You just don’t want to go there. The past may be sad; scary; even puzzling. It happened so long ago you think to yourself, "Just get over it." You have spent much time and energy “forgetting” so why go there now?
This is a common internal dialogue many clients have prior to seeking counseling. It all seems just too painful “dredging” up the past. However, the past doesn't just disappear. It often dictates your everyday life, your choices, and even your energy levels. Do you know how much energy it takes to keep the stuff under wraps? It’s exhausting! Even though one attempts to bury the memory, some people may even experience flashbacks ( images of the past tramatic experiences) as the body’s way of telling you this needs your attention. This is all locked inside and carries negative energy that causes much of the distress. (Post traumatic stress disorder).
According to Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, “As long as a memory is inaccessible, the mind is unable to change it. But as soon as the story starts being told, particularly if it is told repeatedly, it changes. The mind cannot help but make meaning out of what it knows, and the meaning we make of our lives changes how and what we remember.”
This verbalization is just what one needs to make sense of the past and unlock the frozen memory. A trusting counselor helps unlock the places you may have been stuck for years! Expression of a trauma through writing or verbalization set the stage for one to connect with the feelings that were frozen in time. Now you feel it...
In addition to talk counseling, Accerated Resolution Therapy (A.R.T.) sessions are crucial to rescripting the images along with the negative sensations in the body so that a different perspective is realized. Memories are pliable and one can experience a new way of seeing things so the reactions become more positive. A good illustration to understand what happens to the negative memory is equating the A.R.T. Session to temperature change and the use of different molds to make jello. If I make jello and put it in a regular bowl and refrigerate and then remove it from the refrigerator, let it melt back to a liquid state, transfer the contents to a heart shaped bowl and refrigerate, I have changed the way it looks. It is still jello yet it is seen differently. Laney Rosenzweig calls this "pozitization" and we still have the facts about the issue but lose all the negativity attached to the memory.
Your future path can be altered for good.
Dr. Anita Arrunategui/Canva Pro/“Your Body Keeps the Score” Dr. Van de Kolk/ "Too Good to be True?" Laney Rosenzweig
The content published is for informational purposes. The content included in this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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