The current research consensus is that the person with trauma must choose to re-live it in a therapeutic setting with the intention to heal.

This experience must include details of feeling the traumatic imprint stored in the body. Trauma has two parts- the body feeling and the mental story. Some pre-verbal events don’t have a story. Re-living (in a safe environment) causes the traumatic memory to lose its charge. The old memory should be replaced on two different levels: the old, negative emotion must be replaced by a new, positive emotion. The old story needs to be replaced (belief, meaning).

This is why traditional talk therapy that only focuses on the story is ineffective, and somatic release work that only focuses on feeling is not enough. Both are necessary.

In short: you must release the mind, or it will recreate the body. You must release the body, or it will recreate the mind.

Types of feelers:

Hot (or fast feelers)

For example: a person who expresses their anger and sadness all the time but never addresses the core belief (I will be abandoned, I am not enough) will continually retraumatize themselves by subconsciously creating situations in their lives that prove this belief is correct, therefore recreating the emotions of anger and sadness in their bodies. This manifests as self-sabotage in relationships and career. These people usually suffer from anxiety, high blood pressure, and stress-related illnesses caused by constantly elevated cortisol levels and nervous systems stuck in fight or flight.

There are frequently much deeper unacknowledged emotions like shame or guilt, hidden by cover emotions like anger or anxiety (AKA fear), that can be processed with enough safety and trust. These types need to identify and rewrite the subconscious beliefs that don’t serve them. They need to build nervous system regulation skills so that they can witness their emotions while staying in control. These types are more in touch with their emotions and

Cold (Slow feelers)

On the other side of the coin, a person who represses emotions (someone who claims they are never upset, acts very calm) is likely living in their head and either believes everything is fine outside of their inexplicable physical symptoms or could be very aware of their story and actively trying to change their beliefs. This person cannot consciously feel their painful emotions, so the body expresses them in the form of passive-aggression, avoidance, feelings of depression or numbness, and eventually psychosomatic illness (gastrointestinal issues, auto-immune disorders, allergies, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, even heart disease and cancer).

These people usually have very strong psychological defense mechanisms which can be difficult to deal with in traditional therapy (if they even come to therapy, which they usually don’t). These people need a large amount of safety, trust, and patience, and they do best in one-on-one sessions early on. Once they are able to express their emotions they must continually practice techniques that put them in touch with their bodies.