Many trauma survivors are too blended with their Parts to actively engage in mindfulness. Because they so closely identify with their Parts’ feelings and beliefs, it is challenging for them to see them separately.
Practicing externalized mindfulness is an important component of trauma therapy that can help with that. As a therapist, this type of activity can help victims become curious about and develop relationships with their Parts that they never had in the past.
Understanding Dual Awareness
First and foremost, it is important to understand the concept of dual awareness. This simply means that a trauma victim has the ability to differentiate between their various Parts separately from the Self.
For example, a person may experience the following Parts at different times:
When a trauma victim is dually aware, that person begins to understand that they are not necessarily angry, but they have a Part that is, and that is trying to express itself and be heard.
Using Visual Focusing Tools
Visual focusing is a tool used in the Internal Family Systems Model of therapy that can help with dual awareness. It increases victims’ curiosity levels, but because it does not involve specifically talking about their emotions, it feels a lot less threatening than traditional talk therapy.
Janina Fisher discusses this technique in her book, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors. She gives the example of having her client draw a picture of a Part they have struggled with. Once the picture is drawn, she invites her client to look at the picture with nothing but curiosity and a desire to understand it.
There are many methods that can be implemented with this type of trauma therapy. Some clients do well with drawings that are more like flow charts that outline the various triggers their Parts experience. Therapists can write down the words the client is using to describe those experiences. This is also an effective way to outline the other Parts that were affected by the trigger as well.
The best part about visual focusing is that the client is free to move at his or her own pace. If at any time, anything feels too overwhelming, it is perfectly fine to take a break or even stop. Or, it may be necessary to work with a different Part for a while.
Externalizing the Internal in Trauma Therapy
For so many trauma victims, their internal struggle feels like a world all its own. They feel out of control of their feelings, emotions, and even their beliefs. Their actions are often a direct result of struggling with Parts that they just do not know how to live with.
Fortunately, the right kind of trauma therapy can help. The Internal Family Systems Model has proven to be the most effective type of trauma therapy.
If you are tired of the struggle, and you want to work toward healing from trauma, please contact me for an appointment. I can help.
