Trauma keeps us in the past
Healing trauma involves finding ways to connect to the present. Your body can play a powerful role in this healing journey.
Let me tell you my story.
Four years ago, I began my own trauma healing journey. Out of nowhere, old and unprocessed trauma resurfaced. My body was screaming at me to slow down, to take a break, to heal—but my stubborn mind kept pushing forward. Until one day, my body put on the brakes for real, forcing my mind to catch up with what it already knew to be true. That day, I had a spontaneous session with a coaching colleague of my sister. She translated what my body had been trying to tell me all along: Stop. Listen. Heal.
When I finally slowed down, I started asking myself difficult questions—questions that ultimately helped channel the energy from my crisis into a career in coaching and counselling. That pause helped me reconnect with what I truly value: authentic connection, making people feel heard, and creating safe spaces.
At the time, I was still doing a PhD, supported by an amazing supervisor who encouraged me in all my endeavours—even those outside of academia. But when I told him I was running off to Portugal for the third time in a few months, he asked: "But all the surfing… that doesn’t really help, does it?"
Back then, I didn’t have an answer. I felt ashamed for being so drawn away from my responsibilities and toward the ocean. But with time—and more education on trauma—I realised something:
Surfing was helping me. Immensely.
Surfing anchors me.
The cold water shocks me into the moment.
The unpredictable waves demand my attention.
The vastness of the ocean makes me feel free.
When I surf, I am present.
It became a crucial part of rebuilding the connection between my body and my mind, a connection trauma had torn apart. The ocean gave me a space where I could truly feel myself again, where I could learn to trust my body. It might sound cheesy, but the ocean really became a safe space for me.
My coaching and counselling training deepened this understanding. It helped me see how trauma shapes every aspect of our lives—and how healing is about finding ways to reconnect with the present, with our bodies, and with ourselves. Through trauma-informed coaching, I now support others in rebuilding that bond between mind and body. I help people find their own version of what surfing and climbing have been for me.
💭 Do you ever feel that disconnect between your mind and body?
💡 Do you find yourself stuck in the past?
🌍 What helps you connect to the present?
