{"id":364,"date":"2023-11-17T08:48:16","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T08:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/?p=364"},"modified":"2023-11-17T08:50:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T08:50:14","slug":"is-your-unattended-grief-keeping-you-stuck-in-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/?p=364","title":{"rendered":"Is your unattended grief keeping you stuck in trauma?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><\/h2><br><br>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I recently tuned into a conversation between Alex Howard and\nDavid Kessler on this subject and was once again reminded of the crucial\ninsight in counselling: that grief and trauma often go hand in hand. When we\nundergo a traumatic experience, we invariably find ourselves grieving the\nthings we have lost\u2014whether it is our innocence, a significant other, a child,\na limb, or perhaps even the dream of what we envisioned our life to be.\nAccording to Kessler, grief can be aptly described as the unwelcome change\nthrust upon our lives.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Traumatic events such as divorce, rape, assault, or death\ncompel us to be mindful of the emotions and feelings we have endured.\nSuppressing these emotions erects walls around us, serving as a defense\nmechanism against further hurt or pain. However, these very walls become a\nprison if left unprocessed, hindering our personal growth and preventing us\nfrom embracing joy and a fulfilling life once more.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It is common for people to resort to coping mechanisms like\noverworking, excessive alcohol consumption, or drug abuse when they fail to\nacknowledge their feelings. Recognizing and inviting these emotions in for\nprocessing is crucial, as the saying goes: &#8220;You can&#8217;t heal what you don&#8217;t\nfeel.&#8221;<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">With the right tools and techniques, it is possible to reclaim\nour power, invite healthier perspectives, and dial down the noise in our minds.\nWhile it may be challenging, with support, we can unpack and navigate difficult\ninner experiences.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Are you carrying a black backpack filled with shame or\nguilt? It is possible that you haven&#8217;t fully addressed all aspects of past\ntraumatic events and may not realize it is time to dismantle the walls\npreventing healing and happiness.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/p><p>As Alex Howard noted, trauma shapes us but does not define\nus. We can rediscover our identity and find meaning once again.&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unattended grief can prevent you from healing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grief-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=364"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}