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Episode 50: Trauma Work in Witchcraft
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Welcome back Witches! As a disclaimer, this week we're going to be discussing some heavy topics surrounding trauma. If you need to skip this one for your mental health, that's ok and we'll see you back next week. So get in losers, and lets discuss Trauma Work in Witchcraft.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
References
- Olivine, Ashley Ph.D., MPH (2022). What is Trauma? Very Well Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-trauma-5212104
- Psychology Today. Trauma. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/trauma
- Confessions of a Hedgewitch (2018). Trauma and Witchcraft. https://hedgeconfessions.com/2018/04/17/trauma-and-witchcraft/
- Hagan, Ekura (2016). Mothers, Witches and the Power of Archetypes. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/transcending-the-past/201605/mothers-witches-and-the-power-archetypes
- Weber, Shannon. Let the Light In: 6 Ways to Use Body Magick to Heal from Trauma. (2018). https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/let-the-light-in-6-ways-to-use-body-magick-to-heal-from-trauma/
- Trauma. (2020) Mind.org. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/trauma/effects-of-trauma/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Witchcraft Journey
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft in the occult but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In Loser We're Doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey. Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we have learned about the craft.
Focus on Trauma in Witchcraft
00:00:16
Speaker
So get in, witches, for a discussion on trauma work in witchcraft.
Humorous Airport Anecdote
00:00:41
Speaker
Anthony was gone all week, right? Again. To snowboard. Because that's what he does in the winter. So he left me for a week to go do that. So he got in last night and he's at the airport. He's waiting for his bags to come through on the boat. And he was just sitting there. And this lady came and she was standing next to where he was sitting in a chair.
00:01:03
Speaker
And she had a mask on and was just kind of like standing there and looking around. And she just like farted. And he was like, are you kidding me? She's like right here, right? Like he's sitting and she's standing. So her butt is like right there. And he was like, did that happen? And then like a couple of like seconds later, she farts again. And he's like...
00:01:26
Speaker
looking at her like, really lady? It was like, yeah, she like kind of shifted around a little bit. And then as she walked off in front of him, just like farted the entire time. I was like, you got crop tested by a lady at the airport. Oh my gosh. Yeah, he told me that today because he didn't get into like one o'clock in the morning last night. So
00:01:49
Speaker
That is hilarious. Was she wearing like headphones or something? No. Oh my god. He said that he couldn't tell like how old she was because she was wearing a mask and it was like he was like I don't know if she was like an older lady or or what but she was just standing there next to him like and he was like it wasn't like like quiet farts like she was just like ribbon farts.
00:02:17
Speaker
She didn't give a shit. No, she didn't. I think like if I had to let one rip and it was like a situation, right, and I couldn't find a bathroom, I would go to someplace where no one is around. Well, but also it's the airport where there's nine billion bathrooms. Right. So why can't you just go into a stall, let it rip, the doors closed,
00:02:43
Speaker
Yeah, when he said that like, there was like people standing around the belt, not like a lot of people, like it was really late, there wasn't like a really full flight. There's like a few people like standing around the belt waiting and he knew it was going to be a little while so he went and just sat down. He's by himself sitting and she went stood directly next to him and just starts ripin' farts.
00:03:03
Speaker
So you're welcome for that tidbit.
Trauma Discussion Disclaimer
00:03:07
Speaker
A little funny story before we get into some heavy shit. Some literal heavy shit.
00:03:15
Speaker
So as a disclaimer, before we begin this episode, in this episode, we're going to be discussing some heavy topics related to trauma, which could be upsetting or even triggering to some listeners. Because of this, listener discretion is advised.
Misleading Creators vs. Professional Help
00:03:30
Speaker
And if you need to skip this episode for your own mental health and well-being, we understand and we'll see you in the next episode, which will be a much lighter episode all about weddings. So you're welcome.
00:03:41
Speaker
We're going to bring you down and then bring you back up. Exactly. So Tiffany and I really wanted to do an episode like this because there are a lot of things out there on social media and especially on TikTok that are pretty concerning.
