One of the challenges of any approach to trauma recovery is how to deal with the naturally occurring triggers of this world, as it literally melts down into crises. In Atlantic Canada, on the shores of the Atlantic, we often have up-close observations of the shifts, both sudden and gradual, in real time. Today, I sit at home, working as I can on supporting people who have varing degrees of coping skills, as we attempt to dig out from yet another deluge of the white flakes.
I write from re-realized approaches to the body responses to the challenges of this day:
1. Physical challenges of aging: We (husband and I) are older than we were. We have ailments. We would like to think we can get past them, through them, and deal with them. Days like today remind us that while we are more immobilized than our most mobile selves were, once upon a time, a little dance music and/or calming brain music (his go-to is kora; mine is Sinatra and Binaural Beats) can offer the shifting ability needed to: get ready for the snow slog and see the world from new perspectives.
2. Emotional challenges: Last weekend we were cooped up with each other for several days and although we were functional, expressive affect sank into the morass. Motivation sagged. Worries rose. Upbeat music did not help much; at times like these, when the weight of the world and the problems to be solved fill our souls, lighthearted dancing does not cut it. We were not alone in these feelings, or lack thereof. What to do: Breathe and find a calmer heart, belly rubs to calm and activate the digestive tract, quieting the brain noise, and this is important—connecting to trusted loved ones, through the visual and/or tactile. Someone once described anxiety as the “lack of attachment”, i.e. free-floating fear. Being able to express the worries: to be seen and heard and if possible, hug and be hugged, can be helpful. Wrapping up in blankets and rocking (self-soothing) is also useful, but I will add that full releasing exhales, all the way to heart softening (which can bring tears, so be prepared) opens us up to clearer expression of what we need. (Which might yield a grounding dance! Putting a foot down! Making a goal and meeting it! Getting that thing you have been putting off completed! Pat on the back!!)
3. Cognitive challenges: Oy! The aging, stressed out, neurodivergent, hard-headed brain!! When we are limited physically and expressively, it seems all the neurotransmitters up there go on some form of reduced hours causing serious delays in all information delivery systems. For example, I have no idea where my keys are right now. They are not where I was sure I put them. And because it is a snow day, all my faculties are preoccupied with trying to remember what I was going to be doing were it NOT a snow day, while at the same time, feeling like my brain is full of feathers, which are shifting around in some small whirlpool of breezes….In my DMT groups, we often take the opportunity to reconnect with the brain itself, first by breathing into the skull and on the exhale, imagining the skull softening. We become “soft-headed”. Moving the head gently from this soft-headed place, quieting the breath, imagining some graceful scenarios inside our heads–butterflies and angels are popular–easing the eyeballs, relaxing and opening the ear canals, a tongue releasing drift around the mouth…all this brings us to a place where we can think again. Take the head movement into a spinal dance, a shoulder dance, a weight shift dance and then whatever feels right to do. Highly recommend! Find your favourite music to get soft-headed with.
If you are in Nova Scotia, check out the Dance for Health classes: https://dancens.ca/dance-for-health-parkinsons-classes/
(You do not have to have Parkinson’s to benefit from these sessions!) If you are on the Eastern Shore of NS, message me: kbradley608@msn.com. If you are elsewhere, I can refer you to resources online or in person in your area through the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), Dance Movement Therapists in Canada (DMTAC), the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS), the International Somatics Movement Educators and Therapists Association (ISMETA), and related organizations and training programs.
Ultimate Moves