Are Your Stories Making You Sick?
Oftentimes, stories show up as defenses; they offer a coat of armoring around unprocessed traumas. When we were in our younger, formative years, they provided us a logical reason for why our caregivers would hurt us. Back then, the stories might have assisted us in staying alive. That is to say, they were an adaptation.
Simply put, traumas are the energy of incomplete arousal states* that are locked in our body. Arousal states hold tremendous amounts of charge and, therefore, reverberate when stuck in our bodies. In order to release the charge, the arousal experience needs to be completed.
By continuously telling stories, we are keeping the highly-charged arousal states locked in the body. These arousal states contain hormones**that are meant to stay in the body for only seconds at a time. Left in the body for longer periods, these chemicals induce inflammation, which then causes a host of physical issues, including disease.
The energy of these incomplete arousal states store themselves in the body; from the epidermis of the skin, all the way to the marrow in the bones, and everything in between. Therefore, to “process” traumas, we must utilize the body to gain access to the energy of these arousal states. A trained somatic practitioner is a necessary piece in this process. She/he will be able to gracefully create a container of safety while simultaneously challenging the stories created around the traumas.
*Flight, fight, freeze
**Namely, cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine
The Now-What Work:
Partake in a self-experiment. For 3 days do the following when you become activated by the world -
Without judgment and only curiosity, notice the core beliefs you tell yourself. Examples of core beliefs: “I did something wrong.” “I fail at everything.” “It’s always my fault.” “I’m not good enough for_____.” Etc, etc.
Notice the stories you tell others in defense of these core beliefs.
Roll up your sleeves, make an appointment with a somatic practitioner and prepare to find your true Self - who you are without your stories.