Trauma: Becoming More Than What Hurt You
A Functional, Meaning-Oriented, and Integrative Approach to Recovery
Written by Gio Arcuri, OT, MSc
Mental Health Occupational Therapist
Course Lecturer, McGill University
Fonder of Clinique Vivago
Trauma care at Vivago is not about staying close to pain — it is about reclaiming authorship over your life.
Trauma Care at Vivago
Trauma can profoundly shape how a person feels, reacts, and navigates the world. Yet many trauma-informed approaches unintentionally keep people anchored to what happened, reinforcing an identity organized around survival.
At Clinique Vivago, we take a different stance.
We understand trauma as a disruption of regulation, meaning, and agency, not as a permanent identity. Our work goes beyond symptom management. It is oriented toward becoming: supporting people in reconnecting with what they can do, who they can be, and how they want to live — even after profound adversity.
What Is Trauma? A Modern, Neuroscience-Informed Definition
Contemporary trauma science has moved beyond event-based definitions.
Trauma is now understood as what happens inside the nervous system when an experience overwhelms a person’s capacity to:
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respond effectively
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integrate what is happening
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return to a state of safety
This can result from:
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a single acute event
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repeated or chronic exposure to threat
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emotional neglect or invalidation
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medical or relational trauma
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loss of identity, meaning, or safety
What makes an experience traumatic is not its objective severity, but the absence of sufficient internal or external resources at the time it occurs.
Neuroscience shows that trauma alters:
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autonomic nervous system regulation
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threat detection and attention
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emotional processing
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bodily awareness and interoception
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sense of self and continuity over time
Trauma is therefore not stored only as memory, but as patterns of perception, bodily response, behavior, and meaning-making.
Key references
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van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score.
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McFarlane, A. C., et al. (2020). The Lancet Psychiatry.
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Porges, S. (2021). Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety.
Trauma Responses Are Survival Adaptations — Not Pathology
From a neurobiological perspective, trauma responses are adaptive strategies, not dysfunctions.
Hypervigilance, dissociation, emotional numbing, control, or avoidance are intelligent responses to environments where safety was compromised. The nervous system learned to protect.
The problem is not that these strategies exist.
It is that they persist long after the danger has passed.
Trauma recovery is therefore not about “fixing” a broken person. It is about:
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restoring flexibility
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updating threat responses
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expanding choice
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rebuilding agency
This reframing alone can be deeply relieving for many people.
Key references
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Cloitre et al. (2020). International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Guidelines.
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Herman, J. (2015). Trauma and Recovery.
You Are Not Your Trauma
One of the most limiting narratives in trauma care is the idea that healing requires constant proximity to pain.
While acknowledging the past is sometimes necessary, living permanently in reference to trauma can freeze identity.
At Vivago, we are explicit:
Trauma may influence how someone reacts or protects themselves — but it does not define who they are, nor who they can become.
When care is organized exclusively around:
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what happened
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what hurts
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what is broken
it risks reinforcing a trauma-centered self-concept.
Our approach insists on something else:
people are always more than what hurt them.
Moving Beyond Symptom Fixation
Many trauma survivors become trapped in cycles of:
• monitoring internal states
• managing symptoms
• scanning for triggers
• trying to feel “better”
Symptom relief matters — but it is not a sufficient horizon for recovery.
Research increasingly shows that function, participation, and meaning are critical predictors of long-term recovery and well-being (WHO, 2022).
At Vivago, we intentionally shift the focus from:
“How do I feel right now?”
to:
“Who do I want to be, and what kind of life do I want to live?”
This does not bypass pain.
It re-contexts it within a larger, future-oriented frame.
Learn more about "Understanding Occupational Therapy in Mental Health” and functional recovery vs symptom reduction in mental health rehabilitation.
The Hoped-For Self: A Future-Oriented Anchor in Trauma Recovery
A central concept in our trauma work is the hoped-for self.
Rather than organizing care solely around trauma history, we work with people to clarify:
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what they want to be able to do again
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how they want to show up in relationships
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what gives life meaning or direction
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what values they want to embody
This future-oriented anchor allows recovery to be structured around possibility rather than injury.
Trauma care becomes not just about surviving less painfully, but about reclaiming authorship over one’s life.
Key references
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Southwick et al. (2014). Resilience and Mental Health.
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WHO (2022). Guidelines on mental health at work.
Integrative Zen Psychology: Meaning, Perception, and Freedom
At Vivago, we are privileged to work with Anthony Carzedda, whose work in integrative Zen psychology meaningfully informs our trauma care.
This approach draws from:
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Zen-based psychological inquiry
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contemporary neuroscience
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depth-oriented clinical practice
Integrative Zen psychology explores how:
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consciousness constructs experience
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perception becomes rigid under threat
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suffering persists through fixed interpretations
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freedom emerges when awareness expands
Anthony Carzedda, psychologist at Clinique Vivago, describes the process of integrative zen psychology with clarity and depth:
“From emptiness, matter is born,
and it is the gaze that gives it meaning.
