Complex Trauma and the Ability To Safely Receive
Restoring the self to make space for life’s gifts
Prompted by a beautiful message of gratitude from a former student, my psychotherapy client Sara inquired if her immersion in trauma-informed treatment generated receiving. Apparently, her student’s words registered as it never had before. She did not deflect or minimize the significance of these overtures, as she typically had in the past. Rather, for the first time, Sara took in the intended heartfelt thoughts and felt deeply moved.
As Sara suspected, opening up to this internal experience of connectivity was indeed an invaluable byproduct of extensive trauma-informed healing.
The path of Jewish mysticism known as ‘Kabbalah’ means ‘to receive.’ According to the teachings of Kabbalah, this desire to receive, referred to as the Infinite Soul, is inherent in our nature. The ‘space to receive’ in Kabbalah is both a literal and symbolic expanse made possible by divine contraction (Tzimtzum (צמצום), allowing for creation and the reception of divine energy. In essence, creating a space to receive facilitates the spiritual development of one’s desires and intentions.
The Kabbalistic notion that we are vessels potentially capable of receiving Divine Light is analogous to some psychological perspectives which…
