Flowers in the Dark:Reclaiming Your Power to Heal from Trauma with Mindfulness

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After a long day working on a project on the coast south of San Francisco, I check into the Harbor View Inn. Like any tribe, there’s immediate shared knowledge among patients here, a sense of family almost, but also solitary and separate.

Every time we’re in touch with the experience of suffering, we believe we can’t bear it, and so we stuff our feelings and memories deep down in our unconscious mind. When I was at my sickest, I received nutrition through a tube that went straight into a nozzle in my torso. Mindfulness is a miracle because it enables us to behold ourselves and our lives as if we are witnessing the blossoming of a flower for the very first time. The practice of meditation is not meant to be a substitute for therapy with trained professionals, but if followed correctly, this path transforms suffering into true peace, happiness, and freedom.The criminal justice system can address only limited aspects of individual and community healing, and assault victims frequently find such procedures retraumatizing. While Nghiem’s techniques can be valuable to anyone seeking personal growth or comfort for pain, those who have experienced severe traumas will find those treated here with sensitivity and compassion, and may find reasons to hope. The Five Strengths work in sequence: trusting in ourselves and the healing process empowers us to take action, which in turn makes it possible to be mindful. Even if you haven’t experienced any overt trauma, the pandemic has had an impact on our mental well-being, a subtle source of trauma that this book can help heal.

As an invitation to explore further, we’ll look at the how five main Buddhist precepts support healing from trauma, as expressed in Plum Village’s Five Mindfulness Trainings—Reverence for Life, True Happiness, True Love, Loving Speech and Deep Listening, and Nourishment and Healing—and the basic practices of mindful breathing, sitting, walking, and even eating. Admittedly, I was not enthusiastic at the prospect since I was already quite tired after a long day at the retreat, but out of a sense of gratitude to our hosts, I still showed up. Thay has taught, “The only way for you to transform the pain as a victim of sexual abuse, is to become a bodhisattva. It’s a place you need to simply endure, trusting that eventually you’ll get back to the surface where you can look around and think of what you need to do next.There is so little we can do to change people’s actual symptoms, but by now I know my job: just don’t let their perception of deep isolation become true. She doesn't shy away from uncomfortable topics, so read at your own pace and take breaks when you need to.

The day after the Pope’s Mass, my brothers and I were eating bad cafeteria food at the hospital when we got word that Dad wanted to meet with us.

Of course, not everyone who was abused will aspire to become a bodhisattva or even a spiritually oriented person, but this teaching can help anyone to take a step on a path of compassion, starting with self-compassion toward their inner child and radiating outward in their speech, thoughts, and actions toward others. Our aspiration is to contribute to collective insight and awakening, bringing about a more joyful, healthy, and compassionate society. Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddha's Brain Learn the accessible and deeply compassionate practices for healing trauma, known as the Five Strengths of applied Zen Buddhism.