Understanding Trauma in Daily Life

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YOU CANT RUN AWAY FAST ENOUGH: NOTWANTING TO BE HERE

Understanding Trauma in Daily Life: The Relationship

between Trauma in Body Psychotherapy and theFormation of Samskaras (triggers) in Yoga Philosophy

Synopsi s

Trauma, traumatic experience, pain, and unpleasantness is a fact of life in thesense that we all will experience pain in life, but we all deal with it differently,sometimes not very efficiently skillfully or functionally. For some of us aterrifying experience may produce a deep seated trauma that might cause a

disruption and impairment of the rest of our life (creating dysfunction orpathology). Very often severe trauma is experienced (and imprinted upon thecellular memory and neuro-physiology) at birth and early infancy. For some,trauma begins in the womb (prenatal), while there is sufficient evidence tosuggest that it can be peri-natal as well. Certainly early childhood is full oftraumas big and small, but a healthy child is flexible and resilient -- they stayopen to fresh new experiences. How well we rebound from and integrate theseearly painful and often terrifying experiences can make or break our future

development and creative evolutionary potential.Here we will call trauma any painful unintegrated and unresolved pastexperience that has left an imprint which triggers future dissociation,inhibition, compulsion, fears, hypervigilence, paranoia, anguish, and/or othernegative dysfunctional modalities either emotionally and/or in the bodyphysiology. Such is often termed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) orsyndrome (PTSS).

Although some degree of injury, pain, and trauma is unavoidable in life,considerable energy may be invested in minimizing its potential harm.Through experience we learn how to evaluate risks and avoid it. Let it be saidfrom the outset that in many instances over-protectedness, hyper-vigilance,moral condemnation, the issuing of taboo, warnings, threat of punishment, theneed to dominate others, win, be in control, and aggression in general can allbe seen as the results of past unresolved "injuries" and trauma, Especially theneed to intimidate others such as the terrorization and psychological o

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physical punishment of children "for their own good" in itself is often a resultof past trauma that has been externalized (in a sense of reverse projectionupon the child) and then becomes part of a vicious circle of thetransgenerational continuation of trauma and terrorism, which in most casesalso leave a lasting scar on its new victims (the child). In the case of punishing

children for their own good, the negative effects of this so called preventivetreatment becomes worse than the original malady.

The passing down of transgenerational trauma on a psychological level will bediscussed later, but since we are on the subject we may briefly touch it heresince it does have a physical component i.e., in the neurophysiology.

Transgenerational trauma has been proven to be passed down more subtlythan in the act of simple corporeal punishment. Nor is transgenerational

trauma limited to intentional acts of mental/emotional punishment or verbalcruelty, rather it occurs more subtly and mostly unconsciously through rightbrain modalities (of sound, facial expressions, and psychic energy) especiallyin pre-natal and early childhood. Here we are saying that psychological injury(and hence from there physical injury) can be triggered through tonality,gesture, facial expression, silence, or even thought. Here even neglect and aswell as emotional and sensory deprivation of a young infant at an early agewill harm/cause injury to them both neuro-physiologically as well asemotionally. Later we show that neuro-physiological and emotional/mental

injuries go hand in hand.

In short, the very young child is very open and vulnerable and that is healthy.They bond with the mother (and to some extent with the father) before birth inthe womb. Here the bonding involves both nervous systems (the child'snervous system and the mother's) which of course at that time is veryintimately connected. Thus whatever the mother bonds with at that time willalso affect the embryonic development. If the mother (and to an extent thefather) harbors unresolved traumatic elements, it will show up neuro-physiologically in the child, i.e., the infant will recognize it in a primal right-brain way and reacts, attempting to cope/adapt to that. When growing up(conditioned by family and society) the neuro-physiology of onesenvironment in terms of authority figures, peers, and especially in terms ofwhat people to fear, obey, and/or emulate usually strongly affects thedeveloping nervous system of the child. These conditioned mechanisms ofreaction most often become automatic and unconscious and hence becom




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difficult to unravel in the older adult through neur -physiologicalreprogramming modalities.

The mildest effects are that of ordinary coping and adapting, while thestrongest effects are in an adaptation that severely cripples the childs own

organic development. This type of negative transgenerational neuro-physiological programming/conditioning usually occurs without consciousawareness and although deep seated is difficult to unravel and bring to thelight of day without a trained therapist who is looking for its pattern.Obviously more attention is needed in educating parents (especially those whohave been abused while a child) in becoming aware of their past abusivepatterns while welcoming the birth of their "new" child as a sacredopportunity to reconnect with their own dissociated or inhibited creative rightbrain process.

While simple injuries leave few lasting scars, severe and painful injuries,which do not completely heal psychologically, leave both physical and mentalresidues. Even if mild abuse and trauma are repeated over and over againand/or similar syndromes arise where one is repeatedly traumatized, then mostcertainly habitual coping and adaptive mechanisms and habits becomeingrained/imprinted even when the threat of repeated trauma is over. Traumathen can tragically become "a fact of life. One becomes familiar with it andexpects it it becomes "reality" and as such self perpetuating. The victim

actually finds some comfort in its predictability. This, in fact, is one way thatcruel men train animals -- this is how some dysfunctional families "function" -- this is how some organizations function (such as armies, criminal justicesystems, etc). Later we will show how these embedded imprints (samskaras)have a discrete energy signature that can be identified to by one who hasreached a certain degree of self clarity, integration, regulation and thus onebecomes able to extricate oneself from its previously unconscious clutchesand/or to point out such tendencies and syndromes as dysfunctional patterning

and help reprogram others.Severe traumatic experiences for many leaves long lasting scars or residues interms of fear, resentment, hatred, bigotry, aggressiveness, anger,defensive/aggressive syndromes, dissociation, submissiveness, withdrawal,emotional numbness, distance, rigidity, hyperactivity, etc., depending uponthe individual's unique circumstances and constitution. These imprinted scarsseverely closes one down from their creative potential in the moment -- the

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create a barrier from being open to further positive experiences Further on,we will learn how to recognize these syndromes and then how to deprogramthese as well. Without successful deprogramming, defusing, re-wiring,repatterning, re-alignment, or re-integration many people become ready to"blow their fuse", "walking time bombs ready to explode", "wound up tight as

a spring", "ready to spring a leak", "cocked and ready to go off on a hairtrigger", "hanging by a thread", and are experienced using the descriptiveidioms of having a "short fuse", "walking on a thin ice", being "too highstrung", "ready to blow", and a myriad others. Although there exists acommon lexicon for these processes, they, being organic processes) usuallyexist outside of the modern day urban therapeutic contexts, although as weshall see indigenous cultures instituted (both daytime and dreamtime)integrated preventative measures as well as remedies, which were built-in to(integrated and in concert with) their everyday way of life, integrated

relationship to nature, the body, neuro-physiology (albeit using differentsymbols than the modern laboratory) and in most valuable in terms ofembodiment -- manifesting eternal spirit as sacred presence within the contextof organic creation (living spirit).

We will make use of the mechanism of how the body reacts to or organizesaround a physical trauma as a model for psychological trauma. A physicaltrauma is easy to recognize as it is coarse, physical, tangible and obvious ascompared to a psychological trauma which is more subtle and hence moredifficult at first to recognize. However most this is a two way street, thebody/mind being a wholistic system, thus many severe physical traumas havethe potential to convey severe psychological trauma if not integrated.Especially the threat of physical harm or pain can cause psychic distress, oftencausing as much more lasting damage to the neuro-physiology, than the actualphysical event. Although the aftermath of physical trauma does not have toproduce any psychological residues, in many cases it does (such as in the caseof receiving a severe beating from most often leaves some emotional scars as

well). Just so, most psychological traumas produce physical symptoms aswell.

Albeit far more subtle, it is wise to acknowledge that for every so calledpsychological trauma, there exists a psycho-neuro-physiological reaction. Thisis being mapped out in modern day psycho-neurophysiology in great detail.Although rather technical, much of this recent development is detailed inAllan Schore's book "Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self: th




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Neurobiology of Emotional Development". Thus in this wholistic mind/bodsituation there is never a purely psychological trauma in that it doesn't existapart from the neuro-physiology, cellular memory, and/or oftenneuromuscular system in the form of neuromuscular armoring and/ormuscular hypotonia. Yet what we will term aspsychological trauma in the

following are those which are induced/caused by pain to the psyche i.e.,emotional and psychological pain which secondarily creates a physiologicalreaction.

