Teaching the Body Safety

 I’ve worked on healing my little girl for many, many years.

So much has changed.

The shame.

The guilt.

The feelings of worthlessness.

The beliefs I was taught as a child that I now know were never true.

I’ve changed the stories.

But here’s the catch.

I’m beginning to understand that trauma isn’t only something we remember with our minds. The nervous system can learn patterns of protection, and those patterns can continue long after the original danger is gone.

I had no idea this was possible until a few months ago.

I’m learning about the relationship between the brain, the nervous system, and pain. And I’m beginning to understand that the nervous system can play a powerful role in how we experience physical pain, as well as emotional experiences like anxiety and fear.

This has changed the way I look at healing.

 My body needs something different now.

Safety.

It’s time to teach my nervous system that I am safe.

Not by forcing it.

Not by arguing with it.

Not by demanding that it heal.

But gently.

Patiently.

Over and over again.

You are safe now.

You are not that little girl anymore.

The danger has passed.

You don’t have to brace anymore.

Maybe this is where freedom begins.

Not in making the past disappear.

But in teaching the body that it doesn’t have to keep living there.