Have you ever felt something so strong that you felt it in your soul or the pit of your stomach? A feeling felt deep down in your uterus, whether it was disappointment, shame, guilt and the list goes on? How have you processed those feelings, or did you just say that happened so long ago?
Trauma can be anything/ event that was stressful, frightening or even distressing that left a long-lasting effect on you and your body. Trauma is interesting in the fact that it can affect us mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Although our wombs are one of the most fascinating things on earth, it’s one of the most neglected parts of ourselves. It is not acknowledged for the powerful vessel that it is.
A lot of sources state that after childbirth the womb isn’t needed, so if you have fibroids simply have a hysterectomy, but that merely isn’t true. Many healthcare professional state that aren’t aware of the origin of fibroids or why women of color are disproportionally diagnosed and suffer the most from this condition. Besides being genetically predisposed to fibroids, trauma comes to mind as a contributing factor. Women of color have been subjected to generational trauma and other forms of suppression since slavery. From cotton fields, to share cropping, to Jim Crowe, to reproductive rights or lack thereof to presented day discrimination, we were made to feel less than instead of greater than. The feelings of women were suppressed, endured and not properly processed and as a result, passed on from generation to generation.
“All the eggs a woman will every carry form in her ovaries while she is a four-month-old fetus in the womb of her mother. This means our cellular life as an egg begins in the womb of our grandmother.
Each of us spent five months in our grandmother’s womb and she in turn formed within the womb of her grandmother.
We vibrate to the rhythms of our mother’s blood before she herself is born, and this pulse is the thread of blood that runs all the way back through the grandmothers to the first mother.”
—Layne Redmond
In additional to generational trauma, women have experiences individual traumatic included but not limited to:
◦ Molestation
◦ Rape
◦ Abusive relationship e.g., verbal, emotional, physical
◦ Low self esteem
◦ Miscarriages
◦ Abortion
◦ Traumatic Birthing Experience
◦ Lack of self-love
◦ Sexual partners allowed in your sacred space
The list can go on, but again how have you process those things? A lot of times women have the mentality that it will be ok, not knowing that the unprocessed feelings could manifest in our wombs presents as cysts, fibroids or PCOS ( polycystic ovary syndrome) because our wombs are our emotional safe. Have you ever laid hands on your uterus and talked to her? Queen Afua mentions in her book Sacred Woman that you should lay your hands on yourself and talk to your uterus and release things that don’t serve you. She suggested journaling, asking your uterus to reveal what trauma she is holding so it can be release.
As a woman of color if we don’t do the work to heal ourselves future generations won’t heal either and the cycle never ends. The cycle of fibroids, infertility, PCOS, cysts, unwanted facial hair etc. continues to affect younger generations.
To heal from womb trauma:
◦ Prepare your mind for the process as much as you can
◦ Journal about things that have affected you, even write letters to people that hurt you. If the person is still living give it to them, if they have transitioned or no longer in your life burn it
◦ Talk to your uterus, ask her to release things that no longer serve you, ask for forgiveness for people you allowed to have access to her that did not deserve it, ask to release past relationships, generational hurt/pain, tell her it’s not her fault about that miscarriage or asking for forgiveness for an abortion
◦ Massage your uterus and connect, because She is a part of you, she makes you, YOU. Love on yourself because our womb houses our emotions, sexuality and energy.
Women have had to endure so much, let’s heal from our trauma and start with the true essence of what makes us women, our uterus, our womb, our portal, our sacred space. To heal our womb of trauma, to protect and equip future generations to come.
Reference: Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind and Spirit. Author Queen Afua
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