When the Past Lives On
Carrying yesterday into today.
"There is no present or future-only the past, happening over and over again-now."― Eugene O'Neill.
"A thing which has not been understood inevitably reappears; like an unlaid ghost, it cannot rest until the mystery has been resolved and the spell broken."―Sigmund Freud.
Peter A. Levine, PhD, is an American psychologist, biophysicist, and specialist in the study and research of trauma. He explores the emotional burden of our past lives. He highlights how the past can feel like a controlling force, restricting us and making it hard to engage with the present.
When Levine mentions weight, he is not exaggerating. He emphasizes the strength of the past when it isn't resolved. Think of it like carrying an unseen chain. The chain consists of traumas, mistakes, regrets, or old beliefs that keep you from moving ahead. The chain is heavy, and the weight appears as fear of PTSD, phobias, hesitation to trust others, revisiting old conflicts in your mind, and more. The past acts like a dictator, controlling your thinking, feelings, and actions, even if you don't remember it.
He explains how trauma exists not just in our minds but also in our bodies. You may notice yourself reacting to harmless gestures, steering clear of certain situations, or feeling anxious without apparent cause. That is your body recalling something your mind may not remember. The past isn't just behind you. Rather, the past is within you, me, and all of us, affecting our behaviors.
On a broader level, the weight of the past appears in communities and societies. Generational trauma, passed through families or cultural groups, demonstrates how historical pain can influence the present. Groups facing oppression, conflict, or displacement carry emotional and psychological burdens from those events for generations. This shared past can shape identity, hopes, and what feels achievable for the future.
There is much ongoing research on the brain and neurological system and how our personal histories affect them.
However, Levine offers hope. His work suggests we can escape the past; future essays will discuss how to do that.
Marley's ghost comes to mind: "I wear the chain I forged in life." Now the country has chains voluntarily assumed, that appear to carrying 1930's into 2020's. Repetition compulsion on a global scale.. What were the election statistics that put the little corporal in office. What became of the people who did not vote for him? I guess we'll find out.