“One of the defining features of trauma is loss of choice over what happened to you. Threatening experiences can leave you feeling trapped, helpless or powerless. When you do not feel you have a choice, you can begin to feel trapped and immediately your nervous system perceives a threat.”

Dr Arielle Schwartz

This is why focusing on choice, and helping us develop ways we can notice our choices, can help us experience moments of empowerment as we heal.

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As I just shared these thoughts on choice and trauma, I invite you to pause for a moment and check in with your body and how it is feeling right now.

How is it responding to this idea of choice?

Does it believe choice is an option?

Possibly in certain areas having choice feels like a yes, other areas choice is a definite no and others choice is a maybe…..

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I'll offer some sentences below about movement.

And I invite you to try out the tool of - checking in with your body to see if you feel and believe that you have choice.

• You have permission to adapt and change how you move your body at any time.
• How would you like to move your body?
• Let your sensations be your guide.
• You can take breaks as needed.
• Explore moving your hands or legs into any position that helps you to feel grounded in this present moment.
• How do you feel as you move your body?
• Notice how you want to breath doing this movement.

As you read these options of choice in how you move your body…..

How is your body doing? Your heart? Your mind?

Your Body…..

Are there sensations, emotions, visceral responses, vibrations, sounds, smells, maybe a tightening or loosening happening in your body? Or maybe nothing at all.

Your mind....

Are there thoughts, stories, narratives, memories, coming into your mind? And maybe nothing is coming to mind.

Your heart or spirit....

How is your inner child feeling right now? Is your wisdom able to speak and share anything? Are you able to tap into any higher source for wisdom? Do you want to? Or maybe nothing is coming up in your heart/spirit?

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This tool of checking in with our body, (mind and heart), offers awareness and information about how our body is responding to the idea of choice.

I invite you to let this be information to be aware of and get curious about, rather than think something is good or bad. And if that's not an option right now or a choice you can make, that's ok too.

And when things come up….we can use other tools to process them, sit with them, let them sit outside of us or release them.

(And if you want help with any of this and want ideas for tools, I invite you to respond to this email and I’ll help you out).

I hope you were able to notice where you believe and feel (or don't - that's powerful information too) that you have choice in the way you move your body.

Choice can offer us some safety as we help to rewire and heal our nervous systems.

Remember, ❤️

You Matter. Your Healing Matters. You Are Worth It!

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