Truly Healing Trauma – Part 4
Written by Dr Janet Williams, Trauma Specialist
Dr Janet Williams is a trauma specialist working in the UK but now mainly online. Her doctoral research explored the biopsychosocial impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the systemic implications of intergenerational trauma.
In this next part of the series which aims to deepen our understanding of the nature and impact of trauma and how to heal it, Dr Williams takes a closer look at some of the ways our body is affected by unresolved trauma. There is a lot of exciting research and science in this field, but hopefully these articles make things simple and accessible for every reader.
So often I have clients come in for therapy sessions, looking for support with the debilitating impact of trauma. Often, they are unaware of how much their historical adversities are still living in their body. As renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk says, “the body keeps the score”. Our physiology is affected by all sorts of internal and external influences, but single event or recurring traumatic experiences get locked up internally, creating disturbance and compromising the vital systems that keep us well and in a state of balance.
For example, the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA axis) is a complex system of neuroendocrine pathways that work hard to keep our bodies in homeostasis. When the HPA axis is impacted by trauma, it affects the central nervous system and other major functions, exacerbating disharmony in the body which can lead to inflammation and ill-health. There are known links between trauma and chronic conditions e.g., fibromyalgia, and yet this connection is not commonly acknowledged or considered in routine medical examinations. In fact, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are known to be associated with an increased risk of cancer in adulthood.
Part of my work is to offer psychoeducation to groups of clients or patients as well as the professional staff who provide care for them. The main reason for being so passionate about this, is that illness and disease may well be a manifestation of unresolved trauma, and as such, can be healed once released out of the body. If the nervous system and other key functions are no longer under constant strain dealing with these disturbances, the body is very able and willing to return to a state of settlement and harmony.
It is exhausting to walk around with unresolved trauma, because every part of you inside is working so hard to get through the day. Never mind the emotional and psychological challenges from not feeling well and full of vitality, having stress and anxiety coursing through your body, and most likely less than optimal sleep rhythms which make it even harder to function.
In conclusion, it is important to enquire further for yourself or share with a healthcare professional, if you sense that your mental health and wellbeing is being compromised by something from the past that is still alive inside you. Healing trauma is not difficult and can be very liberating, as we will continue to learn in the following articles.
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Dr Williams has run a successful Trauma Counselling Programme in Bath, UK, these past three years and is now making the 10-week programme available online to increase accessibility. She works with all types of trauma, and has remarkable data evidencing the efficacy of the programme in a matter of weeks. Her work is founded on a deeply relational person-centred approach, with an eclectic mix of evidence-based techniques and a strong focus on the somatic experiences within the body.
