Tap Into Pleasure to Heal Trauma

In trauma therapy, there is usually a stage called “resourcing”, and this stage is helping bring to mind positive pleasurable experiences to retreat into as needed, and to help fill a space once trauma has been cleared. In her book Tapping In, Laurel Parnell posits this, “Everyone has positive memories and experiences. Even if you have had a terrible childhood, you have had times that were not fraught with trauma. Simple pleasures like petting your cat, feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, or enjoying a good meal are stored in your warehouse of experiences.” If you want to get a head start on trauma work even outside of therapy, take notice of those pleasures you’ve enjoyed, and perhaps collect a few more if they are hard to remember. Slow down and notice what sensations feel good to your eyes, your skin, your nose, your ears, and even to your taste buds. I enjoy the feeling of sand, the pressure of smoothing out or creating textures in a sand tray, and my eyes enjoy following the spiral within an ammonite fossil. Take pleasure in what feels good!

“Everyone has positive memories and experiences. Even if you have had a terrible childhood, you have had times that were not fraught with trauma. Simple pleasures like petting your cat, feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, or enjoying a good meal are stored in your warehouse of experiences.”

~ Tapping In, by Laurel Parnell