00:03:57
Speaker
This topic is so important because oftentimes people have been through trauma and just simply don't understand how to process it, how to cope with it, or even how to work through it. So if you're someone that has experienced trauma in your life and you're struggling with that, we encourage you to seek professional help to start your processing and healing journey.
00:04:18
Speaker
Yeah, and we've talked about this before in episode two about how social media has a huge effect right now on witchcraft. But what I find shocking is the amount of content creators who are marketing themselves as wellness professionals and aiming to help resolve trauma when they don't have the training or licensure to do so. Yeah, you see this a lot in not only just like the witchy community, but also the herbal community people like
00:04:45
Speaker
using that platform to be able to come in and say like, Oh, you should do these things because I I do them. So just you should too. Like, please avoid content creators that are telling you to skip therapy and just do as they do.
00:05:00
Speaker
because that can be really harmful to your mental health, especially in the long run. Yeah. And this is why we constantly preach to do your own research, because even though there's a massive stigma toward mental health and in some areas of the world, like in the United States, treatment can be costly. There is no substitute for licensed mental health professionals.
00:05:23
Speaker
There are people out there with master's degrees from unaccredited universities, primarily in like marketing strategies that prey on people newer to witchcraft and the occult because they have seen how popular the occult communities have become over the past few years. They are betting on you to be misinformed and trusting because you are searching for an inclusive community, one that you may have not found in traditional religious communities like Christianity.
00:05:51
Speaker
And they're using this platform to make a mockery out of the occult communities.
Carl Jung and Mother Archetype
00:05:56
Speaker
One thing I saw online as well, and this relates back to Carl Jung and his work. And I mean, if you haven't done any research into Carl Jung, I feel like he was kind of a weird guy. I think he was probably into the occult and metaphysical more than what we want to believe for the founding fathers of psychology and stuff. Yeah.
00:06:19
Speaker
Basically, Carl Jung, for those who don't know, he was a founding father in psychology and psychiatry. His most famous theory of what people really know him about is the theory of the collective unconsciousness. He believed that human beings are connected to each other and their ancestors through a shared set of experiences. Anyway,
00:06:41
Speaker
he did some research and and he had like this whole theory about the mother archetype and trauma and this relates back to witchcraft i feel like so much so basically
00:06:54
Speaker
What he says in this whole research is, the first relationship that we have as an infant is with our mother. Children need to bond with a caregiver within the first few years of life in order to develop healthy attachments and empathy, and that is proven time and time again.
00:07:12
Speaker
However, what happens when we have a mother that is cruel and adequate or not present? This can lead some to strive for an archetypal mother. In witchcraft, this could be like the great mother, mother nature, some sort of deity. This is a presence that from the beginning of time can provide healing and nurturing. This ties back into the stigma of witchcraft because there is a parallel between what we see in a fairy godmother versus an evil witch,
00:07:41
Speaker
And there's this battle between good and evil where the terrible mother that we had as children might be that evil and Mother Earth and Mother Nature or some sort of deity would be that good mother figure.
00:07:57
Speaker
But I think that this could relate back to the huge surge that we see in witchcraft in the occult in today's society, because that stigma surrounding the witch has changed. Now witches aren't inherently looked at as evil or unholy, but have morphed with this fairy godmother archetype and many people's
Empowerment vs. Therapy in Witchcraft
00:08:15
Speaker
eyes. So pursuing witchcraft and any other earthbound religions can be a way to heal from an unhealthy childhood experience, especially related to
00:08:23
Speaker
our first caregiver, which was our mother. And especially if there's deity practice in your work. But as a little caveat there, this only works if you've dealt with your childhood trauma. Like you can't be coming into this so traumatized from your childhood and expecting to latch onto a deity or latch onto an ancestral spirit to work with when you haven't processed the trauma that you've dealt with as a child. So with that in mind and just kind of like what I alluded to just now,
00:08:53
Speaker
but witchcraft draws people with trauma. And this is a pretty broad statement, but it's spot on. Many who have had traumatic experiences at some point in their lives are drawn to witchcraft for its empowerment. Yeah, absolutely. Witchcraft is empowering and powerful. So it makes sense that people who have been systemically walked over and abused would look for any way to reclaim their inner power and change their lives.
