Small repeated body memories can add up to a huge pain causing trauma

I help people with chronic diseases to step out of stress related symptoms. Hear how a trauma healing session with me can be.

Although we have provided the transcript, we recommend listening to the audio above to get the full effect and experience of my technique.

Sessions with me go like this.

We are working via zoom.

1. First I check in with what symptoms are dominant for today. This time stiffness in the shoulders and neck.

2. When I have got an idea of this we continue to have a very intense “look” at the worst symptom. It takes some time.

3. Then the trauma healing part where we accept that ANY situation potentially can cause a symptoms. Here a seemingly insignificant but repeated situation. Stress, when you are late, is converted to an urge to go to the toilet.

A session is 1 - 2 hours. So we jump into the session from where old memories start coming to the surface (step 3).

Transcript of the session

We start the session near the black metal rail where the client every day parked his bike. This rail became the trigger for this body memory that caused him stiffness in relation to a Parkinson’s diagnosis.

This picture of the rail sprang up in his mind when we focused on his symptoms in this intense way, which is characteristic of my therapies.

I think I'm late for a lecture. Oh yeah, so late for the lecture.

What does that mean to you?

Stress. Stress. So stressed and never have time to go to the toilet.

So the fear of being trapped so you cannot reach the toilet?

Yeah.

Just stand there and feel whatever is going on inside. This time we know it's just a memory, so take a deep breath and just stand there.

This situation is where you have parked your bike and maybe look at the watch and realize if you are late or not. Take deep breaths, it is nothing but a memory.

Pay attention to your shoulders (The symptom that is worst today). Give this pain all your attention.

These visual signals (the black rail is the trigger) put your body into fight and flight because you must hurry. That's actually part of this instinct that you must empty your digestion system because then you're faster. So you can run away faster from the enemy. So your body is doing a fine job getting ready to run away from danger.

Your body does not know that you are not in a race between life and death, that you are just going through a class. So take in a deep breath and maybe take a big sigh.

Think: Ah, that's what's going on. My body is trying to help me from a terrible situation.

This is what it's all about. Your body feels like something is going on and you need a toilet, but just take in deep breaths here. It is just a memory from a situation where your body misinterprets the situation or you can say it interprets the sensory input correctly because your biology is always correct.

We will never ever be able to skip our instinctual behavior.

But we can slowly learn that: Yeah, it's not good to be late for a lecture and the teacher will get distracted, but it's not the end of the world.

Now you just sit or stand next to the railing and slowly understand what's going on and take deep breaths. It's okay if you react. You just take deep breaths.

We know that it was not possible for you at that time, but right now, you're not in this setting, you are in your memories, and you are in a fantasy.

It's not the real deal here. It was what it was, but now you can just enjoy it. You do not need to go to this lesson. It's not you anymore. You just now stand next to this railing. I hope you are a little relieved that this is nothing but a memory. It is a fantasy. So you can choose what you want to do. Do you want to go back home? Do you want to go for a stroll in the park? Do you want to join the lesson or what do you want?

I'm too frozen to decide. This one feels more real than the other (session). Just take deep breaths. It's hard to make it a fantasy. It's more like I'm actually there.

Comment for understanding: Now it gets hard for him, so in previous sessions, we have invented some helpers, that can come and help him when things get hard

We just go with whatever. So just take deep breaths and maybe invite your helpers into this memory. Is that possible?

Yes.

So see your helpers coming closer and greeting you, giving you a hug.

They are just standing next to you, talking about the English weather, the university, the buildings, whatever was outside here.

And they have a chat about this. They're just there for you and they just wait until you're ready. Just let them be there.

I think it's so strong because it's an amalgam (stacking) of this same situation a thousand times over.

Yeah. So many times. So how many years were you in university?

I was in university, when I was teaching.

Ah, okay. Years and years and years. So it was 200 times a year in a lot of years.

This seems to be more focused on when I was a student.

Yeah. . even more times.

The helpers give you all their attention.(You feel included and get attention)

They are there for support. Do they carry you anywhere?

Then I miss the lecture.

Yeah. And what then? It's just a memory.

Is there a park close to this university?

Yes.

Is it okay that they carry you to this place?'

Yeah.

So imagine that they take you, this frozen version of you, and they just carry you to this park. And suddenly blankets and lunch packets, a basket, or traditional picnic stuff show up.

They just lay you on a nice warm blanket and wrap you. So you're warm.

This park had statues in it. I am like one of those. (Frozen)

Yeah. So how is it to be a statue?

Not very nice. It's not very nice.

Do you have the same color as most statues?

Yeah. When they go green as copper.

Yes. So take deep breaths.

In Denmark, we have something called Brasso. Imagine that the helpers wash you with this Brasso so the original copper color slowly appears. How does that feel?

Better.

Yeah, so just let them continue this nice gentle work.

Most of my life, especially at that time, like five times a day I was entering this state.

