Trauma Fragments You Into Parts

There can be many complex feelings when experiencing trauma. It can be helpful to think about your memories, experiences, body sensations, beliefs and emotions as different parts of yourself. These parts can be from different ages in your life and they don’t have to make sense. Your brain can fragment these parts of yourself by causing you to dissociate during a traumatic event as a way of protecting you from being overwhelmed.

For example, if you were traumatized by getting attacked by a dog as a child, there may be a part of you that is afraid of dogs, as well as a part of you that really wishes you could be close to dogs, as well as a part of you that is irritated by the fact that you are anxious around dogs. You may not even remember the memory of getting attacked because you dissociated during that time, but perhaps you remember a fragment of that experience: the sound of a dog barking. This sound continues to trigger you in the present causing you to feel anxious whenever you hear a dog bark. This is the part of you that is terrified and dissociates easily around barking dogs.

These different parts may appear to at times contradict each other, but in actuality they are all valid experiences and can co-exist at the same time when you think about them as different parts of the whole that is you.

A primary step in trauma recovery is the integration of your parts, so that the parts of you that may not have had an opportunity to be witnessed can come to consciousness. Sometimes this means you become aware of a belief you have been carrying that doesn’t serve you anymore (such as “I’m helpless”), a feeling of anxiety whenever something reminds you of the trauma (such as the bark of a dog), or a body sensation that you can now release (such as fluttering feelings in your chest).

Once you make space to mindfully witness these parts without judgment, you are acknowledging them and integrating them into your conscious awareness. You can become more connected to your feelings, allowing you to release what no longer serves you and make room for new feelings and ways of being.

If you are at risk of harming yourself or others, please call or text the national suicide hotline at 988

If you could use support with trauma recovery or narcissistic abuse, book a free 15 min phone consult to learn more about how my practice can meet your needs.