I nt r oduct i on t o PTSS

We will see how post traumatic syndromes in their myriad forms severelylimit and filter out our future potential experience. As such we will judge themto be crippling to some degree, and further as such, they will be deemed

undesirable and pathological, to the perpetuator, the victim, the community,society, nation, and ecology as a whole. PTSS is a bad deal all the wayaround. In the following discussion we will learn how to access anddeprogram them from the standpoint of body psychotherapy, deep ecology,eco-psychology, somatics, wholistic health, and yoga while disclosing theunitive context that underlies them all.

Here we will discuss trauma as the precursor to the creation of samskaras(biopsychic imprints or scars which coexist both at the cellular level andenergetic envelope). These are the triggers, buttons that are pushed, "chains"that are yanked, and so forth that activate the Post Traumatic StressSyndromes (PTSS). The syndromes themselves manifest in the form of latentor reactive tendencies, habits, compulsions, and/or behavior (called vasana inSanskrit which are triggered by the latent imbedded circuits called samskara).

In the following (Part One) some general terms and definitions will bedemystified and then specific everyday examples will be presented. We willdiscuss physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual trauma and theirinter-relationships.

Trauma creates energetic and psychic imprints upon the body/mind organism.In a healthy individual the imprints are removed as soon as the injury or threatof injury is over or shortly afterward, something like pushing into a resilientrubber ball, it will be only momentarily distorted. However if these imprintsare not successfully discharged they will form "buttons" that can be pushed in




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the future, chains that can be yanked, strings that can be pulled andmanipulated, red flags that can be waved, and the like activating a reactivesyndrome. Samskaras (or buttons) when they are pushed can activatemechanisms of action and behavior which are called vasanas in yogicterminology or in terms of body psychotherapy, Post Traumatic Stress

Disorders (PTSD) or Post Traumatic Stress Syndromes (PTSS). In a simpleror more moderate form the resultant behavior can be characterized simply asthe manifestation of neuroses.

Here we will start with an overly simplistic example. A person who sees anew car go by that he wants to have, but can't afford, goes into a store andbuys a surrogate beer to assuage -- a neurotic compensation for the pain or selfcensure of not possessing the object of one's desire. Is the automobile itselfreally the prime object of his desire? Probably not. It may be a symbol of his

need for freedom, for movement, for self importance, as a symbol of success,self worth, and/or many other symbolic or neuroticrepresentations/substitutions. In this example the beer is an accessible selfgratifying substitute for a substitute, and in that sense the sublimations canbecome infinitely convoluted (tragic neurotic and unconscious compensatorymechanisms attempting to assuage the pain of separation from the "object ofdesire". Later we will delve into the ultimate object of desire or rather betterput, the attainment of fulfillment, completeness, wholeness, and ultimateintegration,

In the last part we will discuss the primal causes of neurotic behavior as theprimal split/rend or separation, but suffice it to say that in this example, thisman avoids experiencing the pain and self censor of not having the automobileby entering into an activity of consuming and being consumed with the beer.

In a healthy, resilient, and what we will call later athriving liquid organism,traumatic events large or small do not leave scars (samskaras). Rather theorganism continues onward with the wisdom of the experience allowing themto make better and wiser choices, ever expanding their horizon of life. In otherpeople samskaras are formed daily as small bruises that may become huge andfestering chronic injuries and the organism becomes over come anddysfunctional as a result. Certainly thedegreeor extent of the trauma is afactor in the post traumatic situation, but there exist more causative factorswhich play into how severely one becomes scared or crippled afterwards, howfast and complete the healing process can take effect, and - how quickly on




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becomes resilient and liquid. Below we will define these modalities andpresent everyday examples as well.

Par t I . What i s Trauma and How Does i tCor r espond t o Pai n, Di ssoci at i on,

Fi l t er i ng and Deni al

Physical trauma is easily defined as a physical beating, being beat up,injured, abused, hurt, or otherwise harmed either accidentally, throughfoolishness, by aggression from others, or else consciously self inflicted as anact of self hatred, mortification, or punishment.

During the traumatic experienceone usually feels pain, tries to protect orisolate oneself from the pain through withdrawal, tightening up, contraction inprotection, attempts to armour oneself, attempts to escape, fights back, and inextreme cases writhes in pain, becomes overwhelmed, passes out, dissociates,numbs out, goes limp, or goes into shock. If the pain is "unbearable", thenwithdrawal is not uncommon. Normally in moderate trauma the fight or flightmechanism of the sympathetic nervous system is usually stimulated, but it issometimes not given a satisfactory outlet of expression. Somewhatparadoxically the victim willingly submits, surrenders as a willing participate,and in some cases identifies with the perpetuator as a mechanism of

transference -- as a coping or survival mechanism in order to avoid/escape thepain or transform the experience. This latter complex defense mechanismseems to occur because the victim who is now frustrated, overwhelmed,disempowered, and/or is in deep pain or shock physiologically will jump at anattempt to exchange roles from the hunted to the predator. Physiologically thisgives the victim the option of a total opposite reaction and this is why oftenmany disorganized and traumatized people jump at the chance to join theirenemies after they have become defeated in war or beaten in an event.

However in the more common physical trauma situations, one simply armors,tightens up, contracts around, and closes off the injury as a protectivedefensive mechanism in an attempt to escape or diminish the pain. Most oftenwe also numb out the area and dissociate from. If the pain is unbearable orprolonged one learns how work around it, compensate for it, how to numb itout, or even dissociate from it.




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Afterwards in order to come back into pr -trauma homeostasi then onmust eventually relax, unwind, "loosen up" ,and reactivate the feelings andreconnect the energetics in the area that has been traumatized or injured, buthere is where PTSD and samskaras can get in the way. Thus in the healthyresponse to physical injury there is:

1) the experience of the injury

2) the experience of the pain

3) the healing of the injury

4) the disappearance of the pain

Here trauma is neither the original injury nor the pain. Only when the healing

process becomes interfered with -- the pain is prolonged, the injury repeated,and/or the scars of the injury become a lasting injury do we need to findhealing from the effects of a lingering trauma.

PTSD occurs when we still have not been able to relax, unwind, regain feelingor function in an area or when situations, events, people, or things remind usof the trauma, harm, or abusereactivatethe painful experience, thecontraction, the armor, the violence, the fear or threat of being harmed, thenumbing out, the dissociation, the desire to escape from the body, fromfeeling, and so forth. Anything that chronically activates this mechanism ofcontraction, rigidity, withdrawal, armoring, fear, dissociation, numbness etc,can be called a samskara or psychic which is stored in the cellular memoryand activates not only a physical, but also a corresponding mental andemotional related syndrome (such as fear, anger, grief, aversion, resentment,dumbness, fainting, etc.) In this way we can depict the residues of the physicaltrauma as emotional scars (samskaras) which attach to the energetic psychicaura and armoring of the organism allowing dormant circuits of dysfunction to

become activated.

Here we note that the most efficient response to a potential trauma is beingable to avoid or minimize it through expedient action, for example to avoid orescape a beating or threat through fight or flight mechanisms. If the physicaltrauma is altogether avoided then there is no PTSD left over, except perhaps ifthere was great fear or emotional stress created. Shortly we will also deal withpsychological trauma and its impact upon and accessibility through th




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physical body and breath.

Not everybody who suffers a beating, physical abuse, or other physical traumawill have such psychic scars (PTSD). It has been found that those who havesuccessfully beat off their attackers or who have successfully swam to safety

after a shark bite, who somehow participated in reducing the degree of traumathrough efficient adaptive response, who participated in their own salvation ordestiny, who were not complete victims of an attack or injury, but who wereempowered somewhat in altering the situation suffer far less from PTSD.

It is important to note (we will go back to this later) that there are also strongempirical correlations between those who do not fear future trauma, beatings,threats to their physical well being, and the like with the absence of physicalarmoring, physical contractedness, loss of sensation, dissociation from the

body, etc. Thus effective coping with a past physical trauma as well as frompast acts of physical aggression, and its successful recovery is correlated withthe removal of the psychic scar from the cellular memories stored in thepatterned mechanisms in the physical organism. Successful bodypsychotherapy and yoga both access such scars and dislodge them.

