Songs that connect us to our feelings / trauma

[johnram]

Hi all,

I have a lot of songs that connect me to my trauma, as a means of helping me get into processing.  Some bring up sadness, some bring up anger, some bring up loneliness - but i see it as processing as i am blocked off.

Here are some of mine:

- i will survive by gloria gaynor
- Nothing else matters (metallica)
- Concrete Angle (Martina McBride)
- It shouldnt hurt to be a child (very triggering) - unsure of writter
- I dont care by Apocalyptica

keen to see what others have also?
thanks

[Blackbird33]

In the blood by John mayer
Daddy by coldplay
My immortal by evanescence
Because of you by Kelly clarkson

[Joon]

I have two playlists for this, one with songs relating to my trauma and one for uplifting songs.

some of my favs from each category are:
je vole - Louane
back to school - Mother Mother
the family jewels - Marina and the Diamonds
the water - Hurts (not really dirctly about Trauma i think but I interpret it to describe the experience of living with (C-)PTSD
No need to argue - the Cramberries
Numb - Linkin Park

Tomorrow from the Annie Musical
survivor - Destiny's Child
stronger - Britney Spears

[Papa Coco]

- Tomorrow will be Kinder - The Secret Sisters
- I Can See Clearly Now (the Rain is Gone) - Jimmy Cliff
- Tubthumping (I get knocked down, but I get up again) - Chumbawamba
- Wildflowers - Tom Petty. "Far away from your troubles and worries, you belong somewhere you feel free"

[paul72]

Leonard Cohen - Story of Isaac
Leonard Cohen - Bird on a Wire

[jrzfresh]

Excellent question! Sometimes it feels like rock stars are the only ones who understand. The ones that get me the most, just to name a few..
"Change" by Blind Melon
"Ripple" by Grateful Dead
"I'm Goin Down" by Mary J Blige
"The Morning After" by Faith no More
"To Forgive" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Stumbleine" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Soma" by Smashing Pumpkins ("I'll betray myself to anyone lost in our ruse of fools"... omg!! Given me goosebumps for 30 yrs)
"Exit Music" - by Radiohead
"She's leaving Home" by the Beatles
"Estranged" by Guns N' Roses
"The Convo"  by DMX
"Shame in You" - Alice in Chains

[Armee]

I need to download all these and give them a listen. Many I'm not familiar with.

I like the Grass is Blue by Dolly Parton, Wildflowers by Tom Petty, You'll Never Walk Alone performed by Brittany Howard and Chris Martin, and Stuck in a Moment by U2.

And hah now that I read down to others I see Wildflowers also on Papa Cocos list. And I also adore I Can See Clearly Now, which was the song my husband picked out for our wedding.

[colliegrace]

This artist makes a lot of songs about trauma and mental illness. This is one that I relate to heavily.

[NarcKiddo]

"Mary" by Patty Griffin gets me every time. So very, very different from my own mother.

A song that helps me is "Take me to the Mardi Gras" by Paul Simon. I've loved the song since I first heard it but it has been speaking to me more, recently. It contains the lines "Take your burdens to the Mardi Gras; Let the music wash your soul". I've started taking people to the Mardi Gras, metaphorically. If someone has been troubling me (it might be someone I currently know or someone from my past) I imagine going to the Mardi Gras with them and then seeing whether I lose them in the crowd. Sometimes they vanish quite fast with never a backward glance. Sometimes they say goodbye and agree to go. Sometimes they try to hold on to me and I have to give them the slip. Sometimes we hold hands and come out together. My therapist knows I take people to the Mardi Gras but she does not know that I took her to the Mardi Gras quite early in our relationship, when she did something that made me angry. I realised my anger was my trauma surfacing and came out with her to continue our work together. Some people won't even go there with me and that tells its own story.

[Kizzie]

OMG Collie, that should be the theme song for CPTSD/CRTR! I like this one as the theme song for OOTS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFZmT-LRMBM - gives me goosebumps. 

NarcKiddo - that is really interesting way of dealing with people 

[colliegrace]

Song about abusive parents. Might be triggering. But I relate to it.

[Kizzie]

OK Collie, you are officially in charge of the music in this sub-forum lol  Just kidding.  This song is definitely relatable.   The line "How could you?" says it all IMO.

[colliegrace]

Thank you

Here is one I just found from the first artist I shared, he has a lot of really good ones. This one is a snippet for the time being, looking forward to the whole song

[Kizzie]

In a word, wow.  He's fierce (good thing IMO), I can only imagine being his therapist.

So true isn't it? Vulnerability takes courage, for many people really, but for those us who were abused more when we were vulnerable it can be terrifying. 

[Moondance]

Wow is right on this last song shared. Goosebumps - there is nothing stopping him from being vulnerable. 

Thank you for sharing.