Master Events - Trauma Healing
“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.”
Margaret Fuller
What is Master Events/Oxford?
Held at the esteemed University of Oxford, Masters Events/Oxford stands as Europe’s largest trauma conference. Here, we unite the globe’s foremost researchers, thought leaders, and pioneers in trauma, mental health, and well-being.
On Wednesday last week I experienced a full immersive day with Dan Siegel (author of Mindsight) this was an incredible opportunity for me to hear some of the greatest voices in trauma. After reading Bessel van der Kolk, “the body holds the score” I soon realised how important to our healing it is to acknowledge all that has come before us that way we can go on to live a fulfilled and happy life.
This 4 day event brought extensive knowledge, insights and ideas to those that attended. It changed my understanding of childhood trauma quite significantly. The trauma can be subtle in the form of neglect from the caregiver, little to no emotional attachment shared from an early age or can be the more extreme, more obvious abuse that we might see in the news.
What we experience as a baby/child will change the course of our lives, impacting all of those that come into contact with us over the duration of our life. This means that it is so important to understand the trauma you have experienced and work towards healing from those early years.
Gabor Mate told us that we have 3 brains, the actual brain for executive functioning, planning etc, by itself it is a limited instrument. Then there is a nervous system in the heart, you’ll recognise this when you say ‘I knew this in my heart’ and thirdly the brain in your gut, where you find your ‘gut feelings’. We must not cut these off from each other, this can impair our reactions and our perceptions. When we don’t work with all three we end up in survival mode.
Ultimately its all about connection, acceptance, flexibility, kindness and compassion. Accepting ourselves as who we are and then those that are different from us. When we work in harmony we can find wholeness and heal from the trauma we have previously experienced.
Dan Siegel had 200 of us in the seminar hall at Oxford University Museum meditating he wanted us to become consciously aware of our senses, mind and body. It was a very powerful 15 minutes and I felt transported to another place.
In order to tune in to our mind and body we have to become aware of our 5 senses; becoming connected to the sound we can hear, the smells in the air, what we can touch, any tastes present and what we see around us. That awareness and consciousness will encourage our presence, we can feel our bodies and enter our mind.
I very quickly became conscious that this is what it feels like to float if you haven’t ever meditated before. Float therapy gives you the opportunity to become one with your senses, understand your body and mind in that very moment of time.
Perhaps you will find wholeness, acceptance and truth?
This event is on again next year in September, I highly recommend it if you are interested in Trauma and the subject of therapy.
The Radcliffe Camera looked so beautiful in the autumn sun
We still have some float and sauna sessions available for this weekend and massage treatments too. To secure some R & R book below
One good practice is to keep a float journal to record your thoughts and observations before and after each session ;)