Blog Details

Photo: Joeyy Lee from Unsplash

Numb. Frozen. Unable to sleep, focus, or think clearly. Simple tasks are difficult. Emotions are intense and unmanageable. You feel exhausted, shattered, and overwhelmed.

This is not random or personal. This is the designed effect of Socially Engineered Trauma.

Traditional meditation tells us to sit alone, close our eyes, and focus inward. Sometimes, that can make things worse. We don’t need to abandon meditation—we need trauma-informed tools that help us harness meditation’s power for times just like this.

Here’s what can help right now:

• Connect – with people, animals, nature. This is not a time to isolate.
• Move – clap, rock, stretch, dance. Let your body release what it’s holding.
• Breathe deeply – sing, hum, chant, or even shout. Let your breath reset your nervous system.
• Soothe your system – engage in activities that calm and comfort you.
• Take care of the basics –  food, water, sunlight, exercise, elimination, and rest.
• Laugh – even if you have to fake it at first, laughter is a nervous system reset.
• Sleep, if you can – even small moments of rest will help.

If you’re looking for more support:

• Trauma-Informed Satipatthana – a series that explores a trauma-informed approach to the Foundations of Mindfulness, making use of this ancient set of practices for times like this.
• Integrated Meditation Program – a community-based, evidence-backed program designed to create safety and deep healing through meditation and connection.

You are not alone. We’re in this together. I’ll do whatever I can to help.

Amma