divine Love, acceptance, and empowerment eliminates fear and shame, healing can be a beautiful process.

8 Recommended Interventions

1.????Check out https://www.wannatalkaboutit.com/

2.????Watch MAID (a drama about emotional abuse & addiction on Netflix)

3.????Watch Heal (a documentary on Amazon Prime)

4.????Therapy with a good trauma specialist

5.????Practice Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) frequently

6.????Quiet meditation daily (even for a few minutes)

7.????Contemplate new ideas from self-help sources (including my power meditation books)

8.????Practice creative spiritual exercises (read Thriving in Unprecedented Times, How to Resolve Karma Using Timeless Techniques https://marciadiane.com/books )

Look for a silver lining. Trauma and adversity can bring us together. We can’t heal ourselves alone. We need each other. Please, TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE and be available to others who want your help. It’s important to grasp the complexities of relationships affected by trauma to increase compassion. I believe we can work to create a more humane world.

Author, artist, and teacher of creative spirituality, Marcia Diane, LPC, LISAC, loves to assist people to spiritually connect, feel joy, and thrive. A Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor, Marcia helps clients heal from trauma, abuse, and addiction, using traditional and creative technologies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), hypnosis, and Quantum Healing Hypnosis Therapy (QHHT).

You can find powerful, time-tested spiritual tools in Marcia Diane’s book, Thriving in Unprecedented Times, How to Resolve Karma Using Timeless Techniques, and 20 Kindle books, containing creative meditations. Available on Amazon and www.marciadiane.com /books.

For inspiration: articles https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/marcia-diane-b333026/ https://marciadiane.com/blog https://www.facebook.com/MarciaDianeArtistAuthor and https://www.instagram.com/marciadiane_author/