You may have wondered if it’s worth it to meditate after sexual trauma. Closed eyes, sitting still, and no fidgeting may bring up concerns, but thankfully there are more ways to meditate than with complete stillness.
I invite you to join me and learn how to craft your perfect meditation below.
Why Meditate?
As little as a few minutes of meditation can bring relaxation, calm, improve sleep, regain presence, and manage stress. Even attempting to meditate can still activate your parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.
These benefits are amazing for sexual trauma survivors who are managing stress, anxiety, depression, triggers, and even physical symptoms.
Meditation is also a cumulative practice, meaning everything counts (even 30 seconds throughout the day.) It takes time to notice subtle shifts from your practice, so it’s best to find a meditation practice that works for you. The more you actually like your practice, the easier it’ll be to commit to.
What Defines A Meditation?
To know how to make the best of a meditation, let’s first take a quick look into what meditation actually is. It’s very simple and only needs to follow these few guidelines:
- It needs to be repetitive.
- There needs to be little distraction.
- You need to be comfortable.
- You need to give it time. (5 minutes is a great starting point)
Remember: You are always in control of your practice and can end your meditation at any time.
If your meditation meets these criteria, you can do anything that brings you into a meditative state. How do you know you’re “in the zone?” You may have felt this before when you’re not day dreaming or making lists, and you’re completely focused on the task at hand.
For many of us, coloring as a child may have been the first time we experienced a meditative state. It’s important to remember: even if you’re not in the meditative zone, you’re still receiving benefits.
5 Ways To Meditate After Sexual Trauma
I welcome you to use these tips as you see fit. You’re welcome to skip, adjust or use these tips as inspiration.
1. Tweak Your Current Meditation Practice
If you want to start small, here are a few ways you can switch your current practice for more comfort.
It’s okay to fidget. Even if the teacher insists you remain still, you are in full control of your practice. You can still receive benefits of meditation if you’re more comfortable fidgeting.
Your eyes don’t need to be closed. The Yoga Sutras (the how-to guide to yoga) doesn’t mention the absolute need to close your eyes. All it says is to find a point of concentration–even if that means an object. You can also gaze down past your cheekbones as another option.
You don’t need to be in a specific pose or posture. A comfortable, steady seat is all the Yoga Sutras mention for how to complete a meditation. You could sit on your shins, lay down, and decide to skip any offered Mudras (hand gestures) and/or breath work offered by the teacher.
2. Walking Meditation
If you like to meditate in the comfort of your own home but dislike traditional meditation, a walking meditation could be your perfect swap. This is beneficial for more energetic days or if you can’t seem to settle your body and thoughts.
How to do a walking meditation: I welcome you to start at one end of a room or outside area of your choice. As you bring awareness to your body, one step at a time, you note your sensations, feelings, and how your body feels to move.
If noting your internal sensations starts to feel uncomfortable, you’re more than welcome to focus on something in your environment, ground, or do any other practices that bring you comfort.
You can do this meditation as long as you choose and breathe in a way that works for you. You may choose to elongate your breathing if that relaxes you, and end your practice at any time.
3. Spend Time In Nature
If you love meditating and nature, I recommend combining the two. This field experiment discovered that being in nature for a short period of time had a positive impact on stress levels.
You could add a gentle focus on your breath or combine this with a walking meditation to bring in a more repetitive element. If you’d rather focus on being outdoors, that’s 100% fine, too.
If you want to deepen your practice, you might note your five senses:
- Sight – What do you see?
- Sound – What do you hear?
- Taste – What do you taste (it doesn’t have to be specific, but something as subtle as “sweet” is perfect.)
- Smell – Same as taste. You don’t need to worry about finding the exact smell, but more of a general smell.
- Touch – What do you feel? (Wind, your clothes, grass on your feet)
4. Do A Repetitive Task You Love
This is anything that brings you joy and is also repetitive. I find this is also great for beginners because you’re focusing on something that requires more focused attention.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Coloring
- Knitting
- Gardening
- Cleaning
- Anything else you prefer
I welcome you to choose from this list or use it as inspiration to do something else you love.
There are some activities that harness your focus but aren’t repetitive and wouldn’t classify as a meditation. These are things like:
- Playing logic games like cards or chess
- Video games
- Building something with instructions
- Thinking games like crosswords
This doesn’t mean you should stop doing these things if you love them, but they may not bring the benefits of other meditative practices mentioned earlier.
5. Explore Trauma-Informed Meditations
Trauma-informed yoga takes extra precautions to avoid triggering techniques and gives you a variety of options. This is allows for more freedom and embodiment because you’re deciding for yourself what feels best.
Which Meditation Will Work For You?
The best way to know is to give them a test run. I recommend you give time in between each meditation or you may not notice any differences. It’s also important to note you may feel differently after each meditation based on your mood, time of day, events that have happened before your meditation, and other factors.
I recommend committing to one strategy for one week, journal your experience, and try a new strategy the next week. You can also choose your own time frame for each meditation that works best for your schedule.
You may find you love a certain type right away, or that nothing seems to speak to you. Both are 100% normal. If you’re a beginner, it may take a few tries to notice any shifts. I encourage you to keep trying on the days you choose, and soon you may find your perfect fit.
Overview
There are loads of ways you can curate your practice to fit your needs so you get an amazing practice that also brings you comfort. You may wonder if your meditation practice is even working. If this is you, I welcome you to read this blog post to learn signs you’re about to have a meditation breakthrough.
I welcome you to take all the time you need as you navigate your healing journey. You don’t need to have all the answers right away, and if you discover meditation just isn’t for you, it’s all good. You are always in control of your healing journey and what you include or exclude from your practice.
Take Care.
