Heal to Lead

6Maintenance Versus Healing

BEFORE WE GET into the four fundamentals and I share more of my story with you, I want to surface the bifurcation between mental health maintenance and trauma integration modalities.

Please read this chapter three times before you decide to get offended by what I'm bringing to light for further consideration and conversation. Mental health maintenance does not address the wounds that are at the core of our composition. The kinds of modalities I'm talking about here are those I've experienced myself. You might be surprised to see some of the very therapeutic techniques or processes that you might have used, or currently engage with, as well. And if you are using any of the following so-called healing modalities as subconscious avoidance or a coping mechanism, just be aware that their usage can prohibit the true integration of your trauma. My experience is that these maintenance methods have been useful in setting me on a path toward healing, but they did not function as trauma integration modalities. This is also backed by research studies and the foremost experts in the field, such as Gabor Maté, Bessel van der Kolk, Resmaa Menakem, E. Kitch Childs, Hope Landrine, Linda James Myers, Babette Rothschild, Janina Fisher, Pat Ogden, Stephen Porges, Peter Levine, Deb Dana, Bruce Perry, and Daniel Siegel, to name a few.

With the emergence of somatic healing practices—those that help your body understand that the trauma is over and no longer needs to perceive ...