Healing and Feeling Safe After Trauma: Trauma Informed Self Defense™ At Shaan Saar Krav Maga Orlando

Trauma can leave an impact on a person's life that can last last for years, even decades.

Since it can manifest itself in so many different ways, anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, addiction, etc; finding balance and a sense of safety becomes paramount. Coping with the aftermath of a traumatic event is not easy, but it is possible.

Healing always takes time, and it's important to take care of your well-being and find a system of support to help with your recovery. In this blog post, we will examine how to heal and feel safe after trauma.

Many trauma survivors come to us looking for a way to feel safer, braver, and more confident.

Confidence in this context is so misleading though. Emotionally speaking, confidence is the feeling security and trusting yourself, both internally and externally. Post trauma, this feeling of safety can be hard to come by.

It seems though, what most are seeking is competence in the ability to keep themselves safe and secure. This is quite different than just having confidence. In fact, nearly every trauma survivor I have worked with has reported actually losing their confidence post incident.

One can feel quite confident, but without changing risky behaviors they can remain a likelier target for offenders and dangerous individuals.

Confidence is NOT enough!

Participating in self defense classes, carrying pepper spray, and having a confident attitude will not make an individual any safer if they continue to engage in high risk behaviors. Shaan Saar Krav Maga ensures that everyone participating in our program has a personalized threat assessment to ensure you are getting the most from your self defense classes and violence prevention education.

In order to truly feel safe after trauma, it is important to understand the psychology and concepts involved in self-protection. This involves developing a sense of awareness for one's environment as well as their own body, boundaries, and needs.

There are many ways to do this, drawing together elements where you find them the way many survivors, including myself, have done for years. When we developed the Trauma Informed Self Defense™ System and Healing Journey programs at Shaan Saar I worked tirelessly on cultivating a support system that survivors could learn from and grow in. It is that network of compassionate experts who will also help guide you on your healing journey.

The first step…

The first step in healing and feeling safe after a traumatic event is to recognize that it is ok to feel a full scope of emotions, fear, anger, sadness, and guilt are are normal human emotions. Trauma can also cause a person to have increased negative thoughts and feelings.

The second step…

The second step in feeling safer after traumatic events is being mindful of your body and its signals. One of the most common symptoms of trauma is hyper-arousal and hyper-reactivity; where a person’s stress response becomes overly active. This stress response (fight or flight) can feel overwhelming and even cause physical symptom such as increased heart rate, difficulty breathing.

After all, everything that is psychological is also biological.

From a personal safety standpoint, it is crucial to explore various aspects that contribute to healing and growth. Seeking professional help, building a robust support system, practicing mindful self-care, setting meaningful goals, and cultivating forgiveness towards oneself are all vital components on this transformative journey.

By approaching these topics with a growth mindset, individuals can develop a comprehensive understanding of how to navigate the complexities of trauma and empower themselves in the process.

It is important to remember that our trauma responses are normal reactions to abnormal events.

Seek Professional Help

The first and most important step in healing after trauma is getting professional help. I am a fixer. So the idea that sheer will and commitment would not be enough to move past my experience drove my denial for years.

Finding professional help is crucial to feeling safe after trauma.

Professional psychologists can help to unpack your experiences, identify coping strategies (both positive and negative) that you are engaging, and offer a new perspective on your experience. They can also guide you in finding resources in managing triggered emotions and identify negative thought patterns.

Build a Support System

Having a support system can be very beneficial to the healing process. When family is not available reaching out to empathetic friends can certainly help to process your experience. However, for a variety of reasons, friends and family may not be enough, and that's okay.

Support groups can offer connection with others who have been through similar experiences.

Peer support groups, like the community at Shaan Saar play an important role in the healing process after a trauma. Our Trauma Informed Self Defense and Healing Journey programs provide a judgement free, sense of belonging where survivors can share their journey, challenges, victories, and develop productive coping strategies.

Our group promotes mutual learning and helps to instill hope and resilience in survivors.

According to Salzer et al., (2010) peer support groups help improve self-esteem and self-efficacy, which are key components for fostering a feeling of safety after traumatic experiences.

Building a strong support system plays a critical role in feeling safe after trauma. Research from Charuvastra & Cloitre (2008), indicates that individuals who have supportive and empathetic relationships in their lives are better equipped to cope productively with traumatic stress.

Having an involved support system not only validates an individual's experiences but also provides much-needed emotional and practical support.

It can create a buffer against feelings of isolation

Which is one of the most damaging aspects of trauma recovery and regular, honest communication with trusted individuals can foster a sense of safety, as survivors feel that their well-being matters to others (Ullman, 1999).

