Most of us experience some level of emotional trauma while on our journey here on the earth plane. That trauma can be caused by personal experiences from childhood or adulthood like neglect, abuse, or violence. It can also be caused by constantly watching the news that reports daily on the atrocities that happen in our world.

What exactly is emotional or psychological trauma? WWW.PTSD.Va.Gov defines it this way:

Emotional and psychological trauma are the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that will not go away.

I am not a mental health professional so, of course I am not speaking to you in that capacity. If you are experiencing serious emotional or psychological trauma, it is best to seek out therapy from a licensed practitioner.

I am a spiritual teacher, however, who has learned much about overcoming emotional trauma, because I experienced a lot of it. From my own journey through trauma, I learned we need to address both aspects of our nature to find the clear pathway to healing and health. As we have discussed, the human experience involves both our identity as an eternal soul, as well as our combined identity, that includes not only our soul, but also the body, brain chemistry and personality of our human counterpart.

Without going into details, because I have gone into my past experiences far too many times, let me just say that I went though many years of an abusive, dysfunctional and sometimes violent relationship and subsequent marriage. I think it is important to note that, I made the choices that led to the trauma, so blaming anyone else for my painful past is fruitless and would not have been helpful on my healing journey.

Some traumas happen that have seemingly no direct link to the choices of an individual, like rape, incest, or childhood atrocities. Yet, even in those situations, we need to eventually take responsibility for how we choose to perceive our past traumas if we want to heal from them. We may need to ask ourselves how willing we are to do the hard work of processing our pain, learning the lessons from the experiences, and becoming whole again.

My initial way of coping was purely spiritual. I morphed myself from a helpless victim to a spiritual warrior. I made huge progress simply by reconnecting with my soul and remembering my inner power. Forgiveness for my ex’s part, though it could be perceived as unforgiveable, was easy for me. I do not know why exactly, but I always felt there was a bigger picture I could not see. I believed that everything happens for a reason and there are no coincidences. Perhaps, experiencing such insurmountable pain, fear and anguish was the only way for me to wake up from my unconsciousness, step fully into my spiritual nature, and take back control of my emotions and my life. I knew for sure, that regret, blame, or shame were obstacles to my healing, and I refused to wallow in that negativity.

I also found that, not just regarding my abusive past but in all situations, it always felt much better to choose love and forgiveness over fear or fault. I thought I had fully moved on from that difficult time. I grew more soulful and peaceful as time went on. However, the traumas did not end. They continued to stream into my days unexpectedly, upending my life, and hurling me back into the turbulent river of fear that once again, threatened my stability and emotional peace.

There were the normal challenges of being a single mom of three children, and the enormous responsibility that came with that role. Yet beyond that, there were financial challenges, some life-threatening health issues, and simply underlying anxiety that told me I was never completely safe. So, I continuously viewed all my adversities through a spiritual lens that seemed to adequately bandage the wounds and stop the bleeding. It did not, however, heal the wounds, restore my equanimity, nor strengthen my sense of calm and safety.

“What was I missing? What stone did I leave unturned? How could I ultimately find the final piece that would complete the puzzle and lead to a full understanding, and thus a full healing from my past.”

It was my humanity! Instead of trying to suppress my humanness and override it through the light and love of my soul, I realized I needed to accept its vulnerability and feelings of helplessness. If I did not, I was not really evolving at all because I was not fully embracing the fullness of living a physical life. I somehow felt my human frailties were signs of failure rather than pathways to power and strength. Drusilla, the human, was kind, passionate, and compassionate. She was a bit over emotional, but that was a part of her that was a tremendous virtue that needed to be channeled, not suppressed. Tears that pooled in her eyes and flowed to the earth were sources of healing for both Drusilla, as well as those she touched with her open heart.

The traumas, I learned, happened to both the mortal, human part of me and my immortal soul. I needed to accept and embrace them. My soul then, learned how to nurture, comfort, and care for the part of me that felt the fear and vulnerability. The human part of me allowed my soul to fully experience and appreciate the myriad of emotions that was one of the main reasons it chose to take on this corporal journey. To recoil from and disregard them was relinquishing the precious gifts and lessons they offered which were essential in carrying out my life purpose here.

Wishing for traumas to evolve spiritually, will never be our hope. We can also grow from a more peaceful life if that happens to be our path. Yet, if adversity or trauma show up at our door, it is important to ask them why they have come. Then commit to staying grounded, present, and determined to learn from our challenges. All aspects of life are valuable gifts, and we can only accept them in the present moment, not in the illusionary past or future. Let us open our arms and our hearts and allow these gifts to light up our awareness, so we can access the knowledge and wisdom within the sacred temple of our divine self.