Already, I have come to realize that 2009 is moving quickly. Isn’t it true that we can so easily forget the here and now. I must have, since I forgot to post my January blog. Sorry ’bout that!

But, all jokes aside, the ongoing issue of how to stay in the “here and now” isn’t news to you, nor to any of us.

For example, many of my clients struggle with the “now,” especially when they have trauma. They often ask me “how am I supposed to be in the moment, but also work on traumas from my past?” It is a key question. Maybe you have asked this as well, or know someone who has…

My answer to that question is that using techniques to stay in the “now,” are what help us manage, tolerate, and get through those tough moments when the past triggers want start to be overwhelming or feel unmanageable. It is for this reason that I strongly encourage you to learn meditation techniques, practice yoga, tai-chi, or other forms of “moving meditation.” By doing so, you are better able to “sit” and feel grounded in those moments when trauma memories, triggers, or other overwhelming experiences show up. The lessons that Eckhart Tolle shares, for example, are right there to support you in your trauma work.

Nevertheless, one should also remember that “doing” your trauma work also involves accessing the more “reptilian” part of the brain that holds the trauma. That, quite honestly, is a very stubborn brain, one that knows “fight/flight/freeze” and just doesn’t “get” talk therapy or cognitive techniques. Perhaps you know somewhere who has been, despite years of therapy, working on their trauma history. Yet, they still feel stuck. That’s possibly because they were primarily accessing the “logical” part of the brain. But, the catch is that trauma just isn’t stored there. That’s why therapies like EMDR are helpful. EMDR works on that part of the brain where trauma lives, and cognitive techniques are challenged to access.

So, keep reading about how to get in the now. Learn those skills and use them. But, also stop judging yourself when the past traumas become present. You are fighting biology! Then, stop judging yourself for judging Yes, the past can be released, but it just has to be accessed in a different way. Consider the gift of combining both trauma therapy and skills to help you stay in the now, as you heal from the past.