Episode 28 :- Becoming Unstuck: How Trauma Survivors Can Break Free and Thrive

In this latest powerful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green explores the reasons why so many trauma survivors feel stuck, even after overcoming the most challenging aspects of their trauma. Drawing on her deep expertise in trauma recovery, and her personal experiences, Dr. Nat sheds light on how trauma affects the nervous system, thought patterns, and emotional responses, making it hard for survivors to fully move forward.

Listeners will learn why nervous system dysregulation, old limiting beliefs, and lingering emotional baggage keep them in survival mode, even when they know they’re safe. Dr. Nat shares actionable steps for breaking through uncertainty, letting go of negative beliefs, and overcoming the fear of not living up to one’s full potential as well as embracing a new sense of identity post-trauma.

Listeners are invited to join a free 5-day self-compassion challenge and sign up for the Waitlist for the Thrive After Trauma coaching program , designed to accelerate the healing journey.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding the hidden roots of feeling stuck after trauma - Learn why the nervous system often stays in survival mode and how negative thought patterns like “I’m not enough” can still sabotage your healing.
• How nervous system dysregulation impacts emotional and physical health - Discover how trauma keeps your body in a heightened state of alert, causing anxiety, insomnia, and even physical symptoms. Identify some powerful techniques to help bring your nervous system back into balance.
• Practical exercises to reconnect with values and purpose - Learn how reconnecting with your values and purpose can provide clarity and direction when the path ahead feels unclear.
• Overcoming negative self-beliefs and emotional baggage - Learn how deeply ingrained negative beliefs can hold you back—and how self-compassion can be your gateway to releasing this emotional weight.
• How trauma reshapes identity and how to reclaim personal power - explore how to rebuild your identity in a way that feels empowering and authentic to who you are today.
• Shift your mindset from surviving to thriving by taking small but impactful steps toward the life you truly desire.

Call to Action: Join Dr. Nat’s free self-compassion challenge and get on the waitlist for the next Thrive After Trauma program to take your healing journey to the next level.

Sign up for the FREE 5-Day Self-Compassion Challenge and start applying these strategies to your life today![Link to challenge]

Additionally, you're invited to join the waiting list for the next round of our Thrive After Trauma program—a 10-week coaching experience designed to accelerate your journey into post-traumatic growth. [Link to waiting list]

