Hoarding Trauma

"Any refusal to recognize reality for any reason whatever,

has disastrous consequences."

Ayn Rand 

The experience of trauma gets in the way of being able to talk about distressed feelings. Our rational brain is unable to convince our emotional brain that it is safe to move forward. We may be able to comfortably share the action as it happened to us, but incapable to put the internal experience into words.

No matter how much insight and understanding we receive professionally or through spiritual practices, articulating what is buried deep inside remains festering. There is a tendency to relive devastating assaults without separating them from the present moment. There does not seem to be a past or future, just the unbearable present.

After shock, we may find ourselves moving down the brick road, incapable of observing or appreciating life as it unfolds. The bricks beneath our feet move unsteadily, and any sense of sure footedness dissolves. When we finally reach our breaking point, there is relief and a desire to begin again, leaving sorrow behind.