Most of us will experience trauma in one form or another at some point in our lives, and plant medicine can be a wonderful healing ally during these times.
Currently, I’m getting to know this very well.
For those of you who haven’t heard, my husband was the victim of a stray bullet that was shot into the air on the 4th of July. He’s okay, but he will carry a bullet in his neck for the rest of his life—one that just nearly missed causing sudden death or major injury.
(Here’s some good news: If you saw our crowdfunding page, please note the recent update. Insurance is paying for his medical bills, but we’d like to use the rest of the money to help prevent these kinds of incidents from occurring.)
That’s not the point of this blog post, though.
I’ve had the privilege (yes, I’ll call it that because I am going through all of this with him still alive and well) of learning more about how trauma affects the body and how we can work through this healing process.
If you’re also working through trauma, here are a few things to try:
- Talk about it. Ever since this happened, we’ve been sharing this story with our community. This is not just because we wanted to let them know what’s going on, but also because we’ve needed to keep telling it. Over the past 10 days, I’ve seen how helpful it is to do this—even though I go through all the emotions again. But each time, they begin to transform, reshape, and thus so does the story. Talking about trauma can have this weird effect where it both orients oneself in the “new reality,” while it also provides a way to let it go.
- Use herbs. I’ve never relied so heavily on my oils and herbs. Once we realized that my husband would be released from the hospital after his injury, I knew the first thing I was going to do when we got home: make herbal tea. I make a daily tonic blend every day anyway, but I knew I needed it bad that day. It contains herbs that are not only full of vitamins and minerals, but ones that help the body deal with stress as well. You can find the recipe in my Body-Listening Cheat Sheet here. I can feel the cells in my body sing each time I sip this delicious mix, so that’s got to be good.
- Use essential oils. Luckily, at this time, I was also working on next month’s Aromatic Meditation in the Inner Sanctum, which features Vetiver. Honestly, I couldn’t have chosen a better oil. I’ve always thought that Vetiver was particularly good for helping to clear out deep trauma. Its grounding energy helped bring me back to myself in the here and now, which is crucial when healing from PTSD. We need to affirm for ourselves that in this moment, we are safe. My husband, who is staying in Ohio to finish his training (he is even more devoted to the work of teaching adolescents to be good citizens), asked if I could send him some inhalers to use during the “hard moments” that are arising. I made him three inhalers and sent them off last weekend. Next week, I’ll share what oils I used for those. Stay tuned! : )
- Keep moving. When times get tough, even just from the debris of daily life (and the self-judgements that can come with that), we may start to feel stuck. But remember, you’re only stuck if you stay there. I’m so grateful that I attended the Aromagnosis Teacher Training last May because I’ve been leaning hard on identifying, working with, and moving through the alchemical stages. For those of you who are new to this idea, Aromagnosis incorporates Carl Jung’s work in drawing on the seven stages of alchemy as a framework for transformation. They bring herbs and oils into this healing experience as well, and let me tell you, a lot can be done! As I’ve been moving through the aftermath of this trauma, these stages have been really helpful for me because I am better able to understand what I’m moving through and how to keep that movement going. It also gives me permission to honor the wisdom that each of these stages has for me while providing tools for how to not get stuck in them. I had already planned a Weekend Immersion where you can learn about these stages, understand how to use herbs and oils in the process, and find the healing insights within yourself to help you move forward—but now this workshop has taken on even greater significance.
If you’re ready to learn about this kind of deep healing work, I’d love for you to join this workshop. Sign up by August 1st to receive early-bird pricing.
I know that the global healing we all need can only start in one place: within you. By that I mean, it also starts within me. I’m committed to “doing the work” to be a greater healer, therapist, educator, and just all-around person.
Know that I support you in that journey as well.
Thank you to everyone who’s reached out with love, support, and help with the crowdfunding. We feel doubly blessed that Sam is still with us and that we can use this experience to help show others about the effects of their actions—and that we’re all in this together.
Let’s start healing.
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