What is Medical Trauma?
Medical trauma is a term used to describe the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of medical treatments, procedures, or a diagnosis. It’s more than just the physical pain—medical trauma stems from the fear, loss of control, and the sense of vulnerability experienced during invasive procedures, long hospital stays, or even chronic illness management. When left unresolved, it can create an ongoing state of fight, flight, or freeze in the body
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How Does Medical Trauma Create Resistance?
The human body has an incredible ability to adapt and protect itself from perceived danger. When we experience medical trauma, the nervous system shifts into survival mode, creating an unconscious resistance to the very things we need to do to heal. This resistance can manifest as:
- Avoidance: Reluctance to seek medical help, finish treatments, or explore alternative therapies.
- Physical Tension: Holding patterns in the body such as tight muscles, headaches, or unexplained aches.
- Emotional Numbness: Feeling disconnected, lacking motivation, or struggling to believe that healing is even possible.
It’s the body’s way of saying, “I’m trying to keep you safe.” However, this resistance can block the healing process, leaving you feeling stuck, frustrated, and even sicker over time.
So, how do you begin to move through this resistance?
3 Tips & Exercises to Heal Medical Trauma and Move Past Resistance
1. Create Safety in the Body
When the nervous system is in a state of resistance, it’s because it doesn’t feel safe. One of the first steps to healing is to create an environment where your body feels it can release tension and begin to relax.
Exercise: The Safe Space Visualization
- Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
- Imagine a place that feels completely safe to you. This could be a cozy room, a beautiful nature setting, or even a fictional place from your imagination.
- Focus on the colors, the sounds, and the textures around you. Feel the safety and warmth of this space.
- Stay in this visualization for a few minutes, allowing your body to relax into this sense of safety.
Why It Works: Creating a mental safe space helps signal to your nervous system that it’s okay to let go of the “fight or flight” mode, shifting into a rest and digest state that is essential for healing.
2. Acknowledge & Release the Emotions
Medical trauma often creates unresolved emotions such as fear, anger, or sadness. When we don’t allow these emotions to move through us, they become stored in the body, causing physical and emotional blockages. This stored emotion can be one of the core reasons behind resistance.
Exercise: Emotional Release Through Writing
- Grab a journal or a piece of paper.
- Write a letter to your body or to the specific medical experience that caused you trauma.
- Let the words flow without judgment. Express anger, sadness, frustration—whatever comes up.
- When you’re done, read the letter aloud to yourself.
- Fold it up and decide what to do with it: You can keep it, tear it up, or burn it as a symbol of releasing those emotions.
Why It Works: Naming and acknowledging your emotions allows them to come to the surface, giving you the opportunity to process and release them. When you release these emotions, the body no longer has to hold onto them, creating more space for healing.
3. Practice Somatic Movement
Medical trauma often causes us to disconnect from our bodies, feeling unsafe within our own skin. Gentle movement helps you reconnect, release stored tension, and bring awareness to areas where you might be holding onto resistance.
Exercise: Shake It Out
- Stand up in a comfortable stance, feet hip-width apart.
- Start by gently shaking your hands, as if you were shaking water off your fingertips.
- Gradually begin to shake your arms, shoulders, and then your entire body.
- Bounce slightly on your toes, allowing your whole body to gently shake.
- As you shake, imagine all the tension, resistance, and stuck energy being released from your body.
- Continue for 1-2 minutes, then take a deep breath and stand still for a moment, noticing the sensations in your body.
Why It Works: Shaking helps to reset the nervous system by releasing stored tension and increasing the flow of energy throughout the body. It’s a simple but powerful way to disrupt patterns of resistance and create space for new, positive energy.
Healing is a Journey, Not a Destination
It’s essential to remember that healing medical trauma is not a linear process. Some days you’ll feel great, while others you might feel like you’re back at square one. That’s okay. Each step, each exercise, each moment of self-compassion is moving you closer to a life of freedom and vitality.
Medical trauma is tough—but so are you. By creating safety, expressing emotions, and using movement to release resistance, you’re reclaiming your power and giving your body the permission it needs to heal.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re feeling called to dive deeper, explore RESET: A 21-Day Journey from Surviving to Thriving, designed to support you in releasing resistance and embracing true healing. This guided program offers daily exercises, meditations, and personalized support to help you shift from surviving to thriving in your health journey.
Your healing journey is unique, and it starts with honoring where you are right now. Let’s move through resistance together and create the life of health and freedom you deserve.
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