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peteroberts1967

Alchemising Trauma

Updated: Mar 25, 2021

As we sit in the midst of World Events in 2021, we are seeing many individuals experience a traumatic response to restrictions and freedoms being taken away. Here, I discuss the Body and it's attempts to be heard when triggered into fight and flight response.

"An unacknowledged trauma is like a wound that never heals over and may start to bleed again at any time" Alice Miller (Psychologist)

Do you have recurring physical symptoms that appear without obvious explanation?

Physical symptoms often flare up in the body from time to time and vary in their degree of severity. As our minds try and find causes and solutions via conditioned methods we often hit a brick wall and fall into a pain cycle of helplessness and attempted suppression via drugs, alcohol and other distractions.


The Body Never Lies


"I was not out to paint beautiful pictures, even painting good pictures was not important to me. I wanted only to help the truth burst forth" Alice Miller (yes, again)


In the above quote Alice Miller talks about how she used art as a means to getting in touch with her body's emotional truth. As she states, her goal was not to portray perfection, (something endemic in today's society), but rather to let her inner self gain expression. The results can often be seen in the way other artists use this medium as a vital form of expression. Artists such as Lucian Freud, Jackson Pollock and Basquiat are great examples. Some of their work has often been described as "chaotic and ugly" but I think individuals who bestow such a description refuse to acknowledge their own inner traumas.


Indeed, when we are in our lowest frequencies and we are feeling lost and isolated as many have been during 2020/21, we are capable of immense creativity which can alchemise pain into freedom of some nature.This is rarely covered in the mainstream arena, particularly where the narrative is one of restriction and control. Our bodies always know something is not adding up and these energies often end up as constricted suppressed energetic forms. If we do not have outlets for these energies and acknowledge our own truths, then our bodies will attempt to get us to listen in the form of physical symptoms. Sadly, We have been conditioned in this culture to ignore such communication and end up toxifying ourselves with distractions including poor diets, Television and Commercial Radio, bombarding us with their messages of doom amongst others.


However, if we begin to understand and listen more to our inner wisdom, we can alchemise the symptoms we are feeling.To achieve this we must be prepared to give up distractions and instead be brave enough to feel and acknowledge everything our body is communicating, no matter how painful. To achieve this, we may need enlightened witnesses in the form of Therapists, Teachers and Friends.We must let our inner selves select these individuals based on our feelings when in their presence. This gives us the opportunity to share, discuss and transform our pain into something lighter and more open.


As I stated earlier, Art is a wonderful vehicle for tapping into these energies. We need not look into being displayed at the Tate Modern but rather just let ourselves be guided by our inner selves to express without restriction and boundary. This can be extremely liberating and freeing if not Dark at times. But this is something we must never be afraid of.


So next time your body pushes a symptom to the surface try not to fight it. Be understanding of it and allow yourself to take some action to connect with it's message.


Pete (March 2021)





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