Those who have the most resistance toward recovery, are those who havewithdrawn the most, who suffered severe shock, dissociation, withdrawal,inhibition, nihilism, numbness, despair, and hopelessness. Although inhibition

is one possible common PTS syndrome, also what may appear to be theopposite syndrome of paranoia, aggressiveness, hatred, xenophobia, bigotry,anger, hatred, and violence toward others is another syndrome of not dealingfunctionally with a past traumatic event. It is here that we must work throughthe additional apparently protective armorings of inhibition, denial, pain,dissociation, and even guilt feelings that have become associated with thetraumatic event

Psychol ogi cal Tr auma

In the general population we use the terms terrorized, frozen in terror,petrified, too scared to move, totally shocked, horrified, amazed, knocked out,unbelievable, incomprehensible, sent for a loop, way too much, overwhelmed,fainted, went numb, could not believe it, totally unbelievable, etc. forexperiences that we are not "able" to "come to grips with" or unable integratewith our belief system. Here the psychological pain is so great that one can




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not cope with nor face it; it is unbearable to a point that the trauma victicant believe it, but rather dissociates from it. This rend or dissociation willhaunt them later (as shadow world ghosts or demons) until/if these strongexperiences are finally integrated/resolved in one's actual living organicbiopsychic web.

In psychological trauma, escape, denial, erecting walls of insulation, blockingout the message completely, or substituting (read hallucinating) a completelydifferent message is a psychological mechanism that says: "the pain is toogreat right now for me to bear this -- this is overwhelming to my sense of selfor my belief system, so I am going to take a vacation, filter this, attenuate it,or numb out my mind/perceptional abilities, just as the body floods the systemwith endorphins or goes into shock after being inflicted with a severe physicaltrauma which overwhelms the nervous system. In this situation, the reality --

the truth of the situation, news, or message, being too painful, is then deniedas being real -- one thus attempts to escape the pain of the reality of thesituation into a comfortable lie or otherwise into self deception, dissociation,or even projected identification with the perpetuator as psychological intransference. This mechanism causes a deep psychological rend whichdisplays a button to the world (or a chain to be pulled) ready to reactivate thisreactive/protective defensive circuitry through the course of future eventsshould they "remind" us or signify the original event. One thus becomes one'sown subconscious victim and slave to the casting of this mechanism until it isdeactivated. It is these chains that bind repeatedly us to unhealthy anddysfunctional relationships and make us subject also to emotionalmanipulation by others (as well as fodder for demagogues). In our search toavoid pain, we seek the seemingly "pleasure" of unknowing" and dissociationin a lie, but this lie (delusion) winds up crippling us as we trip over it time andand time again until we become free of its self perpetuating illusory power.Such occurs when we are able to see the truth as-it-is -- withstanding itsapparent truth of suffering and then we are also able to become free of it, thus

creating even more pleasure. Clarity about what-is, thus always leads toliberation and bliss .... eventually. Thus investigating and then becoming freefrom these past negative biofeedback loops, syndromes and imprints leadsessentially to our liberation and creative empowerment.

Just as physiological trauma can produce the psychological effects of fear,mistrust, resentment, grief, despair, guilt, hopelessness, intimidation, lack ofself worth, etc, likewise mental and emotional trauma most often creat




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physiological symptoms of contraction, fight or flight, rigidity, tightness,armoring, numbness, withdrawal, dissociation, shock, and sometimes evenfainting all of which can work negatively with the endocrine and visceralsystems. As such psychological trauma not only can cause physical disease,but conversely true psychological trauma can be accessed and remediated

through somatic healing modalities in a sort of reverse engineering where oneaccesses the trauma as it is embedded deeply in the tissues and nervoussystem and thus the underlying emotional/mental components are thenrecognized, brought into consciousness, titrated, or remediated.

Psychological trauma is very similar to physical trauma, but being moresubtle and less tangible, it is often much more insidious. If one is harmed,beaten down, traumatized, intimidated, put down, scolded, chastised, yelled at,ridiculed, teased, tricked, lied to, or other wise abused or exploited, then there

can be many reactions which may include a psychological as well as physicalcontraction, rigidity, armoring, closing down, intimidation, depression,inhibition, withdrawal, dissociation, denial, escape, defensiveness, resentment,anger, aggressive reaction, and in extreme cases even catatonia. Fight or flightmechanisms may be activated or repressed. The memories of the event may besuppressed, avoided, or even fancified on one hand or may repeatedly comeup as an reenactment in an attempt to integrate. Again like purely physicaltrauma, if one is successful in counteracting it, minimizing it, or avoiding it inthe first place, then the corresponding PTSS residues are much less than onewho finds themselves having been totally immersed in the victimizationprocess and/or the victim of recurrent psychological trauma.

Likewise like physical trauma successful return to a healthy homeostasisinvolves the ability to let go, release the contraction and pain, unwind, relax,re-sensitize, open up, and be vulnerable again (i.e., to trust life as being goodand friendly versus a scary reality that constantly or too often poses a threator is believed to be harmful and adversarial).

Thus PTSD from psychologically induced trauma manifests in general as ademeanor of fear -- a fear of being, a fear of feeling, a closing off towardbeing at the least part vulnerable and present, available and open -- or rather astance of being closed off, shut down, unreachable, well protected, aloof,armored, resentment, grief, depression, withdrawal, dissociated, shock,defensive/aggressive behavior, paranoia, and in extreme cases catatonia.Psychological armor like physiological armor appears as protection fro




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further trauma, hence the habitual contraction or withdrawal from further lifexperiences become deeply implanted as an automatic defense/survivalmechanism. Such psychic imprints or buttons stored in the cellular tissuesmay be dormant and capable of activating these mechanisms when pushed, orthey may be chronic steady states.

Psychological trauma, like physical trauma can be the result of an accident,aggressive activity by others, or self inflicted, but ultimately we will see it isthe result of interpretation by the mind, regardless of how it is intended ordirected through outside agencies. Here taking responsibility is the key infreeing oneself from PTSD due to psychological trauma.

Like, physiological trauma the most resistant types of PTSS are those whichinvolved resignation to the situation, submission, hopelessness, withdrawal,

transference, denial, or guilt. Likewise therapy involves accessing the physicalsymptoms and letting them go alongside with opening up and releasing thestored contractive emotions, memories, pain, and beliefs surrounding thepsychic scar. Even though here we are dealing with psychological trauma, theyoga therapist or body psychotherapist knows how to accesses and release thetrauma in the cellular tissue.

Anything that reminds one of the traumatic situation then appears as apotential threat or source of pain -- appears as a re-traumatization and thus

triggers the act of armoring, withdrawal, rigidity, contraction, defensiveness,aggressiveness, resentment, grief, and so forth. Further armoring can manifestas habitual anger, increased aggressive behavior, and even violence in theorganism's attempt to discharge/release the stored residues of the originaltrauma.

Ef f ect i ve Ther apy ver sus Sympt omat i cTr eat ment

In order for effective therapy to occur, we must realize the nature of traumafirst. As such it must be more recognized that people who have beentraumatized, beaten, brutalized, subjected to abuse, and so forth according tovarious degrees of severity) must be given an effective way "out" -- i.e., aneffective way to release the pain associated with the trauma and then to accessboth the associated psychic and physiological space which have been closedoff or dissociated.




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Here we are not advocating escape, but the opposite, i.e., release withoutdenial, withdrawal, dissociation, blockage, or escape. The effective way out isthrough the opposite of withdrawal, isolation, repression, suppression, and/ordissociation from feeling, because the pain is no longer really present (rather itexists only in the mind as the past). The pain is now only a figment of the

imagination residing as a cellular memory.

As such the solution/remediation is really very simple, but the victim must bewilling to own their own feelings and embrace self. It is based on bringingthe victim back to the present, to the body, to feeling in embracing the realityof what is happening now in the present in the body/mind and breath and thusthe re-integration of the body and mind parts that are connected through theresidual psychic and physiological scar tissue and samskara is re-memberedand made whole again. As such kinesthetically based hatha yoga, Chi Gong,

somatic work such as Heller work, Rolfing, Postural Integration, neo-Reichianmassage, Feldenkrais, Alexander Work, Watsu, Hakomi, Bioenergetics,Biosynthesis, Core Energetics, body psychotherapy, HolographicRepatterning, Body Mind Centering (BMC), and the like are eminentlyvaluable.

