Why is Trauma a Scary Word?

Trauma is a scary word because we are unfamiliar with what it means. I didn’t truly understand this psychological concept until my friend Heidi, a psychodrama therapist and will be co-leading the first week of my trauma writing course, described trauma as a response we have towards an overwhelming event.

These events trigger our responses into freeze, fight, or fawn. Because trauma stays in our bodies, as the book, Body Keeps the Score describes, we can often get stuck in certain beliefs we have carried from when the event takes place.

Creativity in the form of dance, theatre, art, writing, and more can free us from the grasp trauma has on us.

It gives us permission to feel, surrender, accept, and eventually forgive ourselves for the shame we once carried.

Trauma is a human experience we can’t avoid. This pandemic is a collective trauma all of us are enduring right now.

Understanding what trauma means can provide us with education for the way we respond to events out of our control. Every experience is valid, and the way we react to trauma in our lives is our way of trying to survive it.

Writing was my learning process to identify my triggers and create a healthier way to navigate through my emotions.

Writing Tip: Free Flow Writing

This style of writing is to write without thinking or hesitation. You just let the words and emotions flow out of your body and onto paper. This process has helped me with the beginning of writing my trauma stories when I feel overwhelmed with the overarching storytelling process. I begin free-flow writing, and it eases my anxiety.

Sincerely,

Mary

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