In reading a powerful book, Shattered: The Boston Marathon I Never Wanted to Run, Jennifer Kauffman speaks of the many traumas in her life, including being 15 feet away from where the first bomb went off at the 2013 Boston Marathon.
As my friendship with Jennifer develops, I witness her work supporting others who suffer from a wide variety of traumas and PTSD. I can’t help but see as well how many others of us hold onto traumas, suffer PTSD in silence, perhaps not even recognizing it, even though it impacts our every thought, our every decision, and our sense of self. Yes, she works with Vets returning from war, rape or incest survivors, refugees, mass shooting survivors, and so many others, but what other traumas exist for each of us?
Bankruptcy? Loss of a business? Loss of a child? Loss of a loved one when we were so very vulnerable? Trauma is said to be the result of an unexpected occurrence, a car accident, a fire, an assault. As a psychotherapist for 25 years, and a coach for 15, I have seen many people suffering from trauma who never thought about it from that perspective. The shock, the confusion, the loss of self and of all sense of safety in this world can be life-altering yet they felt it was not that big a deal, they were alive so they should simply “get over it” and move on.
Take a few moments, have you or someone you care about been through a life-altering experience? Do you still refer back to it in shock or disbelief? Perhaps you don’t know how to process it so you just don’t? Loving compassion and working through the situation, regardless of how someone else says they would have handled it, is imperative.
Take a look at your business and your life. We have all had many ups and down, many experiences we can dread looking at, but a traumatic experience never leaves unless you move it out. It never “evaporates;” instead it moves you along beside it, limiting your experiences, your dreams, and your ability to find your passion, and your creativity.
Become compassionate to you, to your life story, and to so many others. We truly do never know what someone else is going through. Sometimes we don’t even know what we are going through! A life or business coach may be the gift you need to bring all of who you are back into this adventure called life.
