Trauma
TonyC Lyrics

Virtually every week there's a study
Almost every week, there is new research being conducted.

That more and more people are needing or seeking help for mental health issues
An increasing number of individuals require assistance or actively seek help for mental health problems.

More and more in youth are diagnosed with anxiety
An increasing number of young people are being diagnosed with anxiety.

Many more kids are diagnosed
A greater number of children are being diagnosed.

With the whole plethora of childhood conditions such as ADHD
There is a wide range of childhood conditions, including ADHD.

Depression is rising
The prevalence of depression is increasing.

Youth suicide is rising
The number of youth suicides is on the rise.

Addictions are rising
The rate of addictions is increasing.

Genuinely it's an epidemic
Truly, it has become an epidemic.

And I'm very passionate about it for a simple reason
I am profoundly dedicated to this cause for a straightforward reason.

Because in thirty years or more of medical practice
Throughout my extensive thirty years or more in the medical field

What I found was that the common template for virtually all afflictions
I discovered that the core underlying pattern for almost all conditions

Mental illness, physical disease is in fact trauma
Mental illness and physical diseases are essentially rooted in trauma.

You're waiting for somebody to scream at you
You constantly anticipate someone shouting at you.

You're waiting for something to be thrown
You live in expectation of something being thrown at you.

You don't know if you're going to eat
You are uncertain if you will have enough food to eat.

You don't know if your going to be evicted
You are uncertain about being kicked out of your place of residence.

So you're constantly anxious and stressed
Consequently, you experience perpetual feelings of anxiety and stress.

I used to think this was a rarity but when I talk to people
Initially, I believed this to be an uncommon occurrence, but as I converse with more individuals

A huge number of people have this traumatic experience as a child
An immense number of individuals have undergone such traumatic experiences during their childhood.

That they carry with them
These experiences are something they continue to bear.

It's like a monkey on your back
It feels burdensome and persistent, like a constant weight on your shoulders.

When we realize that our traumatic responses and imprints are not ourselves
Once we understand that our reactions and lasting effects of trauma do not define our true selves

And that we can work them through
And that we have the ability to process and overcome them

And thus become ourselves
We can then truly embrace and embody our authentic selves.

Because it's too painful to be ourselves
Being our true selves is too distressing and agonizing.

And what they do is they disconnect from themselves
Consequently, they disconnect from their own identities.

When you disconnect from yourself
By detaching from who you truly are

You no longer have yourself
You lose your sense of self.

You lost yourself
You have lost the essence of who you are.

When we talk about trauma
When we discuss the topic of trauma

We usually think of something terrible happening to a person
Our typical perception revolves around something dreadful occurring to an individual.

But that's not the only trauma there is
However, trauma encompasses more than just those particular experiences.

And so the other kind of trauma may not have to do with terrible things happening to you
There exists another kind of trauma that may not involve such harrowing events befalling upon oneself.

Parents who are so alienated from their own gut feelings
Parents who have become so disconnected from their own instincts

That they will let their infants cry
To the extent that they allow their infants to cry without attending to their needs

That's all it takes
That alone is sufficient.

During your first eighteen years of life
Throughout the initial eighteen years of one's life

If a parent or other adult in the household often or very often would swear at you
If a parent or another adult in the household frequently or consistently directed profanities at you

Insult you, put you down or humiliate you: Step inside the circle
If they insulted you, belittled you, or humiliated you, take a step inside the circle

Step inside the circle
Move forward and include yourself in this discussion.

Mental illness, physical disease is in fact trauma
Mental illness and physical diseases fundamentally stem from trauma.

Fundamentally the message is that with our minds we create the world
At its core, the message conveys that our perceptions shape the reality we experience.

So authenticity is not some new age, pseudo spiritual concept
Therefore, authenticity should not be dismissed as a contemporary, superficial spiritual notion.

It's actually a survival necessity
Instead, it is an essential requirement for our survival and well-being.

Fundamentally the message is that with our minds we create the world
At its core, the message conveys that our perceptions shape the reality we experience.