One of the primary roots of suffering, dis-ease and incoherent resonance is an underlying belief that you are not safe and under a chronic level of threat. Usually, this perception is associated with any type of past (including ancestral trauma) or present trauma that has not been completely resolved and/or is still playing out in real time.
With trauma (regardless of whether it’s physical, emotional or mental in origin) the body goes into a multi-level survival mode. Dr. Robert K. Naviaux, MD PhD is a prominent researcher on “The Cell Danger Response”. His work has shown that any type of persistent trauma can trigger a universal cellular response to threat, stress or injury. At the cellular level, this is characterized by a hardening of the cell membrane, release of ATP into the extracellular space reducing the cell’s potential for energy production, activation of innate immunity and changes in the gut microbiome. In an ideal scenario, this response to trauma is short lived and should fully resolve with complete healing. However, in situations where the healing cycle gets disrupted, this cellular pattern persists leading to symptoms such as fatigue, fragmented sleep, pain and increased light, sound and tactile hypersensitivity. Taking this a step further to the interpersonal level, it is common to also experience reduced socialization.
The Cell Danger Response is consistent with the Polyvagal theory where stress and perceived threat result in reduced vagal tone and similar physiological and social consequences. Basically, when you chronically do not perceive you are safe, your mood, sleep, immune system, autonomic nervous system, energy, digestion, sensitivity to the world around you and pain experience all become dysregulated making it difficult for you to function and engage in meaningful social interaction creating a perpetual vicious cycle. Yikes!
When working to heal trauma, an important consideration is: Are there any threats still actually there or are they just being perceived as so? With a history of physical/emotional/mental trauma such as surgery, physical injury, abuse, adverse childhood experiences and/or PTSD the actual threat has passed. In these cases, you are dealing with a body-heart-mind-soul that still believes danger is still present. What these dimensions of yourself really need is to realize they are safe (provided they genuinely are and not still in actual danger)..
However, what about in situations where a threat is actually still going on but you aren’t aware of it? This specifically concerns pathogenic and/or chemical derived traumas that are being continuously experienced within our cells for many of us and most of the time without our conscious awareness.
Let’s consider the pandemic situation of the “long hauler” COVID cases where we are seeing multiple tissues and organs exhibit chronic problems associated with the virus spreading and setting up shop throughout the body. This can happen not only with the COVID virus but other types of pathogens as well. The Epsein-Barr (mono) virus, Herpes virus and Lyme disease are examples. The problem with diagnosing these is that our current medical testing only tests bodily fluids such as the blood, mucous, urine and stool. We do not typically take tissue cultures from organs, such as the brain and nervous system (locations hypothesized for them to reside in) and test for the many different types of potential pathogens. We also must consider that there are many other types of strains of these pathogens that likely exist that we are currently unaware of let alone be able to accurately test for them. Just because we can’t currently test for them or your lab values come back negative does not mean that they cannot exist.
In addition to potential pathogens, we also must respect all the potential chemicals our bodies are exposed to and really appreciate the burden our immune and detoxification systems are under as they are constantly trying to keep us clean and healthy. One study found up to 287 different chemical pollutants in the umbilical cord of newborn babies and that up to 80% of chemicals detected in maternal blood samples can show up in the umbilical cord of newborns. We therefore pass our toxins down to our children which is likely generating a cumulative effect with each generation (contributing to ancestral trauma patterns).
Therefore, when we see persistent trauma states with chronic symptoms such as dysregulated mood, sleep, immunity, autonomic nervous system function (ex-POTs), energy, digestion, hypersensitivity to the world around you and increased pain we have to consider what is still might be feeding the trauma pattern. What elements are still active and which are in the past but you are still perceptiving in present time?
Furthermore, when healing trauma from a body-heart-mind-soul approach the following aspects must be considered. What aspects of each dimension are actually experiencing or believe they are still experiencing trauma and under perceived threat? How do you best facilitate healing them?
- Does your body: (link to guide)
- Require nutritional support and guidance to physically detox to eliminate any underlying pathogenic and/or toxic burden?
- Need to become reacquainted with appropriate sensation and movement patterns?
- Have certain primitive reflexes that are active and require integration?
- Need to restore (or in some cases learn for the first time) how to breathe in a pattern consistent with a parasympathetic, “rest and digest” state of being vs a sympathetic “fight or flight” state of existence?
- Require energy techniques such as biofield tuning, to adjust the aspect of your biofield that corresponds to the area of the physical body in need of healing?
- Need your heart, mind and/or soul to heal certain elements before it can heal itself?
- Have other needs? Likely yes as there are many other possible techniques, tools, resources, recommendations and knowledge. ….
- Does your heart: (link to guide)
- Need to release a mound of trapped emotions stuck within the body?
- Require energy techniques such as biofield tuning, to adjust the biofield that corresponds to the unprocessed emotion(s) in need of healing?
- Want specific types of guided meditations and imagery to successfully navigate its emotional reservoir?
- Need your body, mind and/or soul to heal certain elements to then be able to unlock its ability to heal?
- Have other needs? Likely yes as there are many other possible techniques, tools, resources, recommendations and knowledge
- Does your mind: (link to guide)
- Need methods to let go of self-limiting and false beliefs about who you are and your relationship with your world?
- Want an approach where it can learn how to live in an empowered state of being by learning to let go of victim consciousness?
- Require energy techniques such as biofield tuning, to adjust the aspect of your biofield that corresponds to the self-limiting belief in need of healing?
- Need your body, heart and/or soul to heal certain elements to then allow your mind to be able to reprogram itself?
- Have other needs? Likely yes as there are many other possible techniques, tools, resources, recommendations and knowledge….
