One nation under trauma

One nation under trauma

What we choose to occupy most of our thoughts with is eventually what we manifest and receive from the world around us.

by P.D. Alleva — 

We do not have to look far to notice the vast amount of negativity that surrounds us on a daily and consistent basis. Any one of us over the age of 15 can recount the events of September 11, 2001, or other traumas that have taken place since that time. It seems our country has gone to the dogs when it comes to spewing traumatic events on every radio and news station, consistently pounding our senses with the fact that another tragedy has taken place.

Between hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, riots, shootings, police brutality and civil unrest, we have become a nation riding on the brink of fear of what will happen to us next, with the underlying hope that we are not personally involved in any of these situations. And the pulse continues to pound across the Atlantic, bringing news of those who hate and persecute the American way of life, liberty and freedom, and who desire to desecrate everything we stand for.

America, the country everyone else loves to hate, seems to be collapsing under its own weight. But this is also a time of great change, one we must embrace and use to act as role models to the rest of the world as we embark on a spiritual growth revolution.

But how can we be spiritual when we are traumatized with fear? Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not just a term used to describe a soldier who has seen death on the battlefield, nor is it only assigned to someone who has been raped or beaten.

Trauma and PTSD can haunt anyone who is affected by the host of evils that come across the television screen. As a trauma therapist, I have seen more and more patients affected by emotional trauma than any other type of traumatic episode.

Emotional trauma filters into our psyche, leaving a trail of hopelessness, disempowerment, isolation and fear. As a result, we have become a society on the brink of a mental breakdown. In turn, the volume associated with these events is turned way too high in our minds to even think about a way out, let alone how to come out of this on top and change the world for the better. It is a cross for all of us to bear in this ever-changing time we live in.

So, what do I mean by saying the volume is turned up too high for us to even think? Understand that when a human being experiences a traumatic event, the event becomes merely a memory associated with a particular emotion — rage, anger, anxiety, hate or the like. The problem with these memories is that they play out on our subconscious movie screen with the volume turned up so loud that a Rolling Stones concert would have difficulty besting it.

As a result, we become tuned in to notice more frequently the next event that holds a similar emotion, until such time that our thoughts are preoccupied with those events, riding and feeding these negative emotions to the point that our lives become consumed with traumatic events. Proper treatment of PTSD lowers the volume of the traumatic event and turns up the volume on more positive actions and practices. Spirituality is one of the effective treatments.

What we choose to occupy most of our thoughts with is eventually what we manifest and receive from the world around us. If I constantly tell myself I cannot do something, what do you think will happen? Will I be able to get the job done or not? If I am constantly thinking of getting a new car, I am sure within a certain period of time I will be driving a new one. Society needs to begin connecting the dots of a life spent in prosperity or poverty and take a serious look at our thought processes surrounding them.

Our thoughts are the catalyst towards action, our actions beef up our thoughts and our thoughts carry emotions. Do you want to be an emotional wreck on the brink of a breakdown or do you choose to be connected to your spouse, children, friends and career in a positive spiritual light while skyrocketing across the universe in a brilliant light that no one thing can alter? Your choice in this question is dictated by your actions, which thoughts you allow to occupy your mind and how you choose to occupy your time.

Surround yourself with good people; love yourself enough to turn all your dreams into reality because there are no limits to what we can do as individuals, as a unit and as a society. Spiritual growth is an essential component to the transformation process. But what is spirituality? What is it to you; what is it to me? One definition I have come up with is that spirituality is being confident within your own heart to do the things that you are most passionate about and to wish no ill will toward others, no matter what negativity you receive.

It is being handed lemons and making lemonade because you can see the potential in all that is around you and all that is handed to you. It is high self-esteem and the strength to continue on because failure is not an option; it is the feeling, the sensation and the vibe that rushes through your heart with a purity of cleanliness, peace and happiness. Spirituality is uncorrupted love and with an understanding that we are all connected. And when we seek purity of individuality, the entire system evolves.

In order to change the tide of trauma sweeping across the globe, we must begin to lead a spiritual existence and look internally to find the courage, strength, hope, peace and love that has been masked and covered up for way too long. We hold all the secrets of the universe within a small cell in the center of our hearts. Connect daily with beauty, peace and purity to unlock it, and tell fear to take a hike — we have a world to change.

P.D. Alleva, MSW, is a clinical hypnotherapist, philosopher, spiritual guide and partner of Lifescape Solutions. He is the author of Indifference and the philosophical self-help book Let Your Soul Evolve: Spiritual Growth for the New Millennium. spiritualgrowththerapy.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 34, Number 4, August/September 2015.