Trauma can beget trauma and traumatised people can go on to traumatise

Jan Normanton • February 9, 2025

Read on or tune in as this may not be as it seems and know it is possible to heal from trauma and lead a beautiful life

Listen to this article

click to watch this article
If you are stressed, consider somatic massage or somatic coaching and know that your body has a whole set of inbuilt ways to help you manage your inner states.

You may have heard the expression trauma begets trauma and that traumatised people go on to traumatise.


While to my knowledge, I’ve never traumatised anybody else, on purpose or inadvertently, I certainly know that I’ve re traumatised myself…. through the very coping strategies that I employed when I didn’t know any better, back in my 20s and 30s, to support myself with my original childhood traumas. I hasten to add that this was inadvertent -  I didn’t know any better.


So my strategies to support myself included being a functional alcoholic, taking drugs, practising dangerous behaviours, overeating, any opportunity to avoid myself, to self abandon, to leave my body, to move into my head - that was another really good coping strategy of being a workaholic as well.


I employed these because I didn’t know any better  and in the last 20 years I’ve learned better. I’ve learned how to manage my own traumas, to support myself in healthier ways and to move away from that strategy of self abandonment. 


I’ve come home to myself and learned that over many years with many practices.


I share this message twofold – one, to let you know that our coping strategies can sometimes not be the best for us and that’s through no fault of our own. Until we know differently, then we can then do differently and we do the same until we do know differently;  however to know that sometimes the strategies we employ to protect ourselves from traumas can create more trauma.


And secondly, to let you know that it is fully possible to recover totally from trauma. I’m still on my healing journey (our healing journey lasts a lifetime);  however I’m in a fantastic place these days!  I’m helping myself, I’ve helped myself monumentally, and I help others.


I help so many people with my somatic massage and with my somatic coaching practices. So if this resonates at all, if you’d like to have a conversation as to how I can help you with your traumas and support you to become the best version of yourself that you feel you may not be right now, then drop me a line and we can have a chat. I hope this has been helpful.

By janetnormanton March 19, 2026
Learn what you will gain from Soma Massage training, from practical techniques to deep self-connection, presence, and creating safe, client-centred healing spaces.
By janetnormanton March 16, 2026
Discover the power of co-regulation and Soma massage. Learn how holding space, deep listening, and presence can support true self-healing and emotional connection.
By janetnormanton March 11, 2026
Discover the Soma Massage Method, a two day somatic bodywork training in Lancashire. Learn nervous system regulation, deepen your practice, and support clients beyond standard massage.
By janetnormanton February 24, 2026
Learn what trauma sensitive really means in The Soma Massage Method™. Discover how trauma informed bodywork supports nervous system regulation, client safety and ethical practice without stepping into trauma therapy.
By janetnormanton February 4, 2026
Discover why traditional massage techniques aren’t enough in today’s therapeutic landscape. Learn how The Soma Massage Method™ helps therapists create safer, more embodied, client-centred sessions that lead to lasting results.
By janetnormanton January 15, 2026
Explore what it means to be an embodied therapist and why presence, not technique, is the key to truly transformative bodywork. Learn how The SOMA Massage Method™ helps therapists connect with themselves and their clients for deeper healing.
Emotional Healing Starts with Safety
By janetnormanton January 9, 2026
Discover why true emotional healing starts with feeling safe in your body. Learn how chronic stress affects your nervous system and how practices like Soma Massage can support deep, body-based healing and recovery.
The Massage That Moves More Than Muscles
By janetnormanton December 31, 2025
Trauma and stress aren't matter in the muscles; it’s physiology imprinted in the nervous system.
Soma massage - a powerful antidote to the hurriedness of life.
By Jan Normanton December 10, 2025
SOMA Massage is a powerful antidote to the hurriedness of life. It offers a space where anxiety, stress, and overwhelm can dissolve, where you can simply be yourself, free from expectations
Understanding the Nervous System: Beyond Rest and Digest
By Jan Normanton October 26, 2025
A resilient, robust nervous system is key to healing and wellbeing, allowing you to manage life's challenges effectively while enjoying periods of deep relaxation.
Show More