From Trauma to Inscendence

by Mary C. Coelho, PhD

 

This essay is a deeply personal story about seeking to respond to a strong spiritual invitation and becoming conscious of the hidden reasons that prevented the author from responding fully, particularly a family tragedy that had an enormous spiritual cost.  The essay describes the importance of the great breakthroughs in worldview brought by the new cosmology and the radical discoveries in physics. Coelho describes their importance for human self-understanding and as a foundation for entering the fullness of our being. Given the depth of our belonging revealed by the New Story, we dare to become aware of the consequences of trauma that may be buried in our consciousness, according to Coelho.

After identifying some of the consequences of the tragedy in her infancy, she then describes the way she became conscious of their influence on her daily life. The pathway to freedom from the power of what had been largely unconscious is described. This consciousness and healing opens a door to a spiritual deepening of the person. Upset that her suffering over many years was caused by a random event, Mary briefly explores how our understanding of randomness is changed in the context of the new cosmology.

 

The above water color, An Impeded Stream, is by Mary C. Coelho.