00:09:20
Speaker
There are also a lot of people with their own religious trauma who find witchcraft as a way to believe in something greater than themselves and in a system that is not overtly patriarchal.
Understanding Trauma
00:09:30
Speaker
Weird. I wonder why that is strange. Sounds familiar.
00:09:40
Speaker
While witchcraft is inclusive and accepting of all, it can't possibly be a way to cure past trauma that hasn't been worked through. So we've said this before, and I'm sure we'll say this again many more times on this podcast, witchcraft is not a replacement for a good mental health professional.
00:09:56
Speaker
When we talk about trauma, please remember that everyone experiences trauma differently. There's no wrong or right way to experience trauma, and two people who go through the same experience can feel differently, can process things differently, and might be affected differently. During a traumatic experience, you could have several different reactions, and some of those are to freeze, feeling like you just can't move, to flop, just doing as you're told without protest,
00:10:25
Speaker
Fight, which is just fighting, struggling, or protesting. Flight, which is running, hiding, or just moving away. Or you could be fawning, which is trying to please the person causing you trauma. The stress signals that your body receives during trauma can last longer than the act of trauma itself, and this can affect the way that you might think, feel, or even behave.
00:10:50
Speaker
Yeah, and just because you've experienced something that could be traumatic doesn't mean that you will experience trauma.
Types and Impacts of Trauma
00:10:56
Speaker
So with all that said, let's talk about what trauma actually is. So according to Dr. Ashley Olivine at Very Well Health, trauma is an emotional response that is caused by experiencing a single incident or a series of distressing or traumatic, emotional or psychological events, or both. Traumatic events are traumatic to a degree that it disrupts someone's sense of safety.
00:11:20
Speaker
And there are many different types of trauma. So the first one being emotional. Emotional trauma is essentially a mental response to an event or situation. These emotional responses to trauma can either be acute, which is a response during and directly after a traumatic event. It can be chronic. And this is from long-term responses from prolonged or repeated traumatic events.
00:11:46
Speaker
be complex and these are emotional responses to multiple events that may or may not be related. So think about like if you had a really bad car wreck and then maybe you were in a relationship that was very abusive and maybe coupling that with traumatic experiences from your childhood. All of these can be complex traumatic events. Secondary trauma
00:12:10
Speaker
is exposure from other people suffering, and this is commonly seen in helping professionals called to respond to injuries. So this would be like your first responders, so EMTs, police officers, firemen, any of those are at a higher risk of developing secondary trauma. And then there's also physical trauma, and this is a result of serious bodily harm or injury. For those that have experienced trauma, some common side effects of the experience
00:12:36
Speaker
might be flashbacks, panic attacks, disassociation, hyperarousal, sleep disorders, low self-esteem, grief, thoughts of harm, and even substance misuse, just to name a few. The effects of trauma can also interrupt your day-to-day life in so many ways.
00:12:54
Speaker
You might struggle to take care of yourself, to interact with other people, to just simply enjoy things, and you might even have a lack of trust in others around you. Others may have a hard time remembering what happened altogether, and this is something one of my brothers and I talk about a lot when we're discussing memories from our own childhood.
00:13:13
Speaker
There's times that one of us has a memory that the other one can't recall ever having happened or the memory is only in pieces. Either way, we're both missing chunks of our memories due to traumatic events in our household.
00:13:27
Speaker
It's also important to note that long-term effects of unprocessed trauma can make you more vulnerable to developing physical health problems and chronic illnesses.
Adverse Childhood Experiences
00:13:38
Speaker
Outside of someone needing to process and heal from their trauma or their own mental health, it's also important to do so for your physical health as well. Yeah, and this brings up a really great point. So some of that trauma that you're exposed to as a child or when you're younger,
00:13:56
Speaker
is something called adverse childhood experiences. And if you've heard this before, like the ACE scores, or if you do an ACE test, this is what it's referring to. So adverse childhood experiences are the wide range of difficult situations that children face or witness growing up before they have developed effective coping skills. These can disrupt normal development, and the effects of this can lead into adulthood, especially if your ACE score is relatively high.
