Healthline: Trauma-Informed Mindfulness to Heal from the Past and Cope with the Present

“There may be a solution in mindfulness and meditation. Meditation has been shown to help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and improve depressive symptoms. While it’s existed for thousands of years in ancient religious traditions, it’s only within the last century that the Western scientific community has caught up with and acknowledged its health benefits.

Unfortunately for trauma survivors, there can be risks associated with practicing meditation.

“Mindfulness meditation can actually end up exacerbating symptoms of traumatic stress,” writes educator and psychotherapist David Treleaven in an article for The Science of Psychotherapy.

As with any method or therapy, it’s important to understand these risks and use mindfulness in a way that helps rather than harms. Here’s how to approach meditation through a trauma-sensitive lens.

• Pay attention to what your body tells you

• Create a safe space

• Try mindful action

• Find therapies that work for you

Trauma can be a beast — it can sometimes feel insurmountable. But healing is possible, and mindfulness can be an excellent tool for reframing past experiences.

Whatever treatment you choose in your trauma recovery, let your healing take precedence over any expectation you or others might have about what the process should look like.

Your trauma matters, but at the same time, it doesn’t need to control your entire life.”

Full article is here!

Do you practice meditation and mindfulness practices? Have you noticed the pros and cons with your mindfulness routines?

#Mindfulness #Meditation #Trama