The Dara Project

Many different cognitive processes are utilized when we create art. For an overthinker, it can help with creating steps to focus and prioritize details. For someone needing meditative practices, the senses of the art tools and feel of a brush, doughiness of paint, thread of a canvas, or the friction of pencil can provide sensory stimulation. Yet, these processes are not alone to art. Someone on a Pilates reformer can feel interoceptive awareness of different muscles to help activate other parts of their brain, while sliding and practicing tense and relaxation. A child jumping in a puddle feels both the puddle, the displacement of the water, and the rubber of their shoes (or the earth beneath their toes). Never stop making art, whether it is on canvas, dancing, or jumping in puddles.

Never stop

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i began noticing that i was slowly healing from trauma, in a few different ways. i’m not so scared of conflict anymore. it doesn’t feel like my whole world is tumbling down if i’m not agreeable, or if someone is arguing with me. nowadays i think a bit of conflict can really help clear the air and release emotions. i also used to tolerate people treating me poorly; being in friendships where i felt like i was always the punchline of jokes, i went on dates with guys who were condescending towards me, i let my boss be abusive towards me and ended every shift crying in the bathroom. i never got the opportunity to have trauma therapy because i was denied the one i applied for, and after that i felt discouraged. but i have been doing trauma work on my own without even really realizing it. i have been challenging fears and triggers with tools i learnt in CBT, i have been practicing self compassion and i have been writing thousands and thousands of words about my traumas. trauma made me desperately want to be the “cool girl”, the girl who is unbothered and untouchable, the girl who’s always down for everything and doesn’t care if people walk all over her. i tried to be that girl as a defense mechanism for a long time but I realized that i’m not that girl, and i’m not sure she really exists. i’m painfully sensitive and highly opinionated and i am not chill in the slightest haha. and that’s okay. working though my traumas through creative expression and self compassion has helped me grow a lot, but I still have work to be done. i would love to get trauma therapy in the future if i get the chance to, once the pandemic isn’t so smothering, but for now i will keep working on myself in my own pace. my next post will be about signs that you’re healing from trauma, and maybe i’ll go into some more things you can do to help yourself if you don’t have access to care right now. how has trauma affected the way you move in this world ? what do you do to cope ? 💓

Registration is open for our 2021 Somatic Experiencing® Virtual Conference! Three special days with the leaders in Somatic Experiencing!
Link for more info: https://traumahealing.org/SEIntConference2021

FEATURING SPECIAL APPEARANCES FROM: Dr. Peter A Levine, Dr. Jack Kornfield, Dr. Edith Eger, Alanis Morissette, Efu Nyaki, Ruth Lanius, Stephen W. Porges, Betsy Polatin, and many more!
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What is Psychological Trauma? - Trauma Series Part 1

After my story the other day, most followers wanted to know more about trauma. So, today the start of my trauma series on here! Trauma is something that is very relevant to many and can be very difficult to navigate.

Therefore, today's post is focused on what psychological trauma actually is.

👉 Trauma is an emotional reaction which can result from a negative, impactful experience.

👉 There can be sudden trauma, resulting from accidents, disasters or negative events. Or, Some trauma can be long-term, such as enduring abuse.

👉 Immediate trauma symptoms are shock, denial and numbness. While more long-term trauma symptoms are flashbacks, emotional imbalance, anxiety, fear and guilt.

👉 Some people develop (complex) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of trauma. There are many forms of trauma, so healing can look very different. Therapies like EMDR and CBT often assist healing trauma.

As this is a series, I will create more posts about trauma. Is there any specific topic relating to trauma you would like to know more about? Please let me know below👇

Follow for more insights on mental health and psychology 🧠. Stay tuned for more on trauma!
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