- Does your soul: (link to guide)
- Yearn for methods that will facilitate a reconnection with yourself where you can finally access an unlimited reservoir of unconditional love and acceptance to fuel not only your healing potential but also realize your life purpose?
- Desire techniques that enable you to perceive yourself as a special unique irreducible soul but also a part of the greater whole of unity consciousness?
- Require energy techniques such as biofield tuning, to adjust the aspect of your biofield that corresponds to the lack of connection to unconditional self-love and acceptance?
- Need your body, heart and/or mind to heal certain elements so you can unite with your soul?
- Have other needs? Likely yes as there are many other possible techniques, tools, resources, recommendations and knowledge…..
The bottom line is that your body-heart-mind-soul all need to all be on the same page and in agreement that you are indeed safe and sound in both actual and perceived reality. The Master Guide has the techniques, tools, resources, recommendations and knowledge to guide you along your journey.
Resourcing Safety Meditation-Needs to be recorded
- Get into a comfortable position either sitting or laying down in a quiet space where you will be undisturbed.
- Imagine roots coming out of your feet and tailbone and going straight into the center of the earth where you are now tapped into Earth’s core energy source.
- As you inhale you take in whatever resources you require from the earth at this time to feel and be safe, protected and able to trust in whatever the flow of life brings your way..
- As you exhale you let go of whatever fears, uncertainty and anxiety you need to let go of that are best served by being recycled by the Earth.
- Take a few more breaths softly, slowly and fully breathing in through your nose what you need to be completely safe and through pursed lips softly, slowly and fully breathing out any fears. Get every last drop of air out of your lungs.
- Set the intention that your breath and connection to the Earth will continue to serve this function through the remainder of this meditation and beyond.
- Imagine your Higher Self, the wisest and most luminous aspect of you infinitely up in the sky, throws down a ribbon for you to catch.
- Notice the color and texture of this ribbon and place it on the crown of your head where it will serve as a conduit between your higher self and you to receive whatever insight and guidance you require.
- As you inhale, set your intention to draw in whatever resources you need to feel safe and as you exhale let go of whatever fears or blocks to resourcing safety to be discharged in this direction.
- Inhale softly, slowly and fully through your nose and exhale softly, slowly and fully ensuring you extinguish all your air as you sense your abdominals drawing in.
- You are now going to connect with your boundary, a double layered membrane extending about an arm’s length away from your body in all directions, up, down, front, back and side to side. This boundary serves as a bi-directional filter preventing toxic energies and circumstances from entering while allowing healthy vibes and situations in. Likewise, your boundary helps you contain any negative energy you don’t want to share with the world around you while also permitting you to send out positive intentions and love. Your boundary is your ultimate source of safety.
- Take a few breaths to connect with your boundary, just noticing what you see and sense.
- Inhale, drawing pure eternal safety and security from the Earth and your Higher Self into your boundary.
- Exhale, letting go of any fears that are weakening your boundary. Send these fears to wherever it is best for them to go and be recycled, the Earth, your Higher Self, or elsewhere.
- Now that you are fully connected to the earth, your higher self and boundary with all the resources you need and the outlets to let go of what you no longer need you are going to set your intention to embody on all levels of your being full conscious awareness of your eternal safety and security. State the following, “ I set the intention to embody full conscious awareness of my eternal safety and security.”
- Imagine a time or place in your life where you felt completely at peace, relaxed, safe and secure.
- Let yourself go to this most relaxing safe place. It may be a place out in nature; the beach, a lake, a place up in the mountains, a meadow, or perhaps it’s a place in your own home or backyard.
- Let yourself just be there now, in your favorite, most relaxing safe place. What do you like about this place?
- Begin to use all your senses to be there now. Visualize all of your favorite scenery and favorite things around you. Notice the colors, the textures, the shapes. Begin to listen to your favorite sounds there. What do you hear around you? Now smell your favorite aromas there. What are you smelling? Are you eating or tasting anything in your mouth? Just feel the familiar feelings there in your favorite, most relaxing safe place.
- What do you notice in your body now? Do you feel more relaxed? Calmer?
- This place, wherever you are right now, is your sacred safe space that you can come to at any time when you want to relax or if you are feeling uncomfortable and need a safe area. Witness yourself here, in this experience. As if you were viewing yourself from above. Observe yourself fully immersed in this experience in one of your favorite most relaxing safe places.
- At this time, bring your hands and fingers together in whatever way you want, that feels specific to this place. This creates an anchor for you in this space. Anytime you bring your hands back into this position, you will come right back to this place, back to your favorite, most relaxing safe place using all your senses to be here. Acknowledge the hand position you have selected at this time and anchor your favorite, most relaxing safe place into this hand position.
- It is recommended that you write down the hand position you have selected to ensure you remember it and can utilize this anchor whenever you need it. You may also write down any other information about this space and you may visit and explore any time you want.
- Remember you may use this most relaxing safe place and your hand anchor anytime to ground yourself, breathe and relax. You simply bring your hands into your anchor position and breathe.
Safety Reflection
- Reflect on your current state of sensing, feeling, and perceiving that you are safe and secure in your life.
- Do you notice an overall pattern or are there certain triggers which make you feel that way? What or who are they?
- What are you fearful of?
- Reflect on how you may still be under the perception that any past traumas (of any nature) might still be active in your body-heart-mind-soul complex. How might they be presenting themselves?
- Reflect on how any underlying perception of threat you have plays out in the choices and behaviors you had previously made and currently make.
- Do you try to over-control certain aspects (or maybe all) of your life?
- Are you a major planner vs “going with the flow” and being able to be spontaneous?
- Are you risk averse?
- Do you feel comfortable with new experiences, situations and people?
- Are you hypersensitive to chemicals, light, sound, smells, or foods? Do you have allergies?
