There is a very particular somatic experience that I go through when I hear the specifics of another adult survivor’s story of the recovery of their trauma. The best language I’ve found to describe this is a somatic resonance. My body agreeing with the words they use to describe what happened in their body.

For a while, I didn’t understand why many therapists that I spoke to (especially those who also had a history of #childhoodsexualtrauma) would say “I believe you” when I shared my story even in moments where I myself was in disbelief. How could you believe me? You weren’t there! How do you know I’m not lying? These are questions I asked my current therapist. With this recent interview, I understand now that this belief is not a heady analytical evidence-based belief but a belief rooted in body resonance.

For many of us who have had no witnesses (or really, have family members who witnessed and actively – unconsciously – contributed to the suppression), this somatic validation of another survivor’s story is one of the best medicines.

This is why I encourage people to share the specifics of their stories. How the abuse unfolded in their bodies, how the recovery unfolded in their bodies. When I encounter a human who is capable of such somatic descriptions like @_wolfb_, it is a gift to hear and share their stories.

Watch this video and let me know what you feel in your soma as you hear it.

On a philosophical note, this exploration has really expanded my idea of what Truth is and how it can be Validated. Typically validation and proofs are associated with a step-by-step, analytical way of being. Somatic validation (for me) skips all the steps and enters the domain of what cannot be reached by logical proofs, emphasizing the Incompleteness of analytical validation systems. It's an immediate knowing with the soma overloaded with the energetic resonance, sometimes trivialized as 'goosebumps'.