Storytime. A long, long time ago, when Unity Consciousness was the prevailing force on the planet, there were those that understood that certain activities brought humans closer together. Sex was one of the activities that created connection and unity. Then, along came those who sought to disrupt unity consciousness. Because a divided people were…

Recently, I shared a trauma series over on my new Instagram account (susan.shehata). I thought it would be beneficial to do an overview here, as well. When it comes to trauma responses, most people are familiar with Fight or Flight. Some are even familiar with Freeze. But do you know about Fawn? It’s also sometimes…

  In 2012, a friend introduced me to rebirthing breathwork, and I committed to the recommended 10-session program.  I was 36 at the time.   In the course of that year, my life shifted in ways which created an entirely new foundation upon which my current life was built – and, with whole heart and…

  Medical Trauma. It’s not something that we talk about a lot, if at all. In fact, even in my 15+ years working actively with clients on trauma, I wasn’t all that familiar with it. Or rather, I didn’t think of it as a unique subset of trauma, but it is. I give thanks to…

    Once upon a time, in my stage combat class, I learned how to fall properly.   One of the keys to a safe pratfall, is to flow with the movement, avoiding any resistance, as you roll into the fall. The resistance, which usually stems from fear, is actually where much of the potential…

Yesterday, I observed a woman denying that an advertisement was offensive, simply because it didn’t offend HER, personally.   In my humble opinion, I believe there is a more empathetic, and socially effective approach we can choose.   See, I don’t believe it is my place to define someone else’s trauma.  The woman can choose…

  I don’t believe in “good” guys and “bad” guys. It’s a cognitive distortion to believe that people fall fully into one of two camps. Or to forget that we are constantly fluid, and capable of wonderful and terrible things, under certain circumstances. So, to base conversations, debates, or policy on that belief is usually…

Normalization.   Normalization refers to social processes through which ideas and actions come to be seen as ‘normal,’ and become taken-for-granted or ‘natural’ in everyday life. (Thanks Wikipedia!)   Normalization, itself, isn’t inherently good or bad. But, when we experience trauma, one of our biggest survival strategies is to normalize what we experience.   For…

  Why are we willing to believe that exposure to toxic chemicals can cause cancer, but we can’t accept that exposure to a toxic experience can do the same? When we experience trauma, the subsequent feelings can linger in our bodies, for the rest of our lives. These chronic feelings impact our nervous system, and…

  I am in the market for a new wool rug, so, I have been reading online reviews. I began to notice a through line… The reviews are riddled with comments like, “Terrible rug! Won’t stop shedding!” and “I had to return this rug because there is something wrong with it. It’s shedding all over…