Yet in doing so, it becomes imprisoned in ignorance.
It is at the cost of countless pains
that freedom can be attained,
and that death becomes life.”
In trauma work, this perspective helps people recognize how meaning is constructed, not just what happened. Rather than reinforcing a trauma-based identity, it invites a loosening of rigid narratives and a return to presence, agency, and freedom.
This is not spiritual bypassing.
It is clinically rigorous depth work, used when appropriate, within a professional healthcare framework.
The Hoped-For Self: A Future-Oriented Anchor in Trauma Recovery
A central concept in our trauma work is the hoped-for self.
Rather than organizing care solely around trauma history, we work with people to clarify:
-
what they want to be able to do again
-
how they want to show up in relationships
-
what gives life meaning or direction
-
what values they want to embody
This future-oriented anchor allows recovery to be structured around possibility rather than injury.
Trauma care becomes not just about surviving less painfully, but about reclaiming authorship over one’s life.
Key references
-
Southwick et al. (2014). Resilience and Mental Health.
-
WHO (2022). Guidelines on mental health at work.
Trauma as a Crisis of Meaning
Beyond fear and dysregulation, trauma often produces a rupture in meaning.
People may experience:
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emptiness or disconnection
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loss of direction
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collapse of identity
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a sense of being frozen in time
Research increasingly recognizes that recovery involves not only regulation, but reconstruction of meaning and identity (Park, 2016).
From this perspective, trauma recovery is not only about calming the nervous system — it is about re-engaging with life.
A Functional, Interdisciplinary Model of Trauma Care
Trauma affects how people live, not just how they feel.
Vivago’s trauma care integrates:
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depth-oriented approaches
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real-life practice and participation
This ensures that healing translates into:
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daily routines
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relationships
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work or school participation
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creativity and engagement
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a renewed sense of self
When Intensity Is Needed: Trauma and Intensive Programs
For some individuals, weekly therapy is not enough — particularly when trauma has shaped:
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daily functioning
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identity
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sense of agency
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capacity to engage with life
In addition to individual therapy, Vivago offers intensive and semi-intensive outpatient trauma programs that provide:
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containment and consistency
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interdisciplinary care
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functional retraining
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psychological depth work
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opportunities to practice new ways of being
Intensity allows the nervous system to learn safety and agency through experience, not insight alone.
Becoming More Than Survival
Trauma care does not have to mean living forever in reference to what hurt you.
With the right conditions, it can become a process of:
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reclaiming authorship
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restoring dignity
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reconnecting with values
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rediscovering vitality
At Vivago, we believe trauma recovery is not about becoming “normal.”
It is about becoming whole — and free to live beyond survival.
Selected References
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Cloitre, M. et al. (2020). ISTSS Guidelines for the Treatment of PTSD.
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McFarlane, A. C. et al. (2020). Trauma and PTSD. The Lancet Psychiatry.
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Porges, S. (2021). Polyvagal Theory.
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Park, C. L. (2016). Meaning-making in trauma. Journal of Clinical Psychology.
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Southwick, S. et al. (2014). Resilience and Mental Health.
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World Health Organization. (2022). Guidelines on mental health and functioning.
FAQ – Trauma & Recovery at Vivago
1. What is trauma, really?
Trauma is not defined only by what happened, but by how the nervous system was impacted. Trauma occurs when an experience overwhelms a person’s capacity to respond, integrate, or return to safety, affecting regulation, identity, and daily functioning.
2. Do I need to relive or retell my trauma to heal?
Not necessarily. While acknowledging past experiences can be helpful, healing does not require repeatedly reliving trauma. At Vivago, we focus on restoring safety, agency, and functioning, rather than keeping people anchored to painful memories.
3. Can trauma affect daily life even years later?
Yes. Trauma can continue to influence energy, emotions, relationships, work, routines, and sense of self long after the original events. These patterns are not signs of weakness, but learned survival adaptations that can be updated over time.
4. What does it mean to be “more than your trauma”?
Being more than your trauma means recognizing that trauma is part of your story, not your identity. Our approach supports people in reconnecting with a hoped-for self — focusing on what they want to do, become, and live toward, rather than organizing life around survival alone.
5. What is integrative Zen psychology and how does it relate to trauma?
Integrative Zen psychology is a depth-oriented clinical approach that explores how perception, meaning, and consciousness shape suffering and freedom. In trauma care, it helps loosen rigid narratives, restore flexibility, and support a more spacious and agentic sense of self. It is used clinically and thoughtfully, not as a spiritual practice.
6. Is trauma treatment only about mental health symptoms?
No. Trauma affects how people live, not just how they feel. That’s why our work also focuses on daily functioning, routines, relationships, work or school participation, and identity — often through occupational therapy and interdisciplinary care.
7. When are intensive trauma programs helpful?
Intensive or semi-intensive outpatient programs can be helpful when trauma significantly impacts daily life, identity, or capacity to function. These programs offer consistency, structure, and interdisciplinary support that allows change to happen through lived experience, not insight alone.