RAIN (You MUST step back into Trauma)

 

These are the steps in RAIN:

• Recognize: Recognize the feelings of stress in the body. See if you can point to the specific area where you feel it most intensely. See if you can name it with an emotion like anger, sadness, fear, disgust.
• Allow: Allow that feeling to be there, just as it is, without trying to change it.
• Investigate: Ask yourself, what’s the worst part of this? What is it that I’m believing to be true about myself right now? What’s the worst part of this?
• Nurture: Ask yourself what it is that you need most right now and offer that to yourself.

Something special happens when you experience stress and do not immediately try to cope with it. Rather than moving forward in the Cycle of Trauma to Coping and Self Attack, you take one step back. You step back into Trauma.

AP

This is an incredibly thoughtful explanation of the 4-step RAIN mindfulness meditation method for working with psychological suffering and disarming traumatic stress triggers.

So often our reaction when intense waves of anger, sadness, shame etc surface inwardly or outwardly is immediately reaching for escape or coping mechanisms without first slowing down to compassionately attend to the distressed parts calling for care.

Rather than rushing into addictive distractions or numbness only compounding the pain long run, RAIN offers wisdom - pause, recognize exactly what feelings arise and what beliefs get triggered by them. Meet their temporarily perceived reality with care.

Only then from a settled place can we nurture deepest needs and provide reassurance to triggered places still expecting punishment or rejection rather than Self kindness. Healing happen through tears cradled not avoided. Which in turn prevents additional self attack when we do seek distraction or self soothing.

By not instantly fighting against feelings but instead gently turning towards them first, we compassionately digest trauma still asking to complete its cycles from long ago. In time by fully allowing past pain, we move through instead of perpetually from it. Thank you for sharing these clarifying, compassion building steps!