PART I: SELF CONNECTION

THE GUIDE

Our sense of security and trust (in ourselves, in others, and in reality itself) often starts with our family environment – the foundation upon which our personality, future relationships, and physical/psychological health is based.

As children, we may have experienced varying degrees of material and emotional security. Even if the caregivers and authority figures in our lives had the best of intentions and were generally supportive and loving people, it’s likely that we did not come out of our early years without experiencing some form of disappointment, loss, betrayal, boundary violation, or traumatic event.

For some of us, there may have been times when our needs for respect, positive self-regard, emotional, psychological or physical safety were severely threatened or violated (worse yet, by the very people who professed to have our best interest at heart.)

4. TRUST & TRAUMA

Essay by Katarzyna Vedah. June 2, 2018

Having our security and trust compromised in this way could have shaken us to the core, leading to a chronic feeling of being unsafe in the world, and damaging our ability to trust ourselves and others.

The shock and pain of such experiences may stay stuck in our minds, hearts and bodies like shrapnel unless we learn to process the energy out of our system and find our resiliency again, cultivating our inner resources and core value so as to build a stronger foundation from which to take root and explore the world with a reclaimed sense of our own power and capability.

As adults, we can choose to “consciously let go of what belittles us and makes us suffer” (Guy Corneau, Lessons in Love), so as to let go of our illusions and seek the best sources of support to aid in our healing.

We can hone our discernment and choose what we accept from others and what we don’t, knowing when our boundaries have been crossed and how to defend our limits - not with aggression or in retaliation, but with self-awareness, respect and grace.

VIDEO (YouTube): School of Life

Golden Child Syndrome

A Messed Up Childhood Affects You
What is ‘Trauma’ & How to Cope With It
How to Overcome Trauma
You Might be Suffering from PTSD

WEB ARTICLE: Good Therapy
Complex PTSD: Response to Prolonged Trauma. By Zawn Villines

VIDEO (YouTube): TED Talk

Childhood Trauma Affects Health -

N. B. Harris

Healing Illness with the Subconscious - D. Pycher