What is Trauma?
As Peter Levine wrote, “ Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.” This is not a subject that we typically learn about and even those who experience trauma may not identify with having a traumatic childhood or experience because it was their “normal”. In the United States, 61% of men and 51% of women report exposure to at least one lifetime traumatic event.
“Trauma is a Mind, Brain & Body Experience”
Trauma constituents a wide range of experiences and is not isolated to interpersonal (domestic) violence or war. Trauma can be any experience outside the everyday life experience of people. Examples include a serious illness, a major car accident, cancer, a life-threatening event, childhood neglect, witnessing a death, physical pain or injury, and yes, interpersonal (domestic) violence or war. In addition, chronic stress can have the same effects on a person as a traumatic event. People can even experience vicarious or secondary trauma. Taking this into account, you can most likely identify clients who have experienced traumatic events.
When someone has experienced a traumatic event(s), there may be short and long-term impacts on the brain, mind and body.
The fight, flight, freeze (or even fawn) response that occurs in the short term to help someone survive the traumatic episode can get “stuck” in their nervous system and this can manifest in their daily life and responses, or rather reactions.
What is Trauma Informed Care?
Trauma Informed Care uses the premise that everyone has the potential to experience trauma during a lifetime, many of which alter their personality and social interactions with others as a result. This understanding shapes the client experience and is the ultimate client-centred approach. At the foundation of all trauma-informed systems is understanding the prevalence of trauma, the effects of trauma and actions taken to inform best practices within the organization and client interactions.
“When we flee our vulnerability, we lose our full capacity for feeling emotion”
Dr.Gabor Maté
WHAT IS TRAUMA-INFORMED COACHING
And how can Alison support you……
Trauma-informed coaching is the practice of understanding the presence of trauma in a coach-client relationship, and how to use it as a guide for resilience and solution-forward resolution.
It works the same as regular coaching with the addition of knowledge and tools for what to work on when moral injuries hold back progress.
The depth of information and skill to ‘hold’ this space for deeper coaching work is what gives Trauma-Informed Coaching its nuance and strength.
As a Trauma-Informed Coach, I have trained to support clients with regulation, brain-body connection, behavioural reaction, different types of trauma, leading causes, and their subsequent symptoms.
Alison has also learned the proper channels for referral and the growing relationship between clinical professionals, therapists, and coaches. As a Trauma-Informed Coach, one must have authenticity, strong values, and beliefs that are not limiting or suppressing towards working in this area and or “pretending” that they have the knowledge or capacity if a client requires deeper support beyond her scope of practice.
Alison has learned methods to help ‘ground’ the nervous system, discard shame and guilt through powerful questions, and recognize and promote wellness for the entire anatomy as it starts to develop.
Trauma held within us can be released from us with the right caring support and a safe journey.
TRAUMA-INFORMED COACHING ALLOWS FOR A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF TRAUMA (ALL LEVELS) AND A FUTURE-FOCUSED WAY OF MOVING YOU TOWARDS POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH, HELPING YOU FIND MEANING IN YOUR TRAUMA AND KNOWING THAT YOU ARE NOT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, BUT HOW YOU LIVE HAS ADAPTED BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU (YOUR PERSONALITY).
YOU MAY LIVE IN A WAY THAT NO LONGER SERVES YOU, BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, BUT IT IS NOW OK FOR YOU TO TAKE BACK COMPLETE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR LIFE AND TO LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH A HIGHER LEVEL OF CONNECTION TO SELF AND FEELING MORE JOY, , LOVE, HAPPINESS AND EVEN GREAT SUCCESS IN ALL AREAS.
Alison has not only experienced Complex Post Traumatic Stress, but later became an educated professional, continuing education as a trauma-informed Coach, Adverse Childhood Experience Practitioner, Somatic EMDR Practitioner, breathwork teacher and Mental Health Practitioner, she combines the skills of neurobiology, neuroscience and somatics with her clients as together, they work towards establishing safety and trust within each interaction and have the awareness that trust and safety continue to develop over time.
It was Alison’s mother who inspired her to become trained as a trauma-informed coach so that together they could heal the CPTSD that was such a huge part of their relationship, the unhealed generational traumas impacted them and Alison’s relationship with her own children.
4 generations of Trauma are known (there is likely more) within her own lineage, from 18th-century Epidemics of infectious diseases and stillbirths to Narcissistic abuse, Violence, Sexual abuse, Serious RTA’s (road traffic accidents), grief as well as Emotional Abuse to name but a few experiences of the direct Traumas encountered.
This is why Alison, is not passionate about TRAUMA HEALING to open the possibility, opportunity and availability to no longer live with the shame and dissociation of Trauma, but the HEALING journey available to women after TRAUMA. From SURVIVAL to REVIVAL.
Compassionately and collectively we can alter the generational impact of TRAUMA and live a life where we feel ENRICHED and present and no longer DETACHED from life itself.
Trauma-Informed coaching
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Healing the trauma (s) you have experienced is a journey, not a destination.
A lifetime of unhealed wounds will take continual work to move away from who you created because of your trauma and BE who you chose to be in the present and your future.
Healing trauma is a mind/brain and body experience.
Everyone is different - every human is unique x
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Initially, the journey begins with weekly sessions over an 8-or 12-week period.
It may take longer, you may need a more intense approach. Be open to knowing that it is a journey and things that may have become so dissociated from you being able to fully feel that a deeper dive on multiple-hour sessions may be needed.
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“ACEs” stands for “Adverse Childhood Experiences.”
These experiences can include things like physical and
emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver mental illness, and
household violence.
The more ACEs a child experiences, the more likely he or
she is to suffer from things like heart disease and diabetes, poor academic achievement, and substance abuse
later in life.
Many of Alison’s clients have carried the weight of shame around ACES for decades, which can manifest in illness and dis-ease in their physical and neurological being, through support,, healing techniques and lifestyle medicine approaches - many of the symptoms that are present can be reversible.
All can be achieved with patience, compassion, consistency and support.
Alison is a certified level 2 ACES practitioner
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All sessions are currently offered on a one-to-one personal level and are hosted via an online platform for 60 minutes per session so that you can log in from your home, or a safe place to connect.
In-person meetings may become available in the future as well as group retreats.
