The Brain Can Do Hard Things
This week has been a tough one. The spiraling nature of growth (post-trauma) has been hitting me hard. I have turned the kindness and love I show for others towards myself. This idea by Curt Thompson, author and psychiatrist, has helped. He writes that:
the brain can do hard things for a long time if it’s not alone.
I have shared tid-bits with friends, journaled with my friendly pen, shared my pain to my partner, called upon my spiritual mothers at my home altar, and generally slowed down to pay attention to the emotions of fear, anger, sorrow, gratitude, and loss. I have chosen exercise that will sooth me this week. I have done the bare minimum with my job responsibilities.
If the general definition of trauma is the absence of connection after a rupturing event, then post-traumatic growth happens when we are listened to and when our stories are given supportive and caring witnesses. Posttraumatic growth is a transformative process after a seismic rupture in our lives that alters how we view ourselves and others. Our value systems no longer work. Our family values no longer serve us. The communication styles we were using in our relationships do not keep us safe.
But an openness, curiosity, and optimism can help trauma survivors not only survive, but thrive, and reinvent their story, as long as it is accompanied by the company of those who listen, affirm, support, and pay attention.
The Writing Shed also recognizes that no writer writes alone, and we need to come together to journal because we heal in community. When we listen to one another’s stories, whether traumatic or celebratory, we feel seen and heard. We are a learning community where the pen is our friend. And we recognize that we are all unique. No two sheds from the women in our community would look alike, and no two stories would be told exactly the same way!
Join me in community with others who are allies of your healing journey for an Online Journaling Workshop To Tame Your Stress Dragons
Saturday, Oct. 26
10 – 11:30 (MT) / 12 – 1:30 (ET)
on Zoom
Register: www.jessicamaggiebrophy.com/registration