Clenching, And Not Just My Jaw!

[Fadeaway]

@SophiaWisdom I also carry trauma in my shoulders and chest. I feel a lot of stuck energy in my chest. Would love to see a somatic therapist but they don't take medicare around here. I am looking forward to checking out those you tube videos though.

 

[SophiaWisdom]

@SophiaWisdom I also carry trauma in my shoulders and chest. I feel a lot of stuck...

Yes! I actually do a lot of the somatic work on my own because it's either really far away or hard to find an affordable one. Some options i've used - there are some facebook groups online I used to belong to for energy healers and life coaches (I used to be one full-time) and often they do free samples or pay what you can. I've gotten adjustments that way that helped supplement.

The youtube videos are helpful, or just letting your body shake while you listen to a reputable recording (I bought some hypnosis tapes on sale from Stephen G. Jones and I liked many of them). Vocalizing and making noise while it happens helps, as well as doing it in the bathtub with salts/essential oils/seaweed is all very healing. When you drain the bathtub while you're still in it, it helps to visualize the old residue just going down the drain and leaving you clean.

I trained in somatic therapy in grad school during my MFT program so I don't fully recommend self-practice without professional help or training, but there are some good resources online for free!

 

[LLMertens]

My head shoulders and stomach will involuntarily raise back and my legs will reach towards my head as if I am being bent backwards. It doesn't tickle so I don't understand why.

First I don't know how to quote passages so apologies for cutting and pasting the above.

I can't be touched on my lower back without arching up like that. It began happening to me as a child, I would wake up from nightmares with my body contorted and stuck in this painful arch until the muscles finally relaxed. I recently read that traumatic abuse survivors can have these kinds of spasms where they were struck and it drove home to me once and for all that I was abused, not merely disciplined when my parents beat me.

I suffer GI cramping constantly, and hold my body so tense and so still that I have gotten blood clots in my legs as a result. I am so sorry to know this happened to us. It's freaking horrible. Just horrible.