Like most everyone on the planet, my life has been full of trauma, most of which was piled on top of other trauma, which was created by my own decisions and interpretations. I can say my parents made their own decisions which affected me, but the roller coaster ride I took myself on in the ensuing years was all on me.
To be fair, I had no idea how trauma and triggers worked until about 7 years ago, and I've been fascinated ever since with the process of dismantling and dissolving the effects. I was fully immersed in tracing, NLP, reframing, somatic release, shadow work, meditation, finding God (which was a true blessing), relating to my inner child and reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. All of it was wonderful, and beneficial, and besides finding faith in a higher being and an afterlife, nothing really stuck. It was like having an incredible band aid for a gaping wound that never stopped bleeding.
5 years ago, I was introduced to a new concept. Trauma as energy, and my main root belief about myself that all the sub beliefs pointed to. It seemed too damned simple, and to be honest, I've spent the last 5 years trying to debunk it. I haven't been able to yet. In fact, many of the above mentioned techniques have been revisited and their effects have been magnified and so clear. My anger no longer stopped me in my tracks. Executive function improved, triggers found relief instead of exhausting me, procrastination didn't freeze me, self judgement and shame were no longer an option. Now, don't get me wrong, there will always be a dance with all of these situations, but that's the time to introspect and ask why they are coming up. Trace it, dismantle it, dissolve the energy, and move on. It doesn't have to last longer than a few minutes and it doesn't have to be chronic.
How could it be that these tools for trigger relief were so effective and yet so obscure? Why did I find the answer from some secular hippie from the 70's that I disagreed with on nearly everything but this? Why was no one doing these trigger relief techniques? Had they been debunked? Well, maybe, but by whom and why? From what I can tell, the conventional approaches are failing miserably.
Here's what I learned about getting relief from trauma triggers
We all have a base belief/schema, referred to as the False Core, I call it the Root. It's different for everyone, but there are 12 basic schemas to choose from.
Something is wrong with me/I am imperfect
I am unworthy
I am worhtless
I am inadequate
I am incompetent/rejected
I am alone/unsupported
I want/something is missing
I am powerless/vulnerable
I am loveless/unloveable
I am out of control
I don't know
I don't exist
That's it. Everything can be traced back to your Root, and not as much as focusing on specific trauma. I have played this out with dozens of clients wanting relief from triggers (not the biggest sample size, I get it), and it never fails.
Note: We all bounce back and forth with close to 200 different schemas, but all but one is a distractor for you. This became crystal clear as I began working with the Enneagram personality and the 9 types at play in us all. See previous blog posts for more in depth explanation. Your base personality type points to your False Core/Root Schema.
For instance, and enneagram type 4 has a Root of I am inadequate, and is motivated by being recognized and appreciated by their individuality. They are very creative, and led by their emotional body. If they have a high score in the type 7, which believes something is missing, and also a high score in their type 9, which feels unloveable, they will have a tendency to feel like they are missing out on acceptance and love and will often check out with distracting activities (type 7 traits), and may daydream and fantasize a lot (type 9 traits). This person may develop a lot of anxiety over this pattern and feel disconnected and misunderstood, not knowing their shadow is to intentionally disconnect. He/She may be filled with shame and resentment, and lash out emotionally.
This can create a rats nest, and this person could feel totally lost on where to begin healing, and continue in their pattern. Dismantling their Root and realizing they are just as special, or no more special or different than anyone else, can help them realize they already possess what they seek. No need to check out, no need to escape, no need to find pain to wallow in. After some time, they can use specific exercises to dissolve the "energy" they have labeled as pain, or sadness. Rinse and repeat. Soon, the rats nest is a beautiful emotional living area.
It's no more complicated than that in most cases. There's a lot of inner work to get there, but that's the basic template!
Enneagram
Root/False Core
Dismantle
Dissolve
Keep working at it.
I am so convinced of this method, that I built a workshop based app, available very soon. Wrote a corporate wellness program around it, and health plus kinesiology. I am obsessed with sharing this with the world.
I recently did an experiment to see how distilled I can make this information and still be effective. I conducted a 4 week workshop, one hour or so each week, plus a little bit of homework.
The feedback was mind blowing, even knowing how effective it was!
“Coach Jerry is the real deal, what an amazing experience! I was blown away by this course. I valued the group interactions and opportunities to ask questions mid week. Your instruction was the perfect balance of involved guidance/feedback & shutting the eff up. Thanks so much for allowing us this opportunity.”
I cannot recommend Coach Jerry enough for anyone feeling stuck, in pain or challenged in their mind, body or spirit. Jerry is empathic, compassionate, intelligent, intuitive and knowledgeable in so many methods. His teaching/coaching style was so easy to understand and learn from. I felt safe sharing with him and stronger after learning and implementing his suggestions into my life. If you're in pain or stuck and challenged not getting results, invest in yourself with Jerry. what a badass coach.” K.M., Nicaragua CHEK Practitioner Level 4
“I recently completed a workshop with Jerry that has been a game changer. Jerry uses unique approaches in all forms of coaching to truly get to know his clients, dig in, and help them to help themselves. Your personal pace with this was unbelievable jerry. He does a killer job of guiding without getting in the way. This will prove to be one of the most influential experiences I've ever had. Youre getting 5 star care every single time with coach Jerry. He has transformed my life for the rest of my life. You will not find a better practioner anywhere.” CM Pullman, WA
“Attended a coaching workshop and was really impressed with all the info given. Understanding the concept of the false core tied in with the Enneagram helped me realize why in certain situations I was regressing to childish behavior, and more importantly, how to dismantle and dissolve this false core and handle situations with greater maturity. Jerry did an excellent job answering any questions I had, he is very knowledgeable on this subject. The modality Jerry teaches cuts straight to the root of our struggles, and provides a simple answer to seemingly huge problems. Awareness of my struggles and regressions was something I had already developed over the years, but tracing to the false core was the piece that made things work. If anyone is in need of help in dealing with behaviors that bother them, I highly recommend Jerry's coaching services.” EW, Iowa, USA
Of course, I am going to keep these going indefinitely! Here's a video of some of the first week, where we introduce the concept of triggers from trauma as energy we create. I hope you find a ton of value in the short video!
Coach Jerry