On a psychological/spiritual level this therapeutic process is accomplishedthrough self understanding and being present with "self" -- realizing what ishappening in the moment and being present with it without escape,

withdrawal, dissociation, contraction, armoring, and so forth. Therapy occurswhen one is open to it, vulnerable -- when fear, tension, and anxiety lose theirdominant hold. Thus simply creating a non-cynical safe place, and trust goes along way. Then a way of coming back into wholeness, into ones core energyand well springs of creativity become nourished. Healthfully creatingconditions to integrate past experiences can be engineered and such anenvironment includes the physical surroundings, the mental atmosphere, aswell as the physical body which houses the brain and sense organs. Here even

diet therapy and exercise can be integrated with meditation, breathing,somatics, eco-psychology or green psychology to form a wholistic safe placeto re-enter the sacred present. Here the residual pain, grief, resentment,aversion, anger, and all the rest is accessed, breathed into, and let go ofgratefully one learns how to allow new energy to flow through the newlyreintegrated and healed body/mind the heart healed from the a traumaticrend.




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From a safe place of strength and lucidity, being in our core energy, we candeal with anything, thus body-psychotherapy helps establish this ground.From here we no longer have to hide or run away from it, but rather we canput the trauma in its place, in the past where it belongs.

The Most Di f f i cul t Tr aumas t o Heal : Gui l tand Deni al Get s i n t he Way

In many cases of trauma, there exists guilt. Here the "victim" of trauma inorder to avoid dissociation and disorganization comes into an acceptance oftheir situation by viewing it as just punishment for past sins -- that theysomehow deserved the punishment, or brought the event on upon themselves.In order to gain control or order out of the situation some people willrepeatedly punish or victimize themselves or else act in a masochistic fashionin order to stabilize and get a sense of security.

Similarly some victims of physical torture or abuse will identify with theperpetuator in a similar attempt at dissociating the pain of being the victim, inwhat is called reverse transference. The mind often devises methods ofescape, avoidance, denial, or dissociation when the situation is deemed toopainful, unpleasant or unbearable. These mechanisms are devious on purpose(because they are at their roots mechanisms of avoidance) as they involve a

certain amount of role playing and even self deceit which of course producesdissociation. As such they become difficult to disclose to the victim.Conversely as we will see later, the identification of being a victim can havenegative consequences, such aschronically identifying and defining andthus limiting "self" in terms of one's past pains, sufferings, unpleasantexperiences, traumas, suffering, and diseases.This is another kind ofchronic PTSS where the victim is afraid to open up (become vulnerable) tonew experience because it may be painful.

These insidious mechanisms of denial and guilt frequently occur when anevent is judged to be a severe tragedy, grievous event, holocaust orsignificant catastrophe such as in the form of great personal loss, a lost lovedone, relative, friend, pet, object, job, etc. Here one almost always experiencesguilt as in how could I have prevented this? How could I have done somethingbetter? One asks consciously or not, how have I failed this person, group, ororganization, nation, religion, family, or similar. One's self confidence or




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ability to protect the family, neighborhood, nation, pet, rain forest, or friend --some one or thing that one is deeply attached to -- becomes severely shakenand with that ones own self worth, pride, self esteem, and identity. Thegreater the loss coupled with guilt, the greater the pain. Thus family tragedieshave two victims. First the real victim such as a wife run over by a drunk

driver, a daughter kidnapped and raped by a sex offender, a father lost in awar, a sister dying in a bombing, etc. The second victim is those who are leftbehind who suffer the pain, guilt, and trauma of the first trauma, i.e., traumabegets trauma again.

Di schar gi ng t he Anger , Gui l t , and Gr i efof Tr auma: Mi nd Mani pul at i on Usi ng Tr auma

In the healthy individual the psychological pain can be integrated, i.e., thesituation in the cause and effect world can be accepted, acknowledged, andfelt. One does not feel the need to escape, deny, or dissociate from it. Thus inthe healthy person there is a period of reconciliation, grieving, or integrationand then one goes on with life without added burdens. Depending on the depthof the emotional trauma, a certain proportionate amount of soul searching isundergone, and often an unintegrated sense of personal failure occurs. It is inthis situation where those who are not adroit at getting in touch with theirinner feelings become ripe for ersatz symbolic externalization of their feelings

in the form of discharging the pain externally.

In this situation, undergoing such pain, grief, unpleasantness, and selfdisorganization one desires to free oneself from it and the easy way out is toexternalize the blame and discharge it upon an external object, ersatz effigy,straw man, or scapegoat figure. Demagogues manipulate this escapisttendency of victims for their own ends in such instances of national traumawhere the group psyche is extremely disorganized. demagogues provide botha structure to the disorganization, but also the predator mentality which

physiologically is more palatable than the victim physiology. Similarly on amore subtle level marketing experts, Madison avenue, propagandists, andmind manipulators are adroit in finding what buttons (old cellular imprints) topush in order to create a market for their product, to sell an idea, and tomanipulate and/or goad people like sheep. Certainly some people do motivatepeople positively and thus have positive social skills, but on the other handknowing where peoples buttons are, and then being to skillfully use them




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(and reuse them) when neede is the mark of a skilled social manipulator.Most of the latter are on personal power trips, although they would be the lastto admit it. Such people are often driven to amassing comparative advantage,greed, competition, privilege, politics, attaining positions of power overothers, and random acts of jealousy.

For example in externalizing anger into blame and revenge, suchexternalization (although quick and unthinking) is not an effective modality toheal the effects of a past trauma simply by blaming someone. Although thiswill release (discharge) the pain and guilt; it does so only temporarily. Onesuffers from PTSS again every time they are reminded of the situation, andthen every time one must discharge the pain again in outwardly directedanger. Eventually in order to become healed one must come back home andget in touch with the present actual reality of our situation, i.e., the

unintegrated painful event in the cellular memory. Such people are walkingaround with blood on their buttons, that manipulators are attracted to likevampires after hot blood.

Another example, one loses a family member at the WTC on 9/11. One familymember anguished and in pain unable to integrate the loss, takes the easy wayout in anger and outrage toward the perpetuators seeking an external object toblame. The trauma actually triggers the syndrome of lusting for the blood ofothers. Further reminding them of the trauma, further creates the victims

aggressiveness. Also there becomes a blurriness between the victim (lovedone) who suffered the original trauma, violence, or tragedy and the survivorwho is a new trauma victim of the first trauma. One may thus tend to act inrevenge (hatred based on punishment and a sense of anguished and distorted

justice on behalf of the lost or victimized loved one, rather than owning uthat this discharge of the internalized pain upon an external object of dislike isto satisfy one's own discomfort or guilt. Such a person is easy fodder for ademagogue who wishes to shift blame, hatred, and war unto an external

enemy for the demagogue's own gain (usually control, power, fame, and/orgreed).

War, like prison, tell many more examples of trauma on a daily basis thandomestic life. That is another reason why both should be avoided bothshould be seen as last resorts when all other approaches of prevention havebeen intelligently and sincerely attempted. I remember when I was a youngchild of 6, I frequently noticed this man who would walk around th




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neighborhood and when ever an airplane could be heard he would look uanxiously. He would often start holding his head with his arms, duck, and darthis head around anxiously and in hypervigilence. I was confusedsimultaneously alarmed and feeling sympathy for his obvious pain. Of coursemy experience was different so I could not understand what he was going

through as a veteran of WW II, but I wanted to find out. No one wanted toexplain (maybe they couldn't), but I persisted and found at least the name ofhis "disease" -- that he was suffering from "shell shock".

Of course I still could not understand it, but at least I could give it a name. SoI would try to engage him from my little experience, with little success. Iwould ask him what he was looking at. that there was nothing there, etc. Herarely paid me any attention. He was the first ostensible victim of PTSS that Iremember.

A Vietnam veteran friend is a more recent situation. He is a real "character".He learned to hate in order to kill the fear. Later he learned to teach himselfthat he liked to kill that it was fun in order to adapt to everyday life. Thisfriend was a lieutenant in the air infantry and spent much time in the jungle. Inthat kind of modality it is easy to commit many cruelties and brutalities, whichhe did going far beyond being a sadist as a leader of young and frightenedkids most of them fresh out of high school. Although still suffering from dailynightmares and flashbacks, alcoholism, and other dysfunction, at least he is

lucid about his history. He has a sense of humor about it, except when he seesanother homeless vet in the streets when a remorse and anger over takes him.

He, as were many Vietnam vets, came back "altered" because of theiradaptation to daily life as death, brutality, and organized murder; yet the armyhad no debriefing mechanism for them and simply (and stupidly)let them outon the streets as soon as they got back. The results were both predictable andtragic.

