We’ve all experienced trauma at some point in our lives. Sometimes it’s isolated and other times, it’s systematic. Whichever category you fall into, it can remain in our nervous system, debilitating us from making any meaningful progress.
Sometimes we may even think there’s forward momentum, that is, until old toxic habits creep up. That’s your nervous system telling you it doesn’t feel safe. Which is why you may fall into the same old patterns.
Even if your mind is on board with making positive changes, if your body doesn’t feel the same way, you will be kept in the “safe” place until you work with your body to release the repressed trauma.
Today, I’m going to give you five easy at home energy exercises for your sobriety journey to release trauma so you can become the person you aspire to be. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, get comfy, and get your healing on.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is intended for personal use and not for the practice of any healing art, except where permitted by law. No representation contained in this post is intended as medical advice and should not be used for diagnosis or medical treatment.
ENERGY EXERCISES
Everything is energy- emotions, actions, behaviors. We also physically manifest that energy in our bodies.
Think butterflies in the stomach when you’re nervous or excited, racing heartbeat when you’re scared or angry, flushed cheeks when you’re embarrassed or put in the spotlight.
Sometimes when our bodies perceive a threat, that energy gets trapped in the body. Which is why we need to make the effort to not just heal our minds, but our bodies as well. It’s a process of reparenting ourselves through creating new healthy habits so we can show up with purpose and intent.
As with all individual transformations, these exercises vary from person to person so I can’t provide a time frame as to how long it will take you to heal. Just keep going and don’t give up. You will get there. That much I can promise you.
Ear massage
The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts- the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, restore, and heal). When trauma is repressed, it dysregulates the nervous system, causing us to perceive danger even if we don’t actively feel a threat.
The vagus nerve is the longest of 12 cranial nerves and is the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system. The Latin word for vagus means “wandering” because that is what it does. It connects the brain to the heart, gut, lungs, and the throat area. It also passes through the ears. Which is why massaging your ears will stimulate your vagus nerve, activating your parasympathetic nervous system and helping you to release repressed trauma.
Here is a tutorial on how to stimulate your vagus nerve with an ear massage.
Selenite wand
While there isn’t any modern science behind using a selenite wand, I swear by selenite and have been using it for years. It’s also multipurpose- you can charge your other crystals on it or clean your aura with its healing properties. Selenite is that powerful. If you only have one crystal in your collection, let it be selenite. It connects you to your crown chakra (the gateway to divinity), clears clogged energy, and brings clarity and peace.
If you’re sensitive to strong scents, this is perfect for you. You can swap out the sage and palo santo with a selenite wand. Just as if you’re smudging yourself, you wave the selenite wand throughout your body, starting at the bottom of your feet, working all the way to the crown of your head. It only takes a few minutes and it’s also a great way to maintain spiritual hygiene.
Shake it out
Have you ever seen a video of an animal shaking after an intense moment? That’s them physically releasing trauma from their body. We don’t do that. The more we ignore it, the deeper it gets repressed. So to release repressed trauma in sobriety, all you have to do is shake it out.
HERE’S HOW:
- Put on music. 432 HZ has been shown to have calming effects. You can find it on YouTube.
- Start shaking your body or dancing, whatever you feel called to do.
- When you move your body, the trauma that’s been repressed gets released. Because everyone’s trauma is different, there’s no set amount of times you have to do this exercise for all of it to be purged.
- Go as deep as you can and ask yourself the tough questions- your fears, what’s holding you back, what traumatic experience(s) needs to leave your body.
- Come out of it when you’re ready.
Stretch your hips
If you’ve ever done a yoga hip opening sequence and felt a surge of emotions or a forgotten memory resurface, it was your body releasing repressed trauma and emotions.
This is why: the psoas muscle sits in the lower back, extending to the pelvis. In the middle of the psoas muscle, are the kidneys. We know the kidneys flush out toxins but they also regulate the adrenal glands, which control the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response.
Those tight hips may be your body communicating that there’s emotions and trauma that needs to be processed and released. Give them a stretch, reduce your stress, and find your calm. This article shows some great poses that help with anxiety and some of them require stretching your hip flexors. If you’re more of a “I need to see it in action” person, Yoga With Adriene has free videos on YouTube.
Hands on knees
You’ve seen athletes when they’re trying to catch their breath- they bend slightly forward with both hands on their knees. This actually creates more space in your diaphragm and helps with breathing.
There’s more. The vagus nerve runs through the diaphragm. So when you have a slight bend in your knees with your hands resting there, it stimulates the vagus nerve, which sends your body into a state of rest, digest, restore, and heal.
CLEEN CARMA TIP:
Breathe as deeply and slowly as you can to engage in diaphragmatic breathing.
How do you release repressed trauma and how has it helped you in your sobriety journey? Leave a comment below. Also, please be sure to share this with anyone that may benefit from it.
I’ll see you soon…in the meantime, love yourself so much that even a Hallmark Christmas movie would be jealous.
