What is a Glimmer and How Does it Relate to Trauma?

A glimmer of light. Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash

Glimmers are defined as the opposites of triggers.  When you are experiencing a trauma trigger, your nervous system amps up and your stress response activates.  The stress response is commonly known as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.  

Signs that you are triggered include: 

• Racing heart

• Racing thoughts

• Sweating

• Arrested breathing 

• Panic 

• Dissociation

• Tunnel Vision (metaphorically and you literally may not see everything in your field of vision)

• Shaking 

• Restlessness, a feeling of wanting to run

• Panic to reconnect with others 

• Urgency to people please 

• Doing anything to avoid conflict and keep the peace

• Abandoning yourself and hyper focusing on others

All of these symptoms of the stress response are common to experience when your trauma gets triggered.  You may experience just a few or all of them.  Trauma triggers amp up your nervous system.  Glimmers, on the other hand, calm your nervous system and bring a temporary feeling of peace, joy, relaxation, or safety.  Glimmers are small moments that disrupt stress and hypervigilance.

Examples of Glimmers:

• Noticing a beautiful sunset

• Feeling joy at a child’s laughter

• Laughing at an animal doing something hilarious

• A nourishing cool breeze when your body feels hot

• Receiving unexpected kindness

• Having a deep breath or sigh that feels nourishing

• Experiencing the affection of an animal

• Waking up perfectly rested

• Experiencing the warmth of the sun on your skin

These glimmers temporarily calm the nervous system.  They can happen randomly or you can intentionally invite them through mindfulness and grounding exercises.  It’s not always that easy though and you may experience blocks allowing glimmers.  Complex trauma and childhood trauma in particular, can make receiving glimmers substantially challenging.  If you have a history of childhood trauma in the family you grew up in, it may even feel unsafe to allow yourself to experience glimmers.  It’s common for trauma survivors to feel safer in hypervigilance and stress and to feel unsafe and uncomfortable in relaxation.  

Allowing yourself to appreciate and receive the positive feelings that glimmers bring is a part of healing trauma.  It helps teach your nervous system that it’s okay to rest and let your guard down.  It gives your nervous system permission to heal.

Healing your trauma allows glimmers to get bigger and last longer.  Glimmers turn into moments of hope.   Healing your trauma will shift these tiny moments into lived realities.  Maybe you can have the kind of love in your life that you want.  Maybe you can feel secure in a sense of loving family.   Maybe you can have authentic and meaningful connections with others. Maybe these things can be accessible to you.  Deep down, many childhood trauma survivors don’t believe that they can actually have what they really want: love, trust, and connection.  The kind of love that makes them relax and feel safe.  This can be romantic love, love for a child, or platonic love for friends and community.   Practicing noticing and receiving glimmers can help you heal your trauma.  It can help you buffer the impact of trauma triggers when they occur.  Trauma healing isn’t just about reducing suffering and feeling better, it’s about creating more meaning, love, and connection for yourself.

I am a therapist specializing in childhood trauma.  I understand how complex and deep this kind of trauma goes.  It’s not a simple thing and the journey to healing isn’t always clear.  I find that I often need to remind my clients that it’s okay for them to focus on themselves.  It’s okay to get professional support and invest in your wellbeing.  This is the kind of work I love to do.  Even if you feel nervous or vulnerable about starting therapy, know that I am here to support you in that.  It’s my job in therapy to create structure and a container that will help you feel secure in talking about things that feel scary and potentially overwhelming to unearth.  There are many gifts on the other side of trauma therapy and I can help you get there.

The first step to working together is to schedule a free 20 minute consultation.  Investing your time, money, and emotional energy into therapy or coaching is a big deal.  It’s an investment in yourself and your wellbeing.  It’s important that you make this investment with trust and confidence that working together is a good fit.  This is why I offer a free 20 minute consultation.  During this time we can identify your needs and answer any questions that you have about working together. 

Hanna Woody is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Asheville, North Carolina.  She has over 12 years of professional counseling experience and specializes in breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma, childhood trauma, and the Enneagram.  Certified in the Embodiment Tradition, she has over 150 hours of training and teaching experience.  Hanna is in private practice and provides online mental health therapy, Enneagram coaching, and Enneagram training.

Therapy in Asheville, Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and all North Carolina regions. 

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