The vets that had the least difficulty in readjusting to civilian life were thosewho could admit to themselves that the war was useless, stupid, dysfunctional,and a mistake. They had to admit that they were simply being used orvictimized in a meaningless war (for them) by the war machine. Then afterthey were able to say: hey I was young and made a mistake I was usedthen, but not anymore. Then, having placed the trauma behind them, theybecome able to put that experience behind them and pick up their lives again.




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It's not easy

But those who had the most difficulty in readapting to civilian life werethose who refused to see that they made any mistake at all, that the unpopularwar was wrong at all, that killing for peace was wrong, or anything at all that

they did was not glorious and perfect. These latter vets could not face the painof reality and spent the rest of their lives defending their actions in denial,rather than admitting that they made a mistake or were used. Tragically, forthem, the pain of their actions was too great to accept and thus remainedunintegrated recurring in dreams and hallucinations.

Two "general" avenues seemed to present themselves to these latter returnees.One was to spend the rest of their lives justifying and externalizing theiractions while demeaning their detractors in an attempt to exorcise the

subconscious recurring conflict or cognitive dissonance; or simply escape themess entirely through alcohol, drugs, homelessness, and suicide. Obviouslythe veterans administration was of little help either way.

When one has suffered deep trauma in war and is in deep denial, then oftentheir defensive mechanism is hyper-active. Instead of giving up, such menbecome super patriots capable of becoming mercenary soldiers, policemen,FBI/CIA agents (foreign agents), military career men, para military fanatics,or patriotic politicians that identify with an exaggerated nationalistic pride,

glorification of war, and the justification for aggression. An example would beOliver North, of Watergate fame (unfortunately still a hero to many). As inmany cases of mass trauma, the victims often will identify variously as theperpetuator and/or the victim, i.e., past victims parade around as persecutorswhile past persecutors masquerade as victims. The complex games the mindplays in order to avoid the pain is intended to be inscrutable if not anenigmatic (playing the game of self deceit, "it never happened, really").

There are other examples many of whom unfortunately make headlines daily,

but in general it is proven that those who have experienced and have becomeacclimatized to the negative effects of great trauma (be it through accident,war, or acts of mans brutality to man) in dissociation, denial, defensivemechanisms of guilt, inhibition of feelings, repression, institutionalized fear,distrust, hypervigilence, and paranoia have a high capacity to wage even morecruelty, brutality, racial, ethnic, nationalistic, religious, or class hatred andmurder unto others. This is the dysfunctional cycle that behooves a healthy




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society to deprogram and disarm.

Ther apeut i c Modal i t i es f or t heRemedi at i on of Tr auma

To sum up so far, as the physical trauma often leaves a psychological scar, sodoes a psychological/emotional trauma leave a psycho-neuro-physiologicalimprint and often tissue, gland, and organ imprints as well as neuromuscularimprints in the form of neuromuscular armoring and/or muscular hypotonia.All this is a component of the cellular memory, but even deeper is its energysignature -- a distortion of the body/mind energy field is created.

Body psychotherapy as well as yoga attempts to re-align, re-harmonize, andre-integrate this skewed energy field. In energy oriented yoga we move into

physical positions with conscious awareness of the breath and energy seekingout clues and signatures in the energy body in order to effect change.Obviously this is a modality of energy awareness through movement, notnormal physical gross exercise. It is discussed in detail at our yoga portalwww.Rainbowbody/HeartMindand in more detail athttp://www.rainbowbody.com/asana/teachering.htm. In this way we seek outthe old psychic imprints of trauma (as samskaras) and work them out(remediate them as pratiprasava). In yoga samskaras being the

psychoneurological imprints of trauma are the cause of dissociation and moregenerally disorganization. This disorganization is the cause of compensatoryobjectification and desire/sublimation in the organisms neurotic attempt tofind a substitute object of gratification (meaningful relationship). This overallcause of disorganization is called avidya (ignorance), thus the process ofrooting out the samskaras also removes ignorance and creates a reorganizationof the organism around the realization of Self as-it-is -- the Great Integrity --ALL OUR RELATIONS.

There are many more effective ways to work through trauma. Please see theTrauma Link Pagesand many other articles below. Such healing is essentiallya spiritual process and in many cases occurs over many life times.

Spi r i t ual Tr auma

From Buddha to Freud many have long searched for the primal cause ofpsychological illness, discomfort, and unhappiness. Pleasure principles, fear




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of death, fear of life, desire and attachment, and other causes have been pinpointed at one time or another as causal factors. Ultimately, but verygenerally, we can put the causes of all human malaise together in the generalcategory of dissatisfaction, pain, or suffering, and ask what is its cause whosegeneral answer is always self ignorance, i.e., we dont know what we are

doing.

Always at the end of the analysis of the milieu of suffering, there exists aseparation, rend, rift, chasm, disconnection, estrangement, alienation, andsimilar and at that point some sort of ersatz attachment or neurosis theestablishment of an ersatz object of desire as an adaptation or coping measurefor more primal rift. When that ersatz object is reached then there is temporarygratification, pleasure, fulfillment, the end of desire, satisfaction, joy, bliss,contentment while the fear of losing the object may cause more suffering and

anguish then actually not possessing it. This is simple object orientationdevelopmental psychology on one hand, but it begs the question. Many, suchas Janov, have proposed that this is a compensation for the birth trauma theterror of being born and/or the primary rend/separation from the womb; butdeep ecology, green psychology, and eco-psychology go further in proposingthat this signifies the basis of neuroses and suffering itself i.e., in attemptingto compensate for being cut off from the mother of all, the mother of themother, mother nature, and Source.

In other words if during the birth experience one does not enter into a life as acontinuation of the infinite of an extension of the spirit world; if one doesnot find the innate unborn continuity and eternal never ending characteristicswhich support ones sense of continuity and integration as a continuousspiritual identity, then a rend or trauma is created. There one is forced toaccept and adapt to the world of the parents, society, peers, and authorityfigures which is most often fragmented, neurotic, fear based, and furtherterrifying. It is the "how" we adapt that colors our traumas, our

neurophysiology, and our world view of self and other. So here there existthe two opposing ways of life. One which affirms, nurtures, supports, andintegrates a spiritual presence, sacred presence, of a living intrinsic spiritwhich we will call indigenous spirituality and the other way which denies oralienates spirit or relegates it elsewhere than in the present thus magnifyingthe rend and insecurity. The latter we will call alien spirituality.

In the past the ultimate philosophical, spiritual, and psychological question




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then has been in the past what is the ultimate "object" of possession thatprovides ultimate fulfillment without the baggage of anguish, fear, orattachment without suffering? This question usually was posited incorrectly,thus the answer was difficult to obtain. Rather there is nothing outside nothing that is not inherent, that requires attaining nothing to possess or

grasp. In other words we have been defining "self" and asking the question inlimited, alien, and counterproductive terms.

What we posit is that this spiritual separation or estrangement is a dissociationand disorganization which is itself artificially induced, its cause beingignorant conditioning. This ignorant and dualistic conditioning process basedon institutionalized separation, disempowerment, and dysfunctionaltransgenerational traditional belief systems forms the thick glue of thatreinforces and upholds the primal trauma. Here all other needs, desires,

attachments, and fears are wayward distractions -- they are ersatz neuroticsubstitutes or surrogates for this more primary spiritual connection whichwhen affirmed or established eliminates any need or desire for the "other".Since spirit is posited as being omnipresent and unlimited (infinite), oncerecognized there is no fear in losing it, but rather they are gladly surrenderedby the wise.

As such all neurotic syndromes can be seen as PTS syndromes from thegreater traumatic rend or separation from a living spiritual presence and

continuity in embodied existence -- inALL OUR RELATIONS. WhereTHAT is absent, neuroses and suffering, fear and desire are present which areassuaged but never fully satisfied through neurotic substitutions.

