Dear Fiore,
In Iowa, in the effort to help women trauma survivors as well as the whole community, there have already been three annual seminars on TRANSCENDING TRAUMA in Des Moines, and I will summarize for you some of what I learned.
1. Sexual abuse for youngsters age 7-14 is equivalent to the trauma that combat veterans endure. The effects can persist for decades, so you must not be frightened that your symptoms return, just lots of love and tenderness and understanding with yourself.
2. Much is known now about how the brain works in trauma, the Biology of Fear. So when you feel these old trauma patterns return, remember that your brain is also capable of amazing resilience and can restore itself again and again, as often as needed.
3. Along with traditional proven talk therapies, body-centered therapies can be amazing…the body “remembers” and can hold the trauma – and also help release it. So, be sure you check into EMDR and trauma-sensitive yoga, for example.
***And I can tell you that when you are age 72 like me, you will be stronger and deeper and finer for all that you are going through now.***
Here is a web page for the non-profit org I worked with in Iowa, and at the bottom of the first page is a PPT file from the first trauma seminar in 2014, the presenter was Rick Joens and his topic THE BIOLOGY OF FEAR, it helped me a lot just to know more about the brain/body etc.
And my whole heart is with you, believing in you.
