Heal Mindfully Like I Did

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If you want to use meditation for trauma release, you’ll need to take a different approach than you would with everyday mindfulness.

Most people come to meditation hoping to relax—but trauma doesn’t always allow us to relax right away. Instead, we must begin by learning how to create safety within ourselves, to sit with our innermost self, and to bring a gentle, accepting awareness to the parts of us that are still carrying pain. This is all vital in order to make meditation safe for trauma survivors.

As someone who has taught meditation to many clients navigating trauma—and as someone with a trauma history myself—I’ve come to understand that trauma isn’t just something that happened in the past. It’s something the body continues to carry in the present. It shows up in subtle ways: in how we breathe, in how we hold tension, in how we react to situations even when we consciously know we’re safe.

Trauma lives in the present moment in:

  • Physical tension in jaw, chest, or gut
  • Startling easily at small sounds or movement
  • Strong emotions from minor triggers
  • Feeling numb or disconnected
  • Constantly scanning for danger
  • Unwanted thoughts or flashbacks Avoiding certain places or feelings
  • Holding or restricting the breath Needing control to feel safe
  • Persistent shame or self-blame
  • Trouble relaxing or falling asleep
  • Using habits to avoid discomfort Fear of closeness or connection
  • Sensations without clear cause
  • Discomfort in silence or stillness

The path to healing doesn’t come through forcing change. It begins with allowing ourselves to meet what’s already inside us, with compassion and without fear.

How Meditation Helps With Trauma

Trauma lives in the nervous system. It’s not just a collection of memories but a persistent state of reactivity. Often, one part of us functions as though everything is fine, while another part is still stuck in survival mode. This disconnect between mind and body creates the conditions in which trauma remains unresolved—not because we haven’t tried to heal, but because we’ve been looking in the wrong place.

Meditation allows us to begin healing by reconnecting mind and body. In particular, practices like somatic meditation, body scan, and breath-based mindfulness offer ways to meet our internal experience with awareness. They help us bring presence to the parts of the body that still feel unsafe. And as we sit with those sensations—rather than push them away—something begins to soften. We stop being at war with our own bodies. We begin to witness, to feel, to listen. That’s when healing begins. Not in the fixing, but in the allowing.

Benefits of Meditation for Trauma Survivors

Meditation helps not because it’s peaceful or pretty. It helps because it creates a space where your nervous system can unravel. It lets you be with what’s real—without reacting, without running.

Practices like Zazen teach you to observe whatever arises—whether it’s a memory, a feeling, or a physical sensation—without clinging or pushing it away. That’s incredibly powerful for trauma. It teaches your system that emotions can come and go, and you’ll still be okay.

Using Somatic meditation for trauma takes it one step further. Instead of focusing on thoughts, you focus on what’s happening in your body. Your breath. The tension in your jaw. The heaviness in your chest. These sensations aren’t just physical—they’re emotional. They’re what’s left when the words run out. And as you allow them to speak, something happens. Your body starts to trust that it’s safe again. You start to feel like you’re back in your body. You’re no longer just surviving. You’re listening. And eventually—healing.

How to Meditate with Trauma in the Body

Here’s how to create a trauma-aware meditation practice that actually helps.

  1.  Create Safety First: Before you dive into your body, start with grounding. You might sit with both feet on the floor and take a few slow breaths. Remind yourself: I am safe. I am here. I can stop at any time. Safety is not optional—it’s the foundation.
  2. Stay Close to the Body: Use somatic meditation to stay grounded. Feel your breath in your belly. Feel the weight of your arms. Notice any areas of warmth, cold, tension, or movement. You’re not trying to change anything—just feel it. I often tell clients to picture the mind like a small pebble, slowly sinking into the ocean of the body. Let it drift downward—gently—into your inner world.
  3. Use Kind Language Internally: If your mind wanders, avoid judgment. Say something like: “I accept that my mind has wandered, and I’m gently guiding it back to my breath.” If a sensation feels uncomfortable: “I accept that there’s discomfort, and I shall move forward comfortably and gently.” These aren’t just words. They’re a way of modeling compassion toward yourself—something many trauma survivors never learned to do.
  4. Let Sensations Arise: Sometimes, a simple sensation in your chest or stomach can open a floodgate. Let it. Don’t chase it, and don’t push it away. Just stay. Often, sitting with a difficult sensation is the very thing that unlocks the pain—and begins the healing
  5. Allow Time Afterward: After meditation, give yourself a moment. Don’t jump straight into emails or chores. Sit. Breathe. Let whatever came up settle in your body. In my own sessions, I often extend time for clients who’ve had an emotional breakthrough. Just sitting quietly with them—without needing to say or do anything—can be more healing than any technique. You deserve that same kindness from yourself.

My Personal Story

I used to be deeply reactive. I have a history with BPD, and for a long time, every thought or feeling felt overwhelming. I believed I had to do something with every emotion, or else it would destroy me. But Vipassana taught me to just let them be. Thoughts, feelings, even the most difficult memories—they could pass through me without taking over. That was my first taste of real freedom.

One of the biggest breakthroughs I ever had came while I was meditating on a bus. I’d been carrying years of pain from my relationship with my father, who struggled with drinking. I loved him, but there was just so much pain. That day, as I sat quietly, something shifted. I felt forgiveness—not just for him, but for myself. It was like someone had opened the curtains in my chest. Light came in. And honestly, that moment became one of my most inspiring moments for becoming a meditation teacher.

Personal Reflection

Meditation helped me stop running from my pain and start sitting with it. That’s when things really began to shift. If you’re holding trauma in your body, I hope this piece gave you a starting point—a way to be with yourself, gently.

If you’re ready to go deeper, you’re welcome to sit with me in a private session or explore my meditations on Patreon. You don’t have to do this alone.