In early twentieth century psychological models the source of neuroses wasattributed to sexual separation (repression) or birth separation/trauma andhence therapy was aimed at repairing this rend creating re-union. Of coursethe idea of union is not new to religion either, the goal being to be one withGod. Tantric yoga combines the sexual and religious symbols of union as doesHatha yoga in its symbolic caduceus healing symbol of the central column(the sushumna) where all energetic polarities and opposites are unified. Wethus can see that deep ecology, eco-psychology, green psychology nicelyinterfaces with yoga, Taoism, tantra, psycho-neurophysiology, bodypsychotherapy, and trauma therapy on these issues having posited that therend from nature, from embodied existence, which includes a world view ofman's rightful natural place in nature (as being part of the natural world) has




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created a more primal traumatic split not only in his psyche but alsonegatively affecting his soma, psyche, and persona. This is where all trulywholistic therapies dwell as well. Most so called eco-psychologists, greenpsychologists, and body psychotherapists will expand upon this in a waycoincident with yoga and tantra using nature and creation as an avenue back to

Source (creator) as we can se the work of creator (Spirit) in all of creation). Inthis sense this model attempts to heal the rend of separation from spiritthrough the unity of creator/creation or in yoga terms shiva/shakti.

Not incidentally this balance and harmonization between spirit and nature,mind and body, heaven and earth, etc is also at the basis of Chinese medicine,Ayurveda, as well as many other surviving indigenous wholistic medicalsystems. In other words they are all based on a coherent system of medicineand healing that is in harmony with a creation story. Food, agriculture,

medicine, the plant world, the elements, the human body, life in general, theentire cosmos is assumed to be part of an integrated and continuous wholisticsystem (as it should be). That modern man has strayed from such a modelspeaks to his widespread common malaise or what I would call traumaimposed upon him by alien belief systems in such a way that his biopsychicabilities and facilities have become colonized -- he has become alienated fromutilizing them functionally. He has become a stranger to himself and from lifethrough institutionalization and negative programming. Thus effective therapyhelps bring people back into their biopsychic functioning through biopsychicawareness therapeutics.

Only now are the ancient indigenous medical systems, yoga, chi gong,shamanism, merging not only with the emerging wholistic health field, eco-psychology, Green psychology, and body psychotherapy, but also with theburgeoning field of somatics, movement, and body/mind energy healing.

Pr event i ng Tr auma: A Lesson i n Obj ect

Rel at i onsIt has been repeatedly observed that many people adapt to a past trauma bylimiting their future experiences; i.e., by withdrawing. The extreme of thisfear of experiencing any further pain or trauma in a defensive protectivewithdrawal, denial, and escape is catatonia.

In a futile attempt to create a safe, secure, and protected external environmen




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in the sociopolitical and environmental realms one may attempt safety,security, and protection in seeking to control the external environment. A highsecurity state or even a police state is one such reaction i.e., the more policeand the larger the army, the more secure an insecure and terrorized personmay feel. More immediate reactions may be the acquiring of high tech

security devices, large dogs, personal weapons, body guards, and relatedmechanisms of hypervigilence and even paranoia. However this symptomatictreatment never eliminates the fear, but rather allows one to cope/adapt aroundit. This type of coping is usually thus counterproductive in eliminating traumaand in many cases it makes it worse, wherein the authoritarian state or churchbecomes a self serving victimizer rather than the emancipator.

If one feels that earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, rabidanimals, germs, "dirt", and the like (the wilderness which by definition is not

under control but rather wild) such people might be expected to supportsociopolitical, agricultural, and environmental policies that portend to protectthem in ways that "control" the external environment. In short suchpropensities for attaining a sense of security/safety through the manipulationof external conditions around the dualistic illusion of a separate "self" in itsextreme often wind up as police states, a plethora of laws, an unusually highrate of imprisonment, huge armies, many wars, suppression/oppression ofnatural expression and forces, inhibition, and ultimately a top down, sterile,regressive, hierarchical totalitarian strict order or revolution --or both.

Underneath this self perpetuating trauma is the fear of dying (the reality of theimpermanence of the physical "self"), and hence a fear of living, whence ahuge sense of insecurity is assumed, albeit unconsciously. Most modernpeople are not in dialogue with the true non-dual source of their sustenanceand nurture. In general, trauma creates a basic disorganization and disruptionof the great non-dual continuum, where the orgasm identifies and fixates uponthe pain, the isolation, separate self, survival of the separate self, fear of

individual death be it either psychological or physical death, and in theextreme cases of trauma where one has become conditioned to terrorismcomplete dissociation, isolation, and false identification as in extreme cases ofschizophrenia, psychosis, or catatonia.

Deep ecologist, William Kotke, from theFinal EmpireChapter Three

"Soil is the gut of the earth, the principal digestive organ of planetary




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life. Soil is partially composed of rock chips, clay, sand, mineraland organic detritus, but it is also an interdependent livingcommunity of micro-organisms, insects, worms, small animals,reptiles and other organisms (even some birds) which live in,contribute to and feed on components of the soil. Like the bacterial

community in the human gut that predigests the human food, the soilis a living community of organisms which produces the necessaryconditions for the plant communities to exist. The excrement of thegut community feeds the human, and the excrement of the soilcommunity feeds the vegetative community, which lives on the soil.Plants do not absorb earth. Plants absorb nutrients that are in solutionin the soil moisture. These nutrient solutions are the result of manyenergy transformations as they pass through a number of organisms."

Within the assumption of the fearful milieu of spiritual self estrangement --assuming the reality of a fundamental lack -- not realizing that it stems fromthe absence of the sacred, of a profoundly deeper, more enriching, nourishing,secure, and self empowering "RELATIONSHIP, the insecure person may asa compensation strive for power over one's environment and over others aswell (be it that they are potential threats). Instead of feeling at home, present,and without fear in embodied existence, on the planet, with nature, with thebody, they will be at war with natural organic law and ill at ease in the truewilderness. In this respect they will mistakenly equate self in terms of egosurvival and thus also as an escape from physical death by denying life andnature, rather than embracing it. fear of death stems from ego -- fight/flight assuch is not a natural instinct, rather it is a learned/conditioned reaction basedon accumulated trauma (negative experiences). In the trauma of spiritualalienation from creator/creation from Source one common escape route is theincessant craving for privilege, status, comparative advantage, and acceptanceby the powers that be -- the authoritative/traditional status quo power systemunless of course one feels that they can gain greater security in aligning

themselves with an alternative power system, a rebellion, revolution, oropposing power group.

In either case such insecure fear driven people become addicted to power;capable of being manipulated by promises of power, they become addicted toit as long as they remain insecure i.e., essentially feeling powerless. Indeedthose who strive after power over others are often the most disempoweredpeople on the planet, their need is great, but their direction in satisfying is




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dysfunctional. This traumatized group has been the cannon fodder of tyrantsand warlords for millennia. They have been stocked by those eager andwilling to serve and kill for the king or the priesthood in order to get theirreward in this life or the next. Certain societies are built around creatingtransgenerational trauma; but research has shown that much traumatization of

our children is avoidable, while its reduction would serve as a method inreducing future transgenerational induced trauma.

Thus imbedded events of unresolved past trauma often manifest itself in theneed for protection, security, and safety in an external manner. But untilrecently in the west the qualities in the mental environment that bring aboutsecurity, and a sense of safety -- that relieve tensions, stress, anxiety, andangst have gone unarticulated. In other words there exists the politics of fearand the politics of love. Ultimately true happiness must embrace the spiritual

in the present -- it must embrace the heart of hearts and be embraced byTHAT. Then action and behavior based on this fundamental unity has thegreater potential for creating external healing conditions that lessen andprevent transgenerational trauma while nourishing our highestcreative/evolutionary potential. Without the non-dual spiritual vision andcontext however working toward external change is like the tail wagging thedog. For more on this subject seeThe Power of Love Against Fear and Hatred-- Healing Against Harm

The remediation of this desire to find security or order in the externalenvironment or society is the same for the remediation of the healthy,nurturing, safe, and self empowering mental environment. Simply it has to dowith understanding "self'" in primal terms -- with an organic creation storythat is rooted in everyday life -- a direct relationship with creator/creation --withALL OUR RELATIONS -- which then intimately and experientiallyanswers all the basic questions of who we are, how we got here, how wesurvive, and so forth.

The first step is to understand the nature or mechanism of mental pain itself.One must ask, why is it that one event will cause mental/emotional pain, grief,angst, anger, or suffering on one hand, or on the other hand happiness, joy,pleasure, or elation? Is it the event itself that triggers the emotional response,or is it not rather the meaning that we ascribe to the event; i.e., that we judgeto either good or bad (desirable or not desirable)?




