THe Space...

Trauma Time Traveller

I am a Trauma time traveller
Over and Back
To the Edge of Darkness
I have travelled for over 46 years

Sometimes I stumbled
And couldn’t feel my legs
Literally crawling on the floor
I only had my arms to pull me upright

Other times when I journeyed
I felt sick with nausea
My heart sinking with loss
And into the abyss I would go

More than a few times
I was cruelly pushed
Back in time
By tyrant therapists

These were the worst
Out of Body moments
And I fell into despair
Crying out for a Mama

Trauma Time Travelling
Is best done with an Elder
Who knows the Dark
But also knows the light
In equal measure

The only way is through
The pain of the splits
With gentleness and deep care
Using breath to find solid ground

The body takes its time
Great patience is needed
Before it feels safe enough
To play for the first time

David Boadella told me once
Therapy is not fun
But it is the blowing on the
Embers of the dead fire
With the therapist’s care
That allows flickers of play to emerge

And with those courageous movements
Out of the darkness
You finally get your life back

This poem is dedicated to my teacher & friend, founder of Biosynthesis Body Psychotherapy and International Pioneer in Trauma Therapy, Dr David Boadella.

Attracta Gill