Best Healing Modalities?

Updated: Dec 1, 2023

Many folks reach out to us and ask questions hoping for clarity and understanding. Over the last two months, the most frequently asked question has been:

“What is the BEST or most effective trauma healing modality?”

The quick answer is: NONE of them, and All of them.

Why?

Because each human being is unique and responds to specific modalities differently over time and circumstance. The “best “one is the one that works for you, in the stage of the healing process you are in at the time. Everyone just wants to feel better and find palpable relief as quickly as possible.

Although our practitioners here at Backpocket are all trained in a variety of trauma healing modalities, we don’t promote any specific one over another. We are trained to listen deeply and wholly to our clients’ needs and intuitively discern which avenues might yield the most effective results. Trauma healing modalities are tools or strategies that allow a practitioner to better attune themselves to clients to address their wounds, and old patterns.

The state of being and stance of the practitioner is also of paramount importance. It takes years to cultivate a heart-centered, wise, grounded, and spacious “center” that invites a client, and all they bring with them, to relax and allow the process to unfold organically.

Before continuing, let’s first define emotional trauma so we are all on the same page.

Emotional trauma refers to an inner separation, stagnation, freeze, contraction, and/or a sense of feeling unsafe. It can manifest as:

· Emotional neglect/unmet needs. Trauma is not only what happened to us, but also, what didn’t.

· Emotional Boundary Confusion: This can feel like our emotional field is either too rigid and armored, or too lax. Our nervous system may feel confused and overwhelmed not knowing what belongs to me to regulate and process and what does not. Invasion of emotional boundaries can happen via manipulation, control, humiliation, denigration, etc.

· Enmeshment: This muddies the lines between individuals, creating confusion and unhealthy fusion of emotions and identities.

· Emotional Dysregulation: our nervous system can respond along a continue from either shutting down or lashing out reactively.

When you are overwhelmed and your system cannot release and integrate emotions or when your emotional needs constantly remain unmet, it will leave residues in your bodymind and nervous system. This suppressed or unresolved emotional energy (trauma) creates a fracture or disconnect within us, and we lose access to a coherent emotional experience. You may notice that your body feels tense, braced, or contracted as if to protect yourself. If this survival energy is not discharged, it can create the conditions for increased inflammation and impact your hormonal, immune, and digestive systems.

There are many healing modalities used today for addressing trauma. For example: EMDR, IFS, Plant Medicines, and Psychedelics, TTRE (Tension and Trauma Release Exercises), Meridian Tapping, Applied Psychoneuro biology (APN), Brain Retraining, Somatic Experiencing, etc.

All these techniques can be useful and effective in your healing journey, yet some of them may open the psyche too much, too quickly, without a strong somatic foundation and capacity, and potentially dysregulate your system rather than support it. Conversely, Somatic healing modalities can sometimes bring up intense emotions or sensations that also overwhelms the system, and potentially dysregulate too. In both cases, addressing your nervous system’s needs, limits, pacing, integration, and capacity is a priority.

In the end, respect and honor the feedback your body gives you and connect with a guide or practitioner that does the same. To regain your dignity, belonging, and attunement to yourself takes time, and the journey is different for each of us. We’re here to walk alongside when you need a trustworthy and experienced guide.