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For example, team "a" scores a goal against team "b". The fans of team "a" arhappy or elated, while the fans of team "b" may be dejected or sad. If in a warbetween "a" and "b", if "a" appears to be winning, then the people in "b" landare anxious, disturbed, worried, and fearful. Conversely in "a" land the peopleare expectant, celebratory, and optimistic. Thus it is not the event itself, but

rather our judgment of good or bad that we project into it; i.e., "a" is good, "b"is bad. If "a" happens I am happy. If "b" happens I am not. I fear "b" tohappen, I hope and pray for "a" to happen, etc. Even though I may root forteam "a" from the bottom of my feet -- even though my heart throbs with eachmove of the team and my whole neuro-endocrine system is involved, all thatstems from a mental decision that desires team "a" to win.

Likewise, if I am attached to my husband and he is killed, then I am grieved --it is painful. However if I hated the bastard, then I am happy. Again this pain

or pleasure mechanism is determined by preference/judgment relationship toan object, not the object itself. The appearance of an event, phenomena orsuch object may act as a stimuli that registers with an imbedded psychicimprint, pre-existing energy blueprint, or what is called in Yoga, a samskara,which is embedded in the cellular memory, neuro-physiology, and/or theneuromuscular system. This object, event, or "situation is thus not good orbad, painful or pleasurable, stressful or horrible, in itself, but rather as astimuli to the samskara, the samskara may trigger or activate a reactivemechanism such an automatic habit (vasana in Sanskrit), a klesha (desire,aversion, jealousy, fear, etc) or simply pain (dukha in Sanskrit). A largeproblem arises (especially under the influence of mass media internationalcommunications) is that many of us have created a mind filter that is so tight,that "reality" is no longer entertained.

In short psychological or emotional pain is the result of the mind -- morespecifically it is the result of our attachment to an object that is favored versusan object that is not -- a value judgment or preference that we make that "a" is

good, desirable, or right while "b" is bad, undesirable, evil or condemned.Thus no matter how quickly we become happy or depressed, at the root ofpsychological pain, stress, and fear is a judgment/decision i.e., that one thingis good and the other is bad -- that I desire/like "this" and I fear, dislike, orhate "that". Hate and fear being but the two similar aversions which existalways in conjunction with attraction and desire. In other words hate and fearare merely negative statements of desire, based on desiring, preferring, orliking an opposite result.




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The Rol e of Man' s Syst ems of Et hi cs andEst het i cs i n Cont r i but i ng t o Tr auma

Only if we accept a universal good, right, or correctness would we be able todefine a universal joyfulness or universal pain. Such an attempt assumes

universal agreement to universal values, the problem being that all humanswill not agree, thus universal agreement is futile, while it would be a basicabrogation of natural law to impose one person's values over another, even ifwe thought "our" values were best or superior. The bottom line in ethics andesthetics is to realize that it is unnecessary and even counter-productive tomove into the area reserved to ethics or esthetics in the first place where wemay desire to ascribe universal values to (although the destruction and tortureof life and the imposition of deceit and confusion upon our fellows may

approximate a physiological revulsion in many that may approximate one tohypothesize a natural law). As long as they are defined by man, they are mostcertainly condemned to fall far short of the universal.

The examples are numerous. For instance, among countries where there existsa large Judeo-Christian majority there is a general agreement of the tencommandments, the foremost being "Thou shall not kill", but there are notableexamples of the institution of the death penalty in such countries as war a longhistory of society sanctioned organized murder in the form of wars. So there

exists something amiss in this picture -- something which has gone mostlyundetected for millennia. For example, Jesus taught as the highest virtue, thatman should love his neighbor with all his heart and all his soul, but then inChrist's name the crusades were launched. Indeed we will show how all holycrusades, all transcendental idealist holier than thou missions, as well as allattitudes of moral superiority have been responsible for man's greatestatrocities and crimes. Brief examples throughout history are numerous. Theyinclude the Mogul invasion of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and thegenocide of the Buddhists, the holy crusades to Jerusalem with its modern

legacy, the Russian/Catholic pogroms, religious wars being fought today inthe Middle East, in Ireland, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Afghanistan,Indonesia, tribal warfare in Africa, the genocide of Native Americana, andindigenous people in general.

When greed was more of a factor than religious superiority, then the religioussuperiority served as a justification and sanction, where both (greed and




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religious pride) are the result of trauma. Similar atrocities, genocides, and"cleansings" disguised as a crusade against an externalized "evil" can beethnic, political, cultural or even economic -- they are all based on the root ofchauvinism which is individual bias and prejudice -- a fundamental spiritualrend or isolation of "self" fromALL OUR RELATIONS. Such crusades are

the result of the inner war against "Self".

Examples of the worse atrocities and abuse can be gleaned from "highminded" intolerance of "others" such as the Nazi's cleanse of the Jews, theirwar to end all wars through worldwide Aryan domination, the war to imposeAmerican style democracy and capitalistic systems on countries who do notwant it, the countless wars against war in general (promising externalsecurity), Stalinism, the ethnic cleansings in Bosnia, the war to rid the worldof "evil", the war against drugs, prohibition, the war against sex and pleasure

in general, the eradication of one's enemies and detractors in general, theutopian ultimate elimination of external threats or stressors where the means

justifies the ends, censorship of others in general, the control andmanipulation of other peoples, groups, or nations in general, all the reactiveimpulses for "self" preservation, safety, security, and survival infragmented/dualistic terms that uphold the trauma, split, and dualistic matrixof illusion.

Condemnation of others is always associated with the need to elevate oneself

(pride) due to lack of self worth - a defensive/aggressive need for justificationand a mechanism of guilt. The examples are numerous in daily events, inmental patterns, and in social, tribal, political, and historical movements. Inshort, the need to elevate self over others -- to find security in controlling,condemning, demeaning, marginalizing, inhibiting, or demonizing others ismotivated by fear reinforced by trauma.

Similarly, "even" our most cherished "ideals" can be the most fruitful objectsof self criticism, if we dare challenge their authority. Indeed self criticism isthe key to self study, which is the key to self understanding and selfrealization, which is the key to liberation from trauma not through itstranscendence, but rather through reintegration. Thus our most treasuredideals is the most worthy to be questioned -- it is the most self revelatorybecause they often may hide a deep element of intolerance, violence, denial,and delusion. Here the necessary ingredient is to value truth higher than ourdelusion and preference. Truth must be put on a pedestal, rather than b




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demeaned. For this to occur the modern cynic and nihilist has to first believthat it is possible, i.e., that it is possible to figure things out for oneself -- toknow the truth -- to know reality.

Perhaps closest to a universal positive motive force (not based on trauma or

fear, but rather one based on interconnection and pure love) one couldpropose, like the deep ecologists do, that beauty is the revelation of creation ofwho we are in terms of a grand and profound process of co-evolution as-it-is -- in terms of beginningless time or source as the union of creator/creation atany one given point in time and space. Thus acting in alignment, in balance,and harmony with the force of creator/creation, the creative life force, withthat which engenders life, healing, and love can (if one accepts this system ofthought) be termed as "good"; while that which works to the opposite end orelse is in conflict and disharmony with nature is not good, undesirable, or

"bad". For many this or something similar may strike one as a basic esthetic ormoral principle in which to evolve a near universal esthetic or ethical system,but again not all people would agree and as such any system of "good' or"bad" is merely relative to that specific culture, nation, religion, tribe, cult, orat best planet. In other words, the terms of "good" or "bad" unless universallyaccepted merely reflect one's own bias as the statement of I like this (good)and dislike that (bad). "This" is beautiful, while "that" is horrible, terrible,disgusting, ugly, or abominable.

In short religion, xenophobia, nationalistic pride, moralism, and chauvinism ingeneral are all systems based on separateness, trauma, or in short ego (inmany cases group egos). Such have contributed more toward intolerance,arrogance, prejudice, hate, mass murder and "heinous crimes" in the name of"good", than any other systems of thought because such feel that they havebeen sanctioned to kill or that their cause is righteous so that they can do nowrong. Very disorganized people who are victims of deep trauma that are stillunintegrated are of course very ripe for authoritarian ideology. Such

authoritarian with tight structure create order for trauma victims. Thesesystems thrive by disempowerment, dissociation, dysfunction, anddisorganization of others. They stand in opposition to systems that attempt toempower the individual, which aid them in achieving critical/creative clarity.Authoritarian and totalitarian systems stand in opposition to indigenoussystems that recognize, acknowledge, and honor the sanctity in the diversity inall things and beings -- in creation's rich magnificence where there is nothingunacceptable, ugly, or evil.