Seeking Professional Trauma Help
00:14:24
Speaker
So high A scores correlate to higher risks of things like heart disease, depression, asthma, diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, and involvement in risky behaviors.
00:14:37
Speaker
If you've experienced trauma and are ready to start your healing process and seek out licensed professional help, please remember to be kind to yourself throughout this journey. Healing trauma isn't a one-size-fits-all treatment. Everyone processes and heals differently, so it may take you time to find what works for you.
00:14:55
Speaker
Don't be hard on yourself and allow yourself time to try various different methods to see what is right for you and what's going to work in your journey. Something that I wanted to include was a coping toolbox. When I was working as a substance counselor and an occasional mental health technician, I always emphasized creating a toolbox that my clients could refer to.
00:15:19
Speaker
in between their appointments that would help them get through their tough moments. When we started discussing the possibility of this topic for an episode, I started to think of ways that witchcraft could be incorporated into a coping toolbox to aid in the healing journey. And spoiler alert, I was already telling my clients to use a lot of these same tools. Hopefully you can try a thing or two from this list and experience it in a positive and healing way.
00:15:45
Speaker
So
Creating a Coping Toolbox
00:15:46
Speaker
first, and I feel like it's almost the most important, is that you need to know your triggers. Being aware of the things that trigger a trauma response from you can help you be prepared to handle your response when you run across that trigger in the moment.
00:16:01
Speaker
Once you know your triggers, try using any of the following as a way to help you through that moment and then bring that back to your therapist in your next session. The first tool could be journaling. We've mentioned journals and journaling many times in various episodes on the podcast, but journaling can be a tool that helps you process those traumatic moments in your life. So whether you just need to write down what happened, how it made you feel, or how you are healing,
00:16:29
Speaker
Journaling is a great way to process things. It can be a mechanism for clearing your mind as a way to reset yourself as well. So if you're feeling overwhelmed and your mind is racing through a million different thoughts, write them all down, get them out of your head, and then get them onto paper.
00:16:46
Speaker
Following up journaling is going to be shadow work because the two really just go hand in hand. Shadow work is something that everyone should really try to do even if it makes you uncomfortable because honestly that's almost the point of it. We have to get uncomfortable sometimes to really heal ourselves. If you want to spend the money there are copious amounts of shadow work books and journals out there that you can purchase and just follow along with.
00:17:13
Speaker
But you can also just type Shadow Work prompts into Google, and there's a shit ton available for free. An example of a prompt would be, do I cling to certain emotions on a day-to-day basis because they feel, quote unquote, normal? Or looking at your past, who has or still does regularly downplay how you feel? Both of these prompts are listed on Google amongst a gazillion others if you simply search for Shadow Work prompts.
00:17:42
Speaker
While answering these questions may feel uncomfortable at first, remember that this is only for you to see unless you choose to share it with someone else. This is simply a tool to help you really think about those deep-seated emotions and work through them on your own to aid in your healing process.
00:17:59
Speaker
Meditation is another one, and we did a full episode on meditation for episode five. But did you know that there's a whole guided meditation for those who've experienced trauma? Because I did not. I did not know that existed. While meditation can be such an amazing tool for so many things, as we've said many times in the episode already, this should be a tool to aid you in your healing journey with a licensed professional.
Mindfulness and Unprocessed Trauma
00:18:27
Speaker
Yeah. And so they have meditation that are online for trauma release. And one thing I will say regarding this, and especially even just in mindfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation in itself can be re-traumatizing for those who have unprocessed trauma because in mindfulness practice, we are asked to be mindful and present with our own feelings and emotions and sensations
00:18:54
Speaker
and essentially what is happening in our own body like being present in that. And many people have unprocessed trauma will experience feelings of disassociation when they are trying to practice mindfulness meditation because they're not ready to sit with those emotions.