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

Transcript

Dr Nat Green: 0:01

Welcome to the Growing Tall Poppies podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Nat Green, and I'm so excited to have you join me as we discuss what it means to navigate your way through post traumatic growth and not just survive, thrive after trauma. Through our podcast, we will explore ways for you to create a life filled with greater purpose, self awareness, and a deep inner peace. Through integrating the many years of knowledge and professional experience, as well as the wisdom of those who have experienced trauma firsthand, we will combine psychology, accelerated approaches, coaching, and personal experience to assist you to learn, to grow, and to thrive. I hope to empower you to create deeper awareness and understanding and stronger connections with yourself and with others, whilst also paving the way for those who have experienced trauma and adversity to reduce their suffering and become the very best versions of themselves in order to thrive. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. Hello, and welcome back to Growing Tall Poppies, the podcast where we explore the journey from trauma through to post traumatic growth and look at the many facets of trauma and the possibilities of transformation along the way. I'm your host, Dr Nat Green, and I am so grateful to have you join me for this week's episode. Especially if you've ever felt like you're stuck after surviving trauma and unsure of how to move forward, even though you know you've already come so far. Today we'll be diving into today we'll be diving into why so many trauma survivors hit a plateau in their healing even when they've overcome the worst of their experiences. We'll also be discussing practical strategies to help you break through these blocks so you can continue your journey into post traumatic growth. So let's start with The hidden roots of feeling stuck. Let's begin by talking about why so many trauma survivors, despite their strength and their resilience, feel emotionally or mentally stuck. If you've felt this way, know that you are not alone. It's a common experience. Way more common than most people realise and the reasons are often more complex than we might think. One key factor is that trauma has a way of affecting our nervous system on a deep level. Even when we are physically safe, our body can remain stuck in survival mode, which keeps our nervous system dysregulated. And what we know is this constant state of fight or flight can make it really difficult to fully relax or to feel that sense of inner peace that we so deeply desire, even when we are trying so hard to move forward. But It's not just our nervous system. Trauma also buries itself in our emotional responses and our thought patterns. You might find that despite your best efforts to heal old negative beliefs, like I'm not enough, or I'll never be safe, these beliefs still creep in and they can really sabotage our progress despite our very best efforts. And these beliefs can hold you back from fully embracing your post trauma identity and from thriving. So let's talk now about nervous system dysregulation. This shows up for the majority of trauma survivors. Have you ever noticed that even when things are going well, you still feel anxious, like you're constantly on edge, or even perhaps waiting for something bad to happen? This is often a sign that your nervous system hasn't fully regulated and the trauma that you've experienced hasn't been fully processed. When trauma hits, it sends our nervous system into overdrive, keeping us in that heightened state of alert. Now, we know that over time, this chronic stress can cause long term imbalances in our body, contributing to things such as anxiety, insomnia. and even physical symptoms like muscle tension or headaches. However, the good news is that there are strategies that you can use to calm your nervous system and ultimately to find a sense of inner peace. Techniques that I know we've talked about in other episodes, but I just want to reinforce and reiterate it here that there's techniques like breathwork, yoga, meditation, mindfulness. And TRE, which as you know is my favourite, Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises, any of these are incredibly effective as these practices work by helping the body to release the stored tension. that's been trapped within our own nervous system and to bring our nervous system back into balance and restore the equilibrium, especially when practiced on a regular basis. It's certainly not a one and done where you just do one mindfulness exercise or one meditation session or one TRE session. It's something that it's really helpful to put into practice on a regular, daily basis. Make it part of our routine, our ritual, our daily practice to really help in nurturing ourselves and bringing our nervous systems back into balance. Now another common reason that trauma survivors feel stuck is due to uncertainty. So you've been through the trauma and you know you've survived, but you're often left thinking, now what? It can feel incredibly disorienting when you don't know how to move forward, especially when you've already done so much work to heal. In my experience, the key to breaking through this uncertainty is to reconnect with your sense of purpose. In As we know, trauma often leaves us feeling disconnected from our values and our goals, and this can cause considerable confusion about where to go next. So here's an exercise that you can try. I want you to just take a moment to really reflect on what matters to you. Feel free to pause the episode as you work through some of these questions, jot down some notes, really give it some deep thought. so that you can start to connect with your values and your goals. So what really matters to you? What's important? What are the values that guide you through life? Is it family, making a difference, or something else? And what is it that brings you joy? and fulfillment. So take some time now to do that. Once you have some clarity around these values and what feels important to you, then you can start to align your actions with them. This is a really powerful way to create momentum and to find your direction, even when the path ahead feels really foggy. Now I want to move into Lingering negative beliefs and emotional baggage. Let's talk about those lingering little negative beliefs, and most likely the emotional baggage that come along with that. And I know so many of us who've been through trauma struggle to let go of. Even when we know logically that we're safe and deserving of happiness, it can feel like there's a weight. or something really holding us back. Often these negative beliefs are deeply ingrained and have been with us so long that we can start to believe that they are a part of who we are. But I'm here to tell you that these beliefs are not who you are. They are simply the remnants of your trauma. And one way to begin releasing this emotional baggage is through a practice called self compassion. When we approach ourselves, With