Reconnecting to the Body After Trauma - An Interview with Dr. Rebecca Patton
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Understanding and Addressing Trauma in the Body: Insights from a Pelvic Physical Therapist
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Being a trauma survivor can often times feel isolating, because so many shoulder the trauma on their own. You may wake up from terrible dreams that echo the past or throughout the day you feel irritation or anxiety creep in on your heels, knowing it comes from something deeper. You may notice yourself holding your breath or have this insatiable craving to be able to relax, let go, press pause and release what your body has been holding on to. To just breathe. There is a reason for this. And no, it’s not your fault. These are all very visceral body reactions to trauma. It happens to more people than you might think and there are ways to heal and recover. In this post, I will be sharing bits of a conversation I was able to have with Dr. Rebecca Patton, a pelvic physical therapist, about how trauma shows up in the body and ways to reconnect with the body. To hear the full episode you can visit the Moving Out of Trauma podcast page or find us on your favorite podcast platform. You are not alone in this and there are ways to heal.
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Trauma and The Body
Trauma can have a significant impact on the body. After experiencing trauma, people may experience changes in their breathing, muscle guarding, or pain. Understanding and addressing these issues is an important aspect of recovery and healing. This makes sense, as our body gets flooded by stress hormones when we experience trauma so we can survive. But after the fight for survival is over, our body is still left with the impact, which can echo distress in our day to day lives. In order to be able to move forward and out of trauma, we need to be able to communicate to our bodies that we are safe.
Key Insights from the Episode and How Trauma Shows Up in the Body from Dr. Rebecca Patton
Breathing: Changes in breathing can signal holding the breath for long periods or feeling like you need to gasp for air. It's important to address breathing issues, as they can impact the functionality of the diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles.
Muscle guarding: After experiencing trauma, muscle guarding can occur when muscles do not move through their full range of motion due to tension or restriction. It's important to assess muscle guarding in different parts of the body like the abdomen, back, jaw, and inner thighs to address the root cause of the tension.
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Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn: Trauma survivors can experience different trauma responses like fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Practitioners need to recognize these responses to ensure the patient's safety and well-being.
Pain: Pain experienced as a result of trauma can move around the body. Smudging occurs when the nerves around the local area of pain start to spread, causing the sensation of pain to radiate to other body parts. Practitioners must listen to the body's signals and prioritize the patient's comfort and well-being while treating the pain.
Pelvic Pain: Pelvic pain is often experienced by trauma survivors in different ways, including pain in the genitals, constipation, or pressure on the back. It's important to seek help from a professional who focuses on pelvic pain and not burden yourself with trying to figure out every piece of the puzzle.
Dr. Rebecca Patton also discussed how pelvic physical therapy can be effective in reconnecting trauma survivors with their bodies by improving body awareness and sensations. She emphasized the importance of prioritizing communication over compliance and giving survivors more agency in their care plan. As an EMDR therapist, I find so much value in this. Trauma, all too often, takes the choice, control and voice away from the person going through it. So being a part of your care plan is critical in allowing you to take back control!
In conclusion, understanding and addressing trauma in the body is essential for recovery and healing. It's crucial to seek help from a professional who focuses on trauma-informed care and to prioritize open communication. Through pelvic physical therapy, trauma survivors can improve their body awareness and reconnect with their internal sensations. If you want to learn more about trauma-informed care and helpful resources to support survivors of trauma, you can listen to the full episode of the podcast and find the episode here.
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About Dr. Rebecca Patton
Dr. Rebecca Patton is a pelvic physical therapist supporting patients of all genders and identities with a trauma-informed and inclusive approach. After working several years in a rushed and protocol-based healthcare system, she observed care that was not prioritizing individuals and contributing to traumatic healthcare experiences. She recognized that there was an opportunity and need for better care that was personalized, safe, and healing. So she started Patton Pelvic Health with a vision and mission to bring that personalized and safe care to life. She strives to de-stigmatize sexual health and pelvic health concerns across the gender and sexual identity spectrum and believes everyone should have the chance to feel secure in managing their bowel and bladder health and have pain-free sex. She is passionate about creating a space to empower patients in their medical care and when working with her you can expect a warm, calm, and open space where your concerns will be heard.
You can find Dr. Rebecca over on Instagram @drpatton_pelvicpt or on her website. If you are not in the Phoenix area and are looking for a pelvic floor therapist, check out these resources to find one near you! Pelvic Rehab or Pelvic Guru.
It was such a great pleasure being able to talk with Dr. Rebecca Patton in all of the cross-overs that exist between my work in EMDR Therapy in Phoenix and her work as a pelvic physical therapist!
My specialties include EMDR Therapy Phoenix, Online EMDR therapy, EMDR Therapy Tampa, Sexual Abuse Therapy and Anxiety Therapy,