00:19:08
Speaker
And if this is you and if you're practicing mindfulness meditation and you feel like feeling so floating or you feeling anything that would be considered disassociation during the mindfulness meditation, then that's probably a sign that you should seek out a therapist. Because
Restorative Yoga for Trauma Release
00:19:24
Speaker
if you're not comfortable being in that spot and feeling those emotions as they occur, then you might need someone to help you feel those emotions and sit with you while you're feeling those emotions.
00:19:36
Speaker
What do you mean I have to be mindful when I'm practicing mindfulness? Right? What does that mean? Why? Another one you can do is grounding. And again, we've done a full episode on grounding, which was episode 18. Both meditation and grounding can be a great way to really connect with your mind and your body while helping you to dispose of negative and unwanted energies.
00:20:00
Speaker
Next, you can try yoga. While all yoga is fantastic, try using gentle and restorative yoga practices in this instance. Using restorative or hatha yoga can help you to connect with your body and open and activate energetic centers to help you on your healing journey. And they actually have like actual yogis that are, I guess, certified to practice releasing stored trauma. And so
Tarot as a Healing Tool
00:20:25
Speaker
there's actual classes you can take with a professional to help you release
00:20:30
Speaker
Stored trauma, which is amazing. Look at that. Look at that. And then this, I wanted to include this because I never thought of using tarot in this way, but this comes from an article by Shannon Weber entitled, Let the Light in Six Ways to Use Body Magic to Heal from Trauma. And it's on the Body is Not an Apologies website.
00:20:55
Speaker
Weber reflects on using tarot as part of her healing journey, stating that when you're working on healing trauma, tarot in combination with other measures like therapy and confiding in trusted social networks can also be an excellent way of sitting with your grief, cueing into your body's legitimate emotional responses to external input, and embarking on an inner journey of transformation.
00:21:19
Speaker
I wanted to include this piece here because so many within the witchcraft community practice tarot, though many might not even think of tarot as a tool in this instance.
Support System vs. Therapists
00:21:29
Speaker
And last, you should make a list of three to five people that you trust can help you in a pinch between your therapy sessions, but remember that they aren't your therapist. Think of those people that you would trust to confide in, to give you sound advice when you need it, and who would be there for you if you just needed to simply talk or to be around another person. This list is going to be your emergency list when you're having a particularly hard moment, and they are meant to be your support in between seeing your therapist.
00:21:59
Speaker
Once you have your list in mind, you need to contact these people and make sure that they're up for the task. They need to understand that sometimes you may need to call them in a pinch. Let them know the type of support that you might need and then let them decide where they fit best. Someone may be more comfortable just being a listener when you need to get those things off your chest but not be comfortable giving you advice.
00:22:23
Speaker
Remember not to push their limitations and please do not use them as your therapist. Your therapist is a trained and licensed professional and your friends and family should not be a replacement. In a sort of closing note, I wanted to say that nothing here is meant to stand on its own.
00:22:39
Speaker
Samantha and I both have backgrounds working in social work, mental health, and substance counseling, and we would never suggest going through this process willy-nilly and on your own. I've said it before, I'll say it again, there's a reason that there are licensed professionals when it comes to mental health and processing through trauma. You should never undertake this journey on your own.
Closing Remarks and Next Episode Teaser
00:23:02
Speaker
Yes, 1000%.
00:23:14
Speaker
That's it for this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. You can find our source material for this episode linked in the show notes. If you love this episode, we would be forever thankful if you leave us a five-star review on wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you really love the show and want more Get In Loser content, check out our Supercast link provided in the show notes or search the Supercast website for Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft.
00:23:37
Speaker
There you can purchase a membership to our podcast and obtain exclusives, like getting episodes early, shout outs on the show, access to our Ask Me Anything forum, our monthly newsletter, a promo code for merchandise, and more. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Get In Witches, or email us at we'redoingwitchcraft at gmail.com. Check us out next week as we discuss pagan wedding rituals. Until then, blessed be witches.