Sounds.
Have you ever stopped and considered the noises around you and how they relay emotion? Or how you respond to them? It is a good practice in learning to understand your emotional responses especially in finding healing from trauma.
There are sounds that I am conditioned to that fade away in the backdrop of life such as the sound of my icemaker or my dryer. Both are loud. I have a new fridge and new dryer and I have already readjusted to these new sounds. These are the sounds that ground you. They let you know you are home, or safe, or comfortable in your surroundings.
My favorite sound is a perfect blend of voices in harmony or my grandchildren’s laughter. Both fill me with joy and a deep feeling of satisfaction. I lean into these sounds when I need them most.
Then there are sounds that evoke deep fear…a loud muffler on a truck at night, the creaking of floorboards, police or emergency sirens, screaming at certain pitches, the phone ringing in the middle of the night…. these are sounds that I have to breathe through and discern their source before I can finally relax because they are tied to traumatic events in my life. Did you know even if you are free from the source, it can trigger you for years to come? Yet, there is always hope.
Just like shadows in darkness you must find clarity of form and slowly breathe into it, God’s truth and light. making sure it’s just an imaginary monster, or a remnant of the monsters you have known, not current reality. Asking questions is good. What is it? who is it? Where am I? Why am I feeling this way?
Hypervigilance is a state where you are constantly assessing threats. It can be overwhelming, sending you in the wrong direction. It is an emotional aspect of abuse or trauma. Learning how to slow your mind down and draw out the truth will help in finding a solid footing.
Dare I say I am grateful for it. Listen God gives us the ability to recognize danger and we need to be listening to that, not ignoring red flags. But we also can get carried away and it is ok to take steps back to see clearer or hear differently.
Even though these sounds are not real threats anymore for me I am glad I have a listening ear because God is the light in my darkness. He is the one who illuminates truth in His word to show me the reality about monsters and the beautiful sounds that redeem your days. He helps drown out the things that do not matter and brings awareness to things that do.
Have you ever considered how your psych responds to noises? I am currently reading a memoir by a journalist named Stephanie Foo called What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. It is by far the most compelling journey through healing I have ever read.
Foo has really helped me see into my past deeper, maybe with different eyes. She walks you through all the different treatment options. She talks a great deal about emotion and the brain triggered by sounds, scenes, and inflection of speech and all the goodness that was there that was missed too. If you are brave, it is worth it. As survivors of abuse or any form of trauma, if you do not rewrite the music that plays in your head before it hits the sounding board, it tends to repeat without notice.
Lean into the sounds around you and how they make you feel. Look outside of those sounds to the other things playing. Embrace the emotions and unwind into a more educated version of you. God gave us ears to hear and minds to respond and He does not want us to fear living. He made our entire body, mind and soul to thrive, to overcome, to sit gracefully in His hands and find peace in all of the chaos.
Sound. One of the five senses God gave us to manage the world around us: Ears to hear. Let us all lean into the sounds that evoke joy and peace. Instead of running from sounds that have our ears ringing and our heart palpitating fast. Slow to the rhythm of God’s listening ear. He is with you, and you can reframe it for good.
Susanne Moore 