individual and collective trauma

We recently had a devastating flood here in Vermont due to a tropical storm in which many people lost everything, farmers have lost their crops and the infrastructure of the state has been badly damaged. As I write this, in Texas there are wildfires that have destroyed 1000 homes.

Due to this people are experiencing both individual and collective trauma. Even if one has not been personally affected, it is near impossible to not feel the effects while your friends, neighbors and community are suffering.

This is far from a pleasant experience for anyone. What is important is to go through it without either trying to distract from or ignore it.

We must feel what we are feeling, as we are feeling it. Then, as I say in The Way of the Voice of Peace, do not try to change that feeling, simply experience and accept it as it is.

If we are going through a traumatic event it is appropriate to feel uncomfortable in some way. We can feel that unpleasant feeling yet we do not have to act because of it. Once we become aware of what is actually going on inside our own skin, we want to then make a choice for our next action to be one in which it brings us to a feeling we want. We are looking to avoid getting caught up in the feeling and escalating it. We simply want to be aware of the feeling, detach and choose our next action.

Why is this so important? Because when all is said and done, we do not want to be carrying this trauma with us. Our goal is to be clear and return to our normal state of being. If we get caught up without being aware of what is going on within us, then when we settle down, we will not be able to settle to our original state prior to the traumatic events.

Life is sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant. Sometimes it goes smooth and sometimes it is traumatic. This is living life in this world. How we deal with a particular event as we are going through it and how we choose to act will determine whether we come out of it healthy, happy and ready to deal with the next life event.

May you choose health and happiness.