Yeah, so you're very, very familiar with this state. It's okay at this time. Just stay there. Just feel how your friends help you.

Taking one inch after the other they give the statue a gentle rub so the original warm bronze color comes back. They do inch after inch and rub this creamy-like stuff on the surface of you.

And they have all the time in the world. Maybe the sun get a glimpse through the clouds and warm you up as well. It is possible to even in England. Just see this memory, this made-up memory where you are being taken care of.

The helpers are doing the job, taking care of you, and being 100% aware of you. This seemingly insignificant memory but repeated thousands of times of you putting your bike aside and finding out you are late and that you need to go to the toilet. It's been stacked and stacked and stacked and that's why it's so strong.

Just take the time. These guys are working and working. Feel the sunshine warming you up. Maybe there are some people in the park somewhere. Maybe there are also flowers, and people chatting in the background. Maybe even some toddlers playing. Everything's good here.

Bronze is a warm-looking metal and when the sun is shining it warms up slowly as all metals do. See and feel how you are slowly getting warmer, how the metal warms up, both because these guys are removing the green layer that protects the sun from warming you up, but even with the green layer on you would slowly warm up, but they uncover more and more inch by inch so the sun has easier and easier access to the metal.

How far is the process now? How big is the area where they have removed the green? (I check into the process)

Most of it. Maybe not the legs.

So let them continue to the legs and feet. Just doing the job and enjoying as good as possible that you are here in the warm sunshine in a nice park together with helpers that wish you all the best.

They are doing the job of removing this green layer that protects the sun from warming up your body. Your job is to take deep breaths and just follow the process with patience. Let them find the remaining green spots of copper. Let them find all corners. Let them take the time and polish you back to this warm-looking copper material.

The sun warms up the body of this statue so it gets closer and closer to body temperature.

The helpers are finding the remaining spots of green. Maybe they have forgotten something. Some corners. They have to look for small spots.

How does it feel now that you are close to being the natural bronze statue?

It's still tension.

So they just continue. And these bronze statues are in the park for a reason. Yes, they need to be brought back to former glory but it's a great man that has made an impact on history. No one made a statue of someone that was not known for a reason.

So you are famous for something. You will become famous for something.

Take deep breaths and just feel how nice it is to be with these friends. They are listening to you, talking to each other. And I guess now the helper is telling you, how he made the transition from the statue into a normal person. What is he telling? (One of the helpers has been in the exact same situation)

Too much to tell. That's too much. I can imagine a chip filled with information (that is transferring information about how the helper solved the situation some years before).

So just take deep breaths and imagine that you get all this knowledge. Imagine that this statue-like version of you gets all the information you have now, and all the information you have in the future.

So how does this bronze statue of yours feel like, getting all this information that you will come out of this again?

Relief. Yeah.

So there's a way out.

So now you have got the knowledge and how you worked to get rid of this doubt that caused your body to freeze in the same spot every day (next to the rail at the bike parking) because it was here you found out if you were late or not.

So, see that this process, that this bronze statue has access to this recipe on how you actually did. A process that maybe take months or years, but you did it! You are not in this problem anymore. (He actually himself solved this problem some years ago, but the body memory was stuck in his body and still keep him stiff several times a day together with other similar body memories)

So this small program, this process: feel and see that it is done. That you can see that this version of you is slowly going through this process.

That's him laying down and the helpers are doing their best. They all know about this process. So they facilitate whatever you did at that time by giving you all the attention, care, and health you need to help you free.

You made it. You now know the recipe. So see, think, and feel how it is to install this program, this process while lying here together with your helper. By seeing this program, you do these steps you later took in life.

You come closer and closer to normal health.

Take deep breaths and feel how it is to revisit this period in your life where you did the job and onboarded good health.

How does it feel now to lie down on the grass with your helper surrounding you?

A lot calmer.

So how is the statue feeling right now?

Still quite stiff and heavy but not as the right plank as in the start.

Is there any part of you where the copper is not as dense?

It's a bit hard to distinguish the off-state from the image. It's just quite normal.

So it feels more like it's just you laying there on the grass? (He is out of the frozen state)

Because a copper statue cannot move but when you are through this frozen state you can again move. So, see and feel how you yourself are lying in the grass. Just stiff with the helpers around you and they are happy because now they can give you a real hug and be there for you.

Let them give you all the attention you need. Is there any part of your limbs that would like that they took it and moved around?

You can do some sort of exercise with people laying down. You can take your arms or legs and move them. Is that possible? Or would you like it to happen?

Yes.

So imagine that they take an arm or a leg and start to move it gently.

They follow the legs and arms so they're not going against the stiffness, but following where the legs and arms are most soft. So instead of using a lot of muscle to stretch you out they sort of find the angles where there's less resistance. And put your hands and arms in a position where the limbs want to be.

Everything is okay. So I think we have come a big step forward.

That was different because it was so real. Yeah.

NOW he is out of the state of the statue - a lot better feeling. Connected and feeling like he is in front of me on ZOOM