March 25, 2025
When we provide services as healthcare professionals, first responders, and in the military, we are dedicating our time and energy to care for our most vulnerable, to serve our country, and to make a difference. Our services can, however, come at a cost to our health, relationships, and livelihood as there are sacrifices and personal risks inherent to these career paths.
We can think and feel in silence as a way to keep functioning, as unresolved and unspoken grief, loss, and trauma sit within the body as a heavy burden, weighted by sadness and sorrow, anger and rage, guilt, blame, and shame that can consume or constrict us or maybe there’s a hollowness, a disconnect, an emptiness that “houses” and serves the same.
The heart knows all things, feels all things, sees all things, while the body experiences all things. As for the mind, it naturally reacts to all things and it can wander, seeking to protect, distract, and stand guard, be on the lookout for any threat or danger, creating stories and narratives, developing perspectives that proudly serve to keep us safe and patterns we become accustomed to that reinforce conditioned beliefs that play in the background, running the show we call life.
With steadfast dedication, the hypervigilance of the autonomic nervous system strives to serve us at all costs, even to the detriment of our health and well-being. This inner guardianship is tireless and unrelenting, working automatically 24 hours a day on our behalf, on alert for any potential violators or perceived threats to our well-being, determined to keep us safe from the “enemy” indefinitely UNTIL something INTERRUPTS its patterns, the chatter, replaying of well rehearsed stories… something DISRUPTS the status quo, OPENING the door to a new perspective, a different way that is unfamiliar and potentially scary and confusing, a new way of being and seeing ourselves and the world, a sense of vulnerability creeps in, and suddenly, there is an unknown IDENTITY within. A couple questions may arise, WHO AM I? WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Potential interrupters or disrupters tend to be some kind of health or emotional crisis, pain of some sort, as we routinely live our lives on autopilot. Life interrupted by crisis doesn’t have to be this way. We can live proactively and consciously. Our lives can be different and better than what we’ve grown accustomed to or settled for, healthier, more joyful and meaningful when we choose differently, and this begins with awareness. The body is talking to us all the time, but we tend to disregard, tune it out, medicate or numb it as we go through our day trying to get things done, performing our daily functions. This routine is automatic behavior that can only change when we recognize that we can and then decide to make those changes.
We may try to go it alone, self-medicate, not ask for help, don’t feel like we would be understood, avoid or deny what we feel, or feel that we may get labeled and fear consequences to those labels. Maybe there is a feeling of embarrassment or shame, not knowing who to trust, where to turn or where to begin.
The mind is wired for survival and we make decisions and meaning from this part of our body. The body doesn’t know the difference to what is happening now versus what happened in the past. Here’s the thing about pain, whether emotional, physical, or mental, it’s a great communicator, it is not our enemy. Pain alerts us to what is needing attention and can let us know when we are not in alignment, especially with our values and truest desires. We can get use to pain, it becomes part our story, a known familiar way of living in the world. Sometimes we can get so accustomed to the pain because it is so familiar that it becomes part of our identity. The thought of possibly not having or letting go of familiar pain can feel very foreign and uncertain, and scary. What’s important to recognize is that we can acknowledge and address what hurts, give attention instead of dismissing or trying to shut down or avoid the pain, because within the pain is the potential for healing and transformation.
Within your wound is wisdom and potential. Suffering comes from trying to resist, and what you resist persists. You can choose to keep waiting for circumstances to change or you can choose to reclaim your energy and personal power, and break free of anything that’s been holding you back from being your true self. Freedom comes with the willingness to release what no longer serves you and make peace within. Healing involves learning to gently be with yourself and trust yourself and the process.
Are you ready to create ease and peace and rebuild a new, healthier and more empowered version of yourself?
I have dedicated my life to being of service, to helping people achieve a sense of wholeness and well-being—empowering them to heal, grow, and embrace new opportunities for a meaningful and fulfilling life. If you are a healthcare professional, first-responder, veteran, or active duty military and you’re recovering from trauma, navigating a significant life change, or simply seeking greater purpose, I am here to support you with compassion, knowledge, and deep care. I have created a safe space for you to feel seen, heard, and supported and offer guidance for positive and empowering changes and whole body awareness.
I invite you to join a conversation and learn more about your options for support.
*Friday, March 28th, 9:30 am PST – Informational online meeting. Please DM me for details.
#healingtrauma #invisiblewounds #military #veteran #ptsd #healthcare #recovery #healthprofessional #heartintelligence #firstresponders #woundedwarrior #posttraumaticgrowth #wellbeing #traumaticbraininjury #trauma #moralinjury #lawenforcement #firefighter #selfmastery #selfempowerment #transformpain #emotionalresilience #coherence #innerpeace #compassionatecare #selfcare
Dr. Howell is a Trauma-Informed Support for Frontline Professionals to Rebuild and Restore Health I Self-Mastery & Empowerment I Bridging Science & Spirituality I Heart Intelligence Coach, Mentor, Facilitator, Author, Speaker and Veteran.
For more information on Dr. Howell or how to contact her:
linkedin.com/in/victoryinaction
HeartFirstMedicineAcademy.com/
Click this link to purchase her book.
MISNS exists to serve our female veterans who fought bravely on behalf of their country and suffered moral injury as a result.
Interested individuals can contact Dr. Roberts at droberts@chaplainconsultants.com.
Learn more about Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. and sign up for our newsletter at: https://misns.org.
Get to know our team: https://misns.org/about-us/
Donate to our cause: https://misns.org/donation/