kindness and understanding, we begin to dissolve the hold that these beliefs have over us. This is not something that we suddenly make a decision and tell ourselves, that's it. We're not going to think that anymore. That's it. We're going to let go of all that old stuff. This too is something that's going to take a bit of work and certainly practice, practice, practice. Self compassion involves recognizing that our struggles really are part of the human experience. And that we are deserving of the same care and kindness that we would offer quite easily and quite happily to a good friend. So now it's about looking at how we might offer that really kindly and compassionately to ourselves. What might we be able to say to encourage us when that little inner critical voice comes in and chips away and takes over. If you want more information on this, then I would love to invite you to take part in a free five day self compassion challenge to assist you in learning more about this process and really help you start to apply it practically to your life. The link will be in the show notes, so feel free to click on that and it'll take you out to our free five day self compassion challenge, which really can make a difference. Bring all of that into your awareness. And really help you make some inroads on starting to apply self compassion and then practicing it so it becomes more consistent in your everyday practice. Now another really big hurdle that many of us who've been through trauma face is a sense of disconnection from our identity. You may feel like you've lost touch with who you are after trauma and this can be incredibly disorienting and ultimately distressing. The truth is that trauma can shake up our sense of self in profound ways, but it's also an opportunity for us to rediscover who we really are and for us to grow into an even stronger, more authentic version of ourselves. One of the things I've learned from all my years of working in the trauma field, and it was made all the more real and obvious when I experienced my own traumas and commenced the healing work, was that we are not. the person we were before our trauma, as much as we'd like to think we are. I would see people looking to work really, really hard to get back to being the person they used to be, to try and fix themselves and their situations and their environments and go back to how we all were. But the reality is that you have undoubtedly been changed at a fundamental level, at your core. And let me make it really clear that that is not a bad thing. As a result of your trauma experience, you cannot unsee what you've seen, you cannot go back to how things were, and you absolutely cannot ignore the lessons and the learnings that have come with your experience. You are a new version of yourself, one that is wiser as a result of what you've been through, one that has grown as a result of your experiences, and one that likely knows what is truly important to them now. As a lot of what we used to think and worry about, we now know really isn't that important in the grand scheme of things. So I encourage you to explore the questions, who am I now? What strengths have emerged from my trauma? What are the lessons and the learnings for me from what I've experienced? And how have my values shifted? Because by reflecting on these questions, you truly can begin to rebuild your sense of self in a way that feels. Both empowering and true to who you are today. So again, if you want to pause the podcast, ask yourself those questions, write them down, make some notes and really give it some thought at a deeper level. Who am I now? What are my strengths and what are my values? And finally, let's address a fear that I know so many of us carry. The fear of not living up to our full potential. I know all too well that this fear can be paralyzing and that it often stems from a belief that we're not capable of truly thriving. But I want to remind you that you are capable. You've already survived something incredibly difficult and challenging, and that alone shows just how strong and resilient you truly are. The next step is to shift your focus from surviving through to thriving. What does thriving look like to you? What's the life you imagine for yourself? And what small steps can you start taking today? What can you do to start creating the life that you imagine for yourself today? Now, I hope today's episode has helped you shed some light on why you might be feeling stuck. and more importantly, how you can start to break free. Healing is not always a linear process, but with the right tools and mindset, we can definitely move forward into a life of post traumatic growth. If this episode resonates with you, then I encourage you to take action today, whether it's through practicing self compassion, reconnecting with your values, or working on regulating your nervous system in a more healthy way for you. Remember that every step you take brings you closer to the life that you desire and that you deserve. And if you are truly committed to thriving after trauma, then I invite you to join our waiting list for our next Thrive After Trauma program. This 10 week coaching program is comprehensive, And its purpose is to accelerate your transition from trauma into post traumatic growth through completing values and identity work, releasing negative emotions that have been keeping you stuck and helping you with your nervous system regulation. I'm going to put the link in the show notes. If you're really interested and committed to moving forward and really thriving, then please feel free to join our waitlist. And we'll let you know when our next program commences. Thanks again for joining me on this week's episode of Growing Tall Poppies. Be sure to tune in next week for more insights and tools to help you thrive after trauma. Until then, take care of yourself and remember, you truly are worthy of healing and growth. Bye for now. Thank you for joining me in this episode of Growing Tall Poppies. It is my deepest hope that today's episode may have inspired and empowered you to step fully into your post traumatic growth so that you can have absolute clarity around who you are, what matters the most to you, and to assist you to release your negative emotions and regulate your nervous system. So you can fully thrive. New episodes are published every Tuesday And I hope you'll continue to join us as we explore both the strategies and the personal qualities required to fully live a life of post traumatic growth and to thrive. So if it feels aligned to you and really resonates, then I invite you to hit subscribe and it would mean the world to us if you could share this episode with others who you feel may benefit, too. You may also find me on Instagram at growing tall poppies and Facebook, Dr. Natalie Green. Remember, every moment is an opportunity to look for the lessons and to learn and increase your ability to live the life you desire and deserve. So for now, stay connected, stay inspired, stand tall like the tall poppy you are. and keep shining your light brightly in the world. Bye for now.