✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

✨Be the first to know when my book is published - From Trauma Survivor to Soul Warrior: Reconnect to Your True Self.✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/from-trauma-survivor-to-soul-warrior

Healing is always possible. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible because love is what heals — and love is what we are at our core. When we can access that deeper part of ourselves, that higher vibration of love, it begins to shift the stuck energy that trauma leaves behind.

I see trauma as energy that was too overwhelming to process at the time, so it gets stored in the body, the heart, the mind. That stuckness can cast long shadows, sometimes for years. Shadow work isn’t about fighting the shadow itself, it’s about meeting and transforming the energy that creates it.

Light always dissolves dark, and love always transmutes fear. When we open up those hidden places within us — often slowly, carefully, with support we trust — the shift happens. Each layer we heal creates more space, more stillness, and more connection to the truth of who we are.

At our essence, we are not the dark, we are the spark of the divine — eternal soul, infinite love — having this human experience. And nothing can destroy that. That’s why I believe healing is always possible.

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

✨Be the first to know when my book is published - From Trauma Survivor to Soul Warrior: Reconnect to Your True Self.✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/from-trauma-survivor-to-soul-warrior

I wanted to share a reflection on this polarity we all carry — the pull to be an individual, standing on our own two feet, and the deep desire to belong, to be in union and connection with others.

On a soul level, both of these exist within us. The feminine aspect longs for union, belonging, and returning to oneness. The masculine aspect seeks individuation — to know ourselves as a unique, creative drop in the ocean of the divine.

It can feel like a tension, but it’s really a dance between two essential forces. Both are part of our wholeness, and both belong.

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

✨Be the first to know when my book is published - From Trauma Survivor to Soul Warrior: Reconnect to Your True Self.✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/from-trauma-survivor-to-soul-warrior

In this video, I want to talk about trauma reactions that move inward—what I call the inverted ones.

We often hear about fight and flight, which are the outward expressions. But freeze and please are more inward, and I’ve noticed over the years that stronger people, those with more capacity to take responsibility for themselves, often lean on these strategies.

Both freeze and please are survival strategies, and both can follow us into adulthood, showing up as hiding away, difficulty setting boundaries, or always putting others first.

Understanding these patterns is powerful, because it helps us see how our trauma responses developed and how they may still be playing out today. And most importantly, it’s worth remembering: these inward reactions, as tough as they are, come from a place of enormous strength.

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

You’ve probably heard of fight, flight, freeze, please. The first two – fight and flight – are outward, automatic responses. We don’t choose them; they’re our subconscious body–mind going on autopilot, trying to protect us.

The problem is, these reactions can be completely out of proportion to what’s actually happening now. When we’re triggered, we can be pulled back to an early trauma, and all that old energy comes rushing out in the present. In fight mode, that might look like rage or attack – even directed at someone who’s innocent. In flight mode, it might be ghosting, running, leaving situations or even whole relationships.

These reactions are primitive survival strategies, but left unchecked they can be so damaging – to our relationships, our work, and our lives. That’s why doing the inner work matters. When we start clearing the underlying energy, we have more choice, more control, and gradually those automatic reactions ease and heal.

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

In this video I talk about your power to heal, and how important it is to trust in that ability. Our power to heal doesn’t come from the small, separated self. Healing is love dissolving fear, the greater self subsuming the contracted parts of us that are stuck in trauma.

When we’ve been through abuse, neglect, criticism, or any difficult experience, what remains is residue, that stuck energy. Therapy is about bringing the loving, gentle awareness of our greater self, our soul, to those wounded parts. As adults, we already have resources, wisdom, and love that we didn’t have as children. And when we open to our soul, we have even more light to bring to those darkened places.

Your ability to heal is built into who you are. You are an eternal child of the Divine, nothing can change or destroy that. Don’t underestimate your strength, courage, wisdom, and love. No part of you is beyond healing. With the right support, with love, all things are possible.

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

Commission vs. Omission Trauma: Understanding the Two Types of Childhood Trauma and Their Lasting Impact

You’re a mighty soul having this human adventure. Along the way, we can pick up a lot of traumatic residue, and that’s what I’m here to help with. I’m a psychotherapist, psychologist, and Clinical Hypnotherapist, and my life’s work has been helping people through significant difficulties—usually childhood trauma, but plenty of adult trauma too.

Trauma comes in two forms: overt (getting what we don’t need, like being attacked or criticised) and covert (not getting what we do need, like love, attention, and support). Overt trauma is more obvious; covert trauma is hidden and can leave deep, invisible wounds.

We often start healing with the obvious trauma before uncovering the hidden patterns. I cover all this in my upcoming book From Trauma Survivor to Soul Warrior, out late 2025. Add your name to the list to be the first to know - https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/from-trauma-survivor-to-soul-warrior

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

As we go through these times of change and transition, anything stuck inside us — anything unprocessed — is going to feel heavier than ever.

Trauma is stuck energy, stuck life experience that hasn’t moved through. It weighs us down like a heavy ballast. And if we’re not clearing it, we’ll feel the burden of it even more.

A lot of trauma is invisible. Childhood trauma especially can be really deep, really buried — things we had to push down just to survive. That doesn’t mean it’s not having an impact. It just means we’re incredibly creative and powerful at surviving. But surviving and healing are two different things.

These unresolved experiences live on in our body-mind — in our subconscious, in our emotions, even in our cells. They show up as symptoms: anxiety, depression, rage, people-pleasing, withdrawal, ADHD, addictions.

We need our therapy, our hypnotherapy, our inner work, our kinesiology, our breathwork — whatever helps unjam the energy and move it through. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. Life gets freer and better when we clear the ballast.

So if you haven’t started that deeper work yet — now’s the time. It’s never been more important.

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.

✨Download The Soul Warrior’s Journey - a Free Roadmap & Hypnotherapy Session✨ https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/The-Soul-Warriors-Journey-Through-Childhood-Trauma-to-Transformation

Over the past few weeks we’ve explored the roots and trunk of healing, and now we’re moving into the branches – the stage where we connect with spirituality.

By this point, much of the heavy emotional work has been done. We’ve processed old pain, created space within ourselves, and gained deeper understanding. But without a spiritual perspective, it can feel like we’ve hit a ceiling – freer, yet still questioning why things happened.

Branch-level healing helps us find meaning and purpose in our experiences. It’s where we start unwrapping the hidden gifts that trauma leaves behind – resilience, courage, compassion, and wisdom. Many people reach a place where they transform their pain into service, becoming more loving, empathetic, and strong.

This stage can even open up deeper conversations about forgiveness and the bigger picture of life. From a soul perspective, what happened doesn’t define or diminish who we truly are – instead, it becomes part of our growth and evolution.

James Hands Holistic Psychologist Spiritual Hypnotherapist Author and creator of Awaken Therapy https://www.awakentherapy.com.au/

Disclaimer: this episode is for education and information purposes only. It does not constitute individual advice and the information contained may not be applicable or appropriate for everyone. If you need support, consider seeking individualised support from a qualified health professional.