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So by clinging to judgments of good and bad -- beautiful or horrible, preferredresult (like) versus dislike, desire versus aversion, and so forth one is simplystating their individual preferences based on their limited belief systems, bias,and prejudice -- based on one's craving. In turn the craving itself is based ontrauma, the more severe the trauma, dissociation, and inner terror, the greater

the neurotic craving. That confused process of using the terms "good or evil"within any ethical framework lends little toward using words as an effectivemeans of communication especially amongst diverse people and acrosscultures let alone universally. The reverse is true it is the major factor inreligious, ideological, tribal, and nationalistic wars and man's brutality ingeneral.

Certainly we can go beyond the limitations of words as well as the limitationsof bias, prejudice, and programmed belief systems once we have noticed how

our minds and bodies filter information. In that situation there is nothingcapable of shocking us, of being too horrible to believe, of being evil,repugnant, revolting, of being too ugly or painful to accept, of coloring ourperception of "reality" as-it-is so that we turn away in horror and ignore it (inignorance). However it is really much easier than imposing such filters andsystems, if people could learn how simply to see things as they are, without aneed to run away from them.

Herein lies the crux of the dysfunction of psychological preferences -- where

all value systems, ethical, aesthetic, religious, nationalistic, ethnic,ideological, or rather in general biased and chauvinistic systems break downand become dysfunctional. In such dysfunctional systems, people see throughthe filter of what they are seeing -- through a symbolic representation orartificially imposed objectification/separation. It is thus interpreted by thefilter and then one's reaction is based upon that judgment or predilection --upon the bias/flavor of the filter. Thus the disservice of all ideological systemsbe they theological/religious or philosophical/academic is that they tend to

isolate/insulate the individual from the actual experience and as such theybecome disengaged from their organic and primary authentic ground of being.But in a functional or healthy person, events are not filtered artificially, butrather are seen as they are without conditioned bias/prejudice that reflects theculture, religion, nation, time period, tribe, or region. The conditions(time/place setting) may be acknowledged, but here by acknowledging themtheir relative positioning or bias is compensated for within the greaterwholistic transcultural and natural context.




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In other words a healthy person sees, hears, smells, tastes, and feelsphenomena the way they are -- undistorted (devoid of fear and preference). Itis placed within an integrated transensual context by acknowledging thecontext of the senses within the overall context of the greater continuum of alllife. Then one responds functionally and expediently. Some one else however

who is still suffering from the past residues of trauma (samskaras) will colortheir experience of "reality" and see, feel, hear, through an artificial filter --through the distortion caused by the residue of the past wound/trauma. Thusreality" becomes distorted, biased, and perverted according to the pain andfear associated with the event or phenomena and hence one's reactionbecomes inefficient and dysfunctional.

All we have to do is to know the nature of our own mind and then we cancease from causing ourselves pain and suffering. It is that simple, i.e., pain is

self inflicted. The process of filtering out the pain and letting in the pleasure isthe very artificial contrivation that holds together the veil of illusion andmatrix of conditioned ignorance. When all bias and prejudice is removed, thentrue clarity is realized and with that mental suffering is over -- true and lastinghappiness is attained. For example this is the theme of the non-theistic trans-moral and transconceptual system expounded in Patanjali'sYoga Sutras,especially in the last part of the lastChapter, four, Kaivalyam.One may callthis simply natural unoccluded direct perception, but unfortunately the pastprogramming of the "normal" individual precludes it. Hence trauma therapy isdesigned to deprogram -- to bring us back into the unconditioned natural statewhere the disorganization, dissociation, retraction, inhibition, fear, and painassociated with the traumatic event can become re-organized around ournatural intrinsic and innate self organization that was disrupted.

TRAUMA REMEDI ATI ON ( THERAPY)

We will define trauma therapy as any technique, process, or system which

removes the residue of trauma and thus allows the organism to reestablish itsequilibrium, natural reorganization abilities, and integration -- what is oftencalled in body psychotherapy self regulation. In this context therapy orrecovery is grounded in establishing the ground of integration or wholinesswhile trauma is relegated to the realm of a primary separation, estrangement,non-integration, or simply a fragmented state of separation which we will callego identification. It is valuable then to see genuine therapy and recovery not




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as a transcendence or escape from something (which would just fail beingsimply another fear based aversion or separation), but rather the therapeuticand recovery process should always be couched in the context of being afurther integration -- a primary and creative impulse stemming from theSource of the evolutionary process to join together in the profound dance of

ALL OUR RELATIONS.

Thus we could break down the process of trauma and its remediation into twofundamentally differing assumptions, i.e., one is that of the closed down,contracted. terrified, and traumatized heart -- the opposite is that assumptionmade by the open heart. The first assumption is the normal one of atraumatized person, i.e., the world appears as painful, as threatening, asterrifying -- death and/or danger to "self" is always around the corner and atbest one can only temporarily escape the pain and carving with neurotic

methods of self gratification. In the extreme this is the assumption of theparanoid -- some one who is at war with the world and cultivates has eitherallies or enemies. In a Buddhist context this is the realm of Samsara -- therealm of spiritual self estrangement, old age sickness and death. In the yogicsense this is the realm of false identification -- the error of ego (asmita) whichin turn is supported by ignorance which in turn upholds more dukha(suffering). In both systems the remedy that is proposed is the same, i.e., notescape or transcendence, but rather integration through realization -- throughre-membering -- all of the created/uncreated world lives in a grandmother/father continuum -- a profound great Integrity --ALL OURRELATIONS. All authentic teachings agree -- no matter in what era or onwhat continent -- no matter in what star system or dimension.

Socially we can see that police states, dictatorships, demagoguery, tyrants, andtotalitarian systems thrive on disempowered, paranoid, terrified, and fearmotivated people -- those motivated by a system of scarcity and lack -- offight or flight -- of threat, harm, and intimidation. In the world of the paranoid,

the "reality" of the trauma/samskara is locked in -- it is held unto, clung to,and supported as "reality". Everyday life becomes clothed (or rather veiled)with the familiar landmarks of danger, fear, strife, adversity, and scarcity andas such it becomes a self perpetuating cycle (a wheel of cyclic existence untilbroken). The opposite social manifestation based on an open heart, on love --the empowerment of pure wisdom is in synch with spontaneous healing,abundance, creative expression, and nurture. The very fact that craving exists,means that a split, fragmentation, or trauma also pr -exists because an




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yearning even for that called transcendence tends to take us away from thpresent -- tends to reinforce the process of ignoring sacred presence or InfiniteMind.

In this sense what often is valued as transcendence is really a dysfunctional

and neurotic escapism from the present motivated by the traumatic impulse,rather than the healthy impulse to merge with the present -- to be aware andpresent -- being the opposite of denial, self delusion/deceit, fear, or ignorance.

Thus trauma may be said to be pathological in that it is the unsuccessfulattempt to negotiate a perceived fear or terror in the present where one createsan ultimately dysfunctional mechanism to avoid, deny, cope,. escape, orbecome insulated/separated from it (through yearning or aversion). Similarlythen, ultimate liberation occurs when we are able to face the terror of thetrauma no longer needing to run away from it. When we confront our own

demons and no longer harbor them. Rather we become our owndoctors/teachers, embrace our own innate but prior abandoned higher self. Bypenetrating deeply into the true nature of self, all delusion and mechanisms ofself deceit and false identification with separateness are rooted out -- thedemons dissolve into the river of nothingness from which they arose.

HERE all fear can be remediated/integrated as we enter into the fearlesssacred present of a profound suchness -- all disruptions and disorganizationhas come to an end. Through this gate of pure awareness a further revelation

occurs naturally and spontaneously revealing a direct experience of theimmeasurable imperishable smile of vast awakening. Here external maps areno longer needed, for one has taken the path and now knows how to find itexperientially.

It is not the purport here to delineate the manifold techniques that are sodesigned to bring one back into wholeness/wholesomeness/holographicsynchronicity -- into a profound and indigenous sacred presence -- intoHERE; but rather what perhaps is more relevant at first is to point out that theprocess of acknowledging and coming to terms with one's owndysfunctional/disruptive processes and mechanisms of trauma. This awarenessby itself is the most powerful healing ingredient that we will ever need.Simply put, the pain and fear-charged cyclic existence is broken by themedicine of self awareness -- by the process of waking up -- wherein onestarts to understand the cause of one's suffering, dysfunction, and disruption,and then is able to remediate it through processes which help one identify with


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Understanding Trauma in Daily Life

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