Does Your Imagination Hold You Captive?

Edie Savage-Weeks
Apr 16
3 min read

Updated: Apr 23

Does your imagination set you free, or does it hold you captive with drama and trauma from which you try to escape?

Your imagination is a powerful tool that can be used to heal, create, dream, solve world problems, transcend your day-to-day reality, be courageous, and brave enough to step outside your comfort zone.

Your imagination can also be used to forge an emotional and physical prison, most often based upon your past history of trauma and fears, and/or the world's traumas, from which you try desperately to escape.

How do you use your imagination? Where does your imagination take you?

When I was a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist working with women who had experienced childhood trauma and who were living a good deal of the time in an emotional and physical prison, I explained, "Your mind may remember past trauma and fears, but your body remembers what you otherwise tend to forget."

Besel Van Der Kolk, M.D. wrote about this in his book, The Body Keeps the Score.

All of this to say, we hold not only stress in our bodies, we also hold past trauma in our bodies.

Your imagination is not separate from your body. Your body can learn to relax and release tension, pain, and trauma by pausing, and imagining a peaceful setting or environment. For example, I use my imagination to transport myself to the high Sierras for peace, calm, and healing. I can no longer go there physically, because of the altitude, so I go there in my mind. It's so peaceful. I am being held by Mother Nature.

Your body can calm your imagination and release trauma through various forms of bodywork, yoga, breathwork (focused breathing), grounding (standing with bare feet on the earth), dancing or exercising to music, singing, listening to uplifting music, and consciously observing the beauty of nature.

If you have an imagination that has forged a physical and emotional prison, usually containing a lot of fear and "what if" thinking, choose (it is a choice) to do the hard work of releasing, and not being held captive by, the fear and the trauma. I know it's possible, because I, and hundreds of my clients, have done and continue to do the work.

Some of you know my history, but for those of you who don't, I experienced childhood trauma. I did not tell even one soul for 20 years. I was haunted by fears and living in that emotional prison. I wore a "mask"--always smiling, so no one would know what was going on with me. When I was 29, I made a commitment to myself: "I am no longer going to continue living my life this way. I want and deserve what is good and right for me."

I did the hard work, and I've continued to do the work.

My life experiences have given me a purpose and a gift.

April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month.

If you have experienced childhood trauma, or any other form of trauma, consider doing some of these supportive services:

*seeing a therapist who is trained in the type of trauma you experienced,

*doing a gentle form of bodywork,

*spending time in nature,

*laughing more,

*participating in a therapy or support group with trauma survivors,

*working with a transformational life coach.

May God bless you. Holding you in love.

To Your Courageous Self!