Is it possible to heal from trauma without therapy?

Our body and mind has its own natural way to process and consolidate what happened to us. Overtime, the traumatic event might fade away in our memory and also in terms of its effect on us. This is why when a group of people experience the same catastrophic event, some might exhibit PTSD symptoms while some don’t.

Even for the symptoms that were exhibited, they are ways that they body had tried to cope with the threats to your survival at that point in time, just that these ways might not be as adaptable when the threats had passed and you have returned to a safe environment. For adults who have had childhood trauma, the strategies they have used much to survive when young no longer serve them well when they try to form new relationships or as they enter a new environment at work. In fact, it sabotages them from love, intimacy, peace, success and etc.

Trauma alters the physiological responses in your body.

It is possible that we learn new perspectives, insights and skills to help us manage the physiological response when triggers appear in the environment. With the recent trend in yoga and more awareness surrounding meditation, it showed ways to get in touch with the body. Studies^1,2 have shown that meditation can alter the physiological responses in our body. There are also a lot of books on the topic of trauma that offer readers more insight about it and some possible ideas for them to try it out on their own. However if you feel that the amount of information and emotional load is too much for you to process it on your own, it is still advisable to seek the help of a therapist to guide and support you through the process.

Remember that healing is not only an individual work. If it takes a whole village to raise a child, it is also the whole support system that hold the space to heal you.

1. Gamaiunova, L., Brandt, P. Y., Bondolfi, G., & Kliegel, M. (2019). Exploration of psychological mechanisms of the reduced stress response in long-term meditation practitioners. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 104, 143-151.
2. Singh, Y., Sharma, R., & Talwar, A. (2012). Immediate and long-term effects of meditation on acute stress reactivity, cognitive functions, and intelligence. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 18(6), 46.