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Healthcare - Holistic and Modern

Practices for feeling safe

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optic

Poland
3 Posts

Posted - Mar 07 2022 : 10:00:22 AM

Hello,

I've a background anxiety and feel an undertone of fear most of the time. I tried individual and group therapy, but was mostly stuck in my head the whole time and it didn't work like I'd want to.

I did research and I think I found the issue -- trauma, probably from childhood. The resources I read talk about feeling of safety as a precondition for healing and I'm looking for practices to cultivate that and also a relaxation response in the body. Somatic experiencing helps, I'm seeing a therapist in this modality and it gives me hope for the future.

I found very slow movements help. I get tears in my eyes and waves of energy being released. Sometimes there is an emotion freed from the muscle system.

I'm looking for other practices. Things I found so far:
- metta practice
- very slow movements with eyes closed
- very slow qi gong
- imagining petting a dog
- imagining holding hands with someone I like and feel safe with

Any other ideas? Anything that calms the sympathetic branch of the nervous system and promotes relaxation will do.

Thank you.

Christi

United Kingdom
4154 Posts

Posted - Mar 11 2022 : 03:45:56 AM

Hi Optic,

Welcome to the forum!

Working with trauma is not an easy thing to do. How you go about it can depend partly on the cause of the trauma. But for many people, time is the greatest healer. On top of that, taking long walks in the countryside can help. Taking slow, deep breaths, releasing any held anxiety that is stored in the system, can help. Remaining active in the world, serving others, socialising, and so on, can all be beneficial as well. And of course, having a good councillor, or therapist can help.

When it comes to metta practice, this can certainly be beneficial in many cases, although you need to be careful how you approach it. If the trauma was caused by something that someone did to you in the past, or is still doing to you in the present, then approaching metta practice in a very measured way is wisest.

This is a description of one form of metta practice, using four stages.

https://www.aypinternational.com/co...ss-practice/

If your trauma was caused by something that someone did to you, then you could leave out stage three to begin with, skipping straight from stage two to stage four. You would need to develop mental and emotional strength first, before you could begin to include stage three in the practice. And even then, it would be best to approach stage three gently at first.

If your taruma was not caused by something that someone did to you, or is still doing to you, then you can include all four stages of metta practice.

If metta practice is approached at the right time, and in the right way, it can be one of the greatest healing practices available.

Christi

Blanche

USA
808 Posts

Posted - Mar 12 2022 : 1:53:32 PM

Hi Optic,

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for sharing your struggles. Working with a therapist is great � and we do not offer medical advice here. But obviously there are other things you could do to heal. Your strategy of using multiple approaches to deal with the anxiety, making conscious efforts to heal, and looking at yourself holistically will give results. In a way, illness is just another modality of dealing with life, and healing requires changes at multiple levels to get to another healthy state.

Strong emotions always change the breathing pattern. There is no anxious state in which the breath remains steady and calm. Thus, if you can go back to a steady and calm breath, your anxiety will diminish. How do you do that?

Start by bringing the attention to the breath. Notice how immediately the breath starts to slow down. Naturally, your body and mind move toward a healthy calm state when given the opportunity.

Practice equalizing the length of inhalation and exhalation � e.g. count to 4 on inhalation, and then to 4 on exhalation. Practice like this at least 10 times every day. Slowly increase the length of your breath until you can easily and slowly count to 10 on each inhalation and exhalation.

Once you practice this for about two weeks, you could employ this technique when you notice the anxiety coming on. Simply return to your breath and count, and notice how the emotions, the body, and mind start to relax and calm down.

Another advice is to learn and practice at least 10 full yogic breaths every day (called also three-part yogic breaths).

Further work to get to know yourself, working with a therapist, keeping a journal, learning to meditate will contribute toward a healthy and happy life.
The guru is in you.