You Were Never Traumatized (But It's Still in Your Nervous System)

A common non-duality teaching states that 'you have never been traumatized,' meaning trauma doesn't affect your essential awareness. While true on an absolute level, this can be unsatisfying, as bodily discomfort, stress, and fear persist. The key is understanding that two truths coexist: awareness is untouched, yet the body-mind system can still hold the effects of trauma.

Consciousness, as pure awareness, is never harmed by trauma. However, emotional patterns and nervous system dysregulation can still cause significant distress. Issues arise from personal identification with trauma and overlooking our true nature as awareness. Clarity on awareness can instantly address the problem at an absolute level, but many non-dual teachings stop here, leaving an incomplete understanding.

Trauma, while not affecting awareness, occurs as an event within the body-mind system, similar to a physical injury. Events involving fear, lack of safety, or physical shock can leave trapped energy in the nervous system and muscles for years or decades, leading to pervasive fear-based thinking, physical discomfort, and pain. These effects are not just 'in the mind' but are somatic experiences deeply embedded in the biological system.

Many non-duality speakers overlook the relative reality of chronic pain and nervous system dysregulation because they haven't personally experienced it. While all individuals carry some level of conditioning, trauma represents an extreme version where contraction becomes physically painful or tight. Just as one wouldn't dismiss a physical wound as 'being in the mind,' emotional trauma manifests as a felt, sensory, bodily experience, not merely a mental one, and often requires time to heal and release.

Healing involves understanding how awareness remains untouched while trauma impacts the human level. Simply recognizing awareness won't instantly unwind decades of nervous system contraction. However, commitment to recognizing true nature, staying attentionally relaxed, and feeling sensations can accelerate healing. Discovering true safety within allows emotional energy to release, relaxing the nervous system and muscle contractions. The embodiment process involves the body and mind catching up with this recognition, leading to release of anxiety, anger, and physical reconditioning. Both truths are integral: you were never harmed, yet healing and releasing are necessary.

While intellectual understanding is valuable, deeper layers of trauma often release over time with guidance and established safety. The 'Awake and Aware' program offers personal support and guidance for releasing fear and anger energy, helping individuals embody their true nature. The program includes one-on-one sessions and group calls to facilitate the release of contracted emotions from the body and nervous system, transforming understanding into a lived experience for personal and broader benefit.