Warning! “Sitting with it” can be harmful for trauma survivors! Their nervous systems may be in a heightened state of dysregulation. Trauma often leads to an overactive stress response, where the body remains in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. When trauma survivors attempt to sit with their feelings, they may re-experience overwhelming emotions and physical sensations associated with their trauma, which can trigger these stress responses.

Trauma survivors often experience hyperarousal, where their nervous system is constantly on high alert. Sitting with feelings can intensify this state, leading to increased anxiety, panic, and physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating.

Conversely, some trauma survivors may experience hypoarousal, where they feel numb, disconnected, or detached. Attempting to engage with their feelings can lead to further dissociation, making it hard to stay present.

Engaging with traumatic feelings can trigger flashbacks or intrusive memories, causing the person to relive the trauma. This can be re-traumatizing and counterproductive to healing.

For effective emotional processing, a sense of safety and stability is crucial. Trauma survivors might not have this foundational sense of safety, making it difficult to engage with painful emotions without feeling overwhelmed or re-traumatized.

Effective emotional processing often requires a supportive environment. Without adequate support, trauma survivors might find it challenging to navigate their feelings safely.

Trauma survivors need a safe, regulated environment where the nervous system can gradually learn to tolerate and process difficult emotions. This involves building skills for self-regulation, fostering supportive relationships, and ensuring that the individual is not overwhelmed by their emotional experiences.

This post includes content generated by ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI. The AI-generated content has been reviewed and edited for accuracy and relevance.