No one is broken! No matter the symptoms nor the struggles. Each and every struggle comes from adaptive, strong, courageous parts of our human system. They can always be mapped back to the hard stuff we survive.
Anytime someone wants change or relief, there is a behavior, pattern or experience they want to move past. Oftentimes no matter how much they talk about their struggles or how many medicines they try, the changes they want aren’t happening. This can be frustrating.
But there are deeper, more sophisticated options to get to the real root of the matter and embrace a new reality. In the 1st episode of The Viva View, our podcast on redefining mental health, Viva founder Dr. Julie Lopez sat down with therapist, author, and spiritual guide Kathleen Hanagan. They speak about how:
“You are not broken. Every single human system is designed to adapt, cope and survive.”
Dr. Julie Lopez
They also discussed the limitations of a DSM-based therapeutic approach and what trauma-informed therapy means in practice. Throughout their conversation, they come back to this truth – you are the hero of your journey and your own inner healer.
You Are Not Broken: Trauma Responses
Every time we go through something challenging, our bodies find ways to adapt and survive for our highest good. Sometimes these adaptations cause further messes. No matter the mess — relational struggles, addiction, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, negative self-image — these can all be clues into what is driving our survival.
In his book The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté, MD says, “The first question to ask is not what is wrong with an addiction, but what is right about it….what benefit is the person deriving from their habit? What does it do for them? What are they getting that they otherwise can’t access?”
We are all living adaptations. Our behaviors develop in response to our life experiences and some of these behaviors inevitably become habits. For those who have survived complex or acute trauma, behaviors that once helped you survive may be holding you back from living your best life.
Cycle of Trauma
In the podcast, Kathleen notes that “many people do not have enough support and reflection back about their capacity to heal.” Therapists and healers witness this unfortunate truth daily. In the wake of experiencing trauma, the body adapts. Since our bodies’ ultimate goal is survival, many different behaviors develop in order to avoid the conditions that once allowed danger.
With a trauma-informed and trauma-compassionate approach, our Viva team acknowledges repeated relational cycles, misplaced outbursts/rage, isolation, hyper-vigilance, and more as adaptive trauma responses. If you or loved ones live with the effects of trauma, education on PTSD feedback loops can increase knowledge and compassion.
These feedback loops, or behaviors that keep repeating, can unfortunately lead to feelings of hopelessness. We work with clients who are at their wits end. They’ve tried medicine and they’ve tried talk therapy. Nothing has gotten to the root of their struggle. Then they learn about non-talk-based therapies that tap into the wisdom of the body and decide to try one more time.
There is something beautiful about witnessing clients at this stage. Even here, at what they may consider the lowest of the low, their body is telling them there is hope for more whole healing. Some part of them knows that continual suffering is not the only option in response to trauma.
Inner Healer: Trauma and Therapy
“There is an inner healer in every human. Those of us who have the privilege to work with people in this way have to go through their own hero’s journey,” Kathleen shared in our podcast. While doing deep, body-and-brain based therapy, our team witnesses our clients reckon with their life experiences, internal narratives, and more.
Non-talk-based modalities like EMDR, Brainspotting, and trauma-informed yoga are shown to support clients in experiencing therapeutic breakthroughs. Dr. Julie and Kathleen share inspiring, brief anecdotes of healing they’ve witnessed first hand in this episode. An important truth embraced throughout this episode is:
You are not weak because you are broken. You are weak because you went through something really hard.”
Dr. Julie Lopez
When a marathoner is at the end of a 26 mile race, shivering in a silver blanket, weak at the knee, do we say they have ‘post-runners breakdown disorder?’ No, we say ‘Congratulations! You are amazing! I am so proud of you!’
It is well past time to embrace that type of admiration for life’s hardships and those who have survived. Plus, in the landscape of mental health recovery, tangible, science-backed healing modalities exist and they are available to you right now.
Compassionate Therapy: Destigmatizing Mental Health
“Compassionately walking people through it. There is no other way,” Kathleen remarked. In a therapeutic healing journey, there are highs and lows. Some weeks involve therapeutic triumphs. During others, difficult memories resurface and more support is needed to get through. Resources and coping skills are available on this road to restabilization.
As Kathleen beautifully shared, “Life is a journey. We all go into the belly of the beast at some point.” Through The Viva View podcasts and blogs, we want to redefine the language around mental health. Our hope is that more people realize that they are strong and courageous. It is admirable to survive and cope in step with life’s stumbling blocks. You are your own inner healer. It is possible to have therapeutic experiences that reflect this back to you, and to build a life beyond distress.
If you need support on your healing journey, reach out to us info@vivapartnership.com or Kathleen Hanagan. There are therapists and healers available to you.
About the Authors
Mary Grace Comber
The Client Specialist at The Viva Center. She supports our clients and clinicians through administrative and intake processes. She also organizes our Holistic Presentations for Growth workshop series and other community offerings.
