Reclamation, Resistance, Self-Compassion, & It isn't all ours to shift

I believe it is important for us to acknowledge that any trauma processing work that we do, is all about unlearning old survival patterns, cycles, and instincts that no longer serve us well.  Most of us have been using these old survival tools for decades.  We know them.  We know them likely better than we know any other part of ourselves.  And even though they no longer serve us, they are still what is known and therefore what is comfortable for us.

Doing this work of calming our nervous systems, connecting to our boundaries, reclaiming our bodies, and coming into the present moment by finding our center and ground is all the work of the unknown.  Unknown because it was never modeled for us as kids (in fact I am guessing the opposite is what we learned).  Unknown because we have unprocessed trauma living within us.  Unknown because we live in a culture that doesn't make space for such things.  

And what is unknown, we often interpret as scary, terrifying even, especially those of us li…