Trauma Expert: GENERATIONS of Trauma Lives In Your Body. THIS is How You Break Free!

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Added: Jan 3, 2024

In this podcast, Dr. Mariel Buqué, a licensed trauma psychologist and Columbia University professor, discusses the impact of intergenerational trauma and the process of healing without medication. She explains that trauma can be passed down through generations, with the traumas of ancestors living within us. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the body's response to trauma and the role of the nervous system in the healing process.

Understanding the Body's Response to Trauma

Dr. Buqué highlights the significance of befriending our bodies and engaging in a relationship with them. She encourages individuals to tune in to their bodies and recognize the tension and stress they may be experiencing. By doing body scans and paying attention to physical manifestations of trauma, individuals can gain a better understanding of how their bodies are internalizing their experiences.

She also discusses the importance of relaxation techniques such as breathwork, meditation, and yoga in releasing tension from the body. These practices can help settle the nervous system and promote a sense of calm and ease.

The Impact of Trauma on Physical Health

Dr. Buqué explains that unaddressed trauma can manifest as chronic illness, including conditions such as diabetes, cardiac issues, autoimmune disorders, and even certain cancers. She emphasizes the connection between emotional trauma and physical health, highlighting the importance of addressing trauma to prevent long-term health consequences.

Healing Trauma Without Medication

Dr. Buqué challenges the notion that medication is the only solution for healing trauma, especially emotional or mental health trauma. She advocates for nervous system restoration practices as an alternative approach to healing. These practices include techniques such as humming, which can stimulate the ventral vagal nerve and promote relaxation.

She also emphasizes the role of distress tolerance skills in the healing process, acknowledging that the journey of healing can be challenging and may require individuals to tolerate distress and guilt as they work through their trauma.

The Impact of Childhood Abuse

Dr. Buqué identifies childhood abuse as one of the most challenging traumas to overcome. She explains that the vulnerability and intrusion experienced in childhood abuse can lead to a pervasive sense of vulnerability and rawness in adulthood. Overcoming childhood abuse requires individuals to centralize the work in the triggered space and model a more healed self for others to see.

The Role of Inner Child Healing

Dr. Buqué emphasizes the importance of healing the inner child as adults to prevent passing on inner child wounds to the next generation. She highlights the potential for misattunement between caregivers and children, leading to emotional abandonment and attachment issues. By addressing their own inner child wounds, adults can prevent the transmission of trauma to their children.

The Journey of Healing

Dr. Buqué acknowledges that healing is a journey that may require ongoing work and processing. She shares her own experience of revisiting trauma and the need for continued healing, emphasizing that healing is not a linear process. She encourages individuals to remain open to the possibility of new challenges and the need for ongoing healing.

The Impact of Healing on Relationships

Dr. Buqué discusses the impact of healing on relationships, particularly in the context of intimate partnerships. She acknowledges the challenges of one partner being more open to healing than the other and emphasizes the importance of modeling a more healed self for others to see. She encourages individuals to show up as their more healed selves and demonstrate the benefits of healing to others.

The Rewards of Healing

Dr. Buqué emphasizes the rewards of healing, highlighting the potential for abundance and peace on the other side of the healing journey. She encourages individuals to trust in the process and recognize that the work of healing is worth the effort. By embracing the journey of healing, individuals can experience a more abundant and peaceful life.

Understanding Intergenerational Trauma

Dr. Buqué explains that intergenerational trauma is the transfer of trauma from one generation to the next. It can be found at the intersection of biology and psychology, impacting the ways in which genes are turned on or off and influencing emotional experiences. She shares that trauma can be passed down through approximately seven to fourteen generations, and individuals can carry the trauma of their ancestors within them.

Healing and Reparenting

Dr. Buqué emphasizes the importance of healing our own wounds in order to prevent passing on trauma to the next generation. She discusses the concept of intergenerational reparenting, which involves reparenting ourselves while also parenting others. She highlights the need to vet the environments and people that children are exposed to in order to protect them from potential harm.

The Impact of Trauma on Children

The conversation also touches on the impact of trauma on children, particularly in the context of parental behavior. Dr. Buqué identifies three toxic behaviors that parents should avoid around their children, including talking to kids about their body size, engaging in violent relational conflict, and exhibiting behavior that can be triggering to children.

The Role of Medication in Healing

Dr. Buqué discusses the role of medication in trauma healing, emphasizing that medication can be used on a temporary basis during crisis situations. However, she cautions against over-reliance on medication without addressing the underlying trauma through therapy and other healing modalities. She emphasizes the importance of integrating lessons and coping skills in order to reduce dependency on medication.

The Importance of Peace and Harmony

Dr. Buqué emphasizes the importance of peace and harmony in life. She discusses the impact of trauma on individuals' ability to experience peace and the importance of addressing trauma in order to achieve a sense of calm and relaxation. She shares her personal struggle with patience and the desire to slow down her life in order to cultivate greater compassion and self-love.

Breaking the Cycle

The conversation concludes with a focus on breaking the cycle of trauma and the importance of doing the inner work to achieve healing. Dr. Buqué emphasizes the need for individuals to identify and address their patterns in order to break the cycle of trauma and repetition compulsion. She encourages individuals to hold on to hope and resilience, even in the face of adversity.

Defining Greatness

Dr. Buqué defines greatness as the ability to get back up, emphasizing the resilience and strength required to overcome challenges and continue moving forward. She highlights the everyday acts of resilience as a demonstration of greatness, emphasizing the importance of tapping into internal strength and using it to persevere.

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