Furthermore, support groups like our weekly Trauma Informed Self Defense™ group at Shaan Saar Krav Maga, can provide a positive peer platform for sharing experiences, developing coping strategies, and learning from others who have had similar experiences (Herman, 1997).

Building and maintaining a strong support system is an important part of the healing process for trauma survivors, and we're here to support survivors with resources and empowerment.

The spectrum of human emotions should be inclusive of even the darker feelings; without feeling shame.

Self-Care is Essential

It sounds so simple, but self-care is an essential component of your healing journey. Popular culture would have us believe that a spa day and yoga are cornerstones of self care, but we are all unique individuals.

While bubble baths, meditation, or going for a walk may appeal to some it is not unlikely that at some point on our healing journey productively expressing anger will be necessary, and cathartic.

The Trauma Triangle

Recognizing, processing, and sitting with a variety of emotions helps to break the Trauma Triangle and prevent unhealthy patterns in the future (Karpman, 1968). By recognizing, expressing, and processing emotions we can develop positive coping skills instead of oscillating through cycles of pain and distress.

Self Care, Self Defense Class & Emotional Management at Shaan Saar Krav Maga Orlando by The Shaan Saar Group

Through the Healing Journey and Trauma Informed Self Defense classes at Shaan Saar Krav Maga Orlando survivors explore a variety of modalities to help restore a sense of calm and restfulness. The Shaan Saar Group's novel approach to self care has been presented in a variety of academic and professional setting and includes activities with an intense build-up and cathartic release.

The trauma-informed self-defense program can be extremely effective for relaxation as it allow individuals to physically express and release pent-up emotions, redirecting the energy of trauma into a constructive outlet and leaving a sense of calmness and relief in its wake (Van der Kolk, 2014).

The Shaan Saar Krav Maga Trauma Informed Self Defense System and Healing Journey offers oversight with qualified, certified instructors trained in the Trauma Informed Self Defense™ system.

Make Goals and Take Small Steps

As much as we may want it trauma healing isn't an overnight process but setting small goals will make it more achievable. Celebrating milestones, however small or big they may be, is a significant advantage to the progress of your healing journey.

Strategizing for Achievable Steps

Since setting goals can be overwhelming we start with small, achievable steps to help create structure while we work together towards larger milestones. Weekly classes exclusively for women help build self efficacy, an important skill many survivors struggle with. Trauma Informed self defense classes are fortified with complimentary healing modalities that help improve self advocacy skills, awareness, boundaries, and expand your knowledge of healthy relationships.

Self Defense Training, Physical Training & Healing Journey Program at Shaan Saar Krav Maga Orlando by the Shaan Saar Group

Forgive yourself

Healing from trauma is hard, and there will be days when you falter. Remember, this is an ongoing process, and it won't be linear. The most important aspect of healing is acknowledging that it's okay to struggle.

Self forgiveness is a crucial step in the healing process for trauma survivors.

Adopting a compassion for ourselves can help in mitigating self-blame, which is a very common response post-trauma (Neff, 2011). Self-blame has been associated with adverse outcomes, such as more complicated posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (Kubany et al., 2004).

While self-forgiveness has been linked with better mental health outcomes, including reduced anxiety and depression (Wohl et al., 2008). Forgiveness though can be complicated. Forgiving an offender is a personal choice and not a non-negotiable for the healing process.

Some survivors find that forgiveness offers a sense of peace and closure, while others may not (Exline et al., 2003). The key is in understanding that each individual's journey to healing is unique, and the Shaan Saar community strives to respect personal boundaries in this process.

Trauma is not the end of your story

While healing does take time, effort, and dedication, it is very achievable. The process is different for everyone, and you will not have the same timeline as any other individual, even if experiences are shared.

Finding compassionate, professional help, building your support system, practicing appropriate self-care, establishing goals, and forgiving yourself are step in the right direction is progress.

The Trauma Informed Self Defense™ system and Healing journey program honors survivors and strives to be an active participant in the healing process.

References:

Trauma Informed Self Defense™ at Shaan Saar Krav Maga Orlando by the Shaan Saar Group

Charuvastra, A., & Cloitre, M. (2008). Social bonds and posttraumatic stress disorder. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 301-328.

Herman, J. (1997). Trauma and recovery. Basic Books.

Salzer, M. S., Schwenk, E., & Brusilovskiy, E. (2010). Certified peer specialist roles and activities: Results from a national survey. Psychiatric Services, 61(5), 520-523.

Ullman, S.E. (1999). Social support and recovery from sexual assault: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 4(3), 343-358.