The world is filled with people who have experienced deep and lasting trauma. Over 17 million people in the United States suffer from diagnosed PTSD, with many more likely undiagnosed, and CDC research shows that the vast majority of people have experienced or witnessed some form of physical violence in their lives.
Trauma can make us feel further away from ourselves, the Creator, and the purpose of our souls. It can make us stuck in a loop of fear, doubt, and disconnection. We may lash out at others, especially those we love, in anger or by not being present. Thankfully, there are spiritual tools we can use to understand the spiritual significance of the trauma we have experienced and how to grow from it.
Here are 3 tips to begin healing from trauma:
1. Recognize and speak about your experience.
So often, we suffer in silence because we are afraid of judgment or just feel uncomfortable being vulnerable about our deepest traumas. Healing trauma begins with being able to recognize it and the effect it has on your current life and then sharing that with someone else. It can seem counter-intuitive to talk about and relive the details of trauma, but it’s a powerful tool in releasing the pain. Talking about it connects us in the truest way, building empathy and creating space for healing.
Take the time to know the trauma you experienced. Think of the causes of certain behaviors and fears that plague you and bring that conversation into the open. Even if it’s difficult for you, push yourself to open up. Then from there you can take the next steps towards healing.
2. Reframe painful experiences as powerful opportunities for your growth.
The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches an important spiritual rule: all the challenges we go through in life are purposefully designed for the growth of our soul. In other words, all of the hardships we experience are necessary opportunities for us to transform in the most powerful ways. Our job is to process the pain and grow from it.
This can be a hard pill to swallow at first. After all, bad things happen to good people all the time. The trauma someone goes through may not seem fair, and what was done to them by someone may not be right. But spiritually, it’s not about what is fair – it’s about what drives us towards growth, connection, and transformation. We heal when we put our focus on what we are going to do with those painful experiences, how we are going to let them change and inform us into the person we want to be, and how we can grow from them.
Try reframing a traumatic experience as the perfect situation that your soul needed to go through. Ask yourself: What can I learn from it? How can I change and grow from it for my betterment? Not because you are bad or did something wrong, but because it is a powerful opportunity for you to reach your next level.
3. Know that the greater the challenges you face, the greater your soul’s potential.
Every negative situation we’ve ever experienced has tremendous Light and blessings we are meant to uncover. A person who experiences great challenge does so because they have great potential within them and the ability to transform that darkness into Light.
Survivors of trauma often begin to fear that they are damaged to the core and beyond redemption. The opposite is true. Those who have experienced great trauma are the ones whose potential is greatest. They are not damaged; they are among the most powerful souls in this world.
Know that you are not damaged because of your trauma – you are a great soul with the ability to get through the pain and use it as a source of Light, inspiration, and growth. Even though it is hard to accept at times, that darkness was given to you for the purpose of changing it into a source of Light and blessings for yourself and hopefully for others.
We aren’t usually taught what to do with our negative emotions, especially those caused by the deepest wounds. So often, we do not speak about them or take the time to reflect on them because of the pain they cause us. But there is a way to not only alleviate the residual effects of trauma but also to use it as an avenue of growth. It starts with recognizing our trauma, speaking about it, and reframing it as an opportunity for our souls to grow and reveal powerful Light in the world.
