Have you ever wondered…

“Is this ascension… or am I actually falling apart?”

That question is more common than you might think.

You’re feeling overwhelmed. Maybe your heart is racing. Your body aches. You’re crying for no reason. Or your dreams are so vivid they linger for days.

You want to believe it’s part of your awakening.
You’ve read about LightBody activations, downloads, timeline collapses.
And yet—something feels deeper. Raw. Personal.

So you ask:

“Is this an energetic upgrade…
or is it something I haven’t healed yet?”

The truth?

It might be both.
And that’s exactly why discernment matters.

What We Often Get Wrong

In spiritual spaces, we’re sometimes too quick to label everything as ascension.

But discomfort doesn’t always equal progress.
And pain doesn’t always mean purification.

Sometimes, the body isn’t clearing energy.
It’s asking to be seen.

And while ascension symptoms are real, so is trauma. And trauma doesn’t vanish just because we’ve awakened.

In fact, awakening often activates it.

Let’s Define the Two

What Are Ascension Symptoms?

Ascension symptoms are physical, emotional, and energetic shifts that occur as your consciousness expands and your body begins holding more light.

They can include:

• Head pressure or tingling (especially crown or third eye)
• Emotional waves with no clear trigger
• Heightened sensitivity to energy, sound, or light
• Temporary fatigue, dizziness, or sleep changes
• Moments of euphoria or connection followed by deep stillness
• Feeling disconnected from “reality” or time

Ascension symptoms tend to come in waves, clear faster, and are often accompanied by a subtle feeling of soul recognition—even if the body is uncomfortable.

You might think:

“This is strange… but I somehow know it’s okay.”

What Is Unresolved Trauma?

Unresolved trauma is unprocessed pain from past experiences—this life or another—that remains locked in the body or nervous system.

It can include:

• Emotional flashbacks or intense reactions to small triggers
• Anxiety, fear, or hypervigilance without explanation
• Physical tightness or chronic pain in certain areas
• Feelings of unworthiness, abandonment, or despair
• Cyclical emotional patterns that don’t shift, even with spiritual work

Unlike ascension symptoms, trauma tends to be repetitive, deeply patterned, and often rooted in a story the body still believes.

You might think:

“This feels old, heavy, or too much to carry.”

Why They’re Easy to Confuse

Because they live in the same space: your body.

Your body holds memory—both sacred and wounded.
So when energy moves (as it often does during awakening), both light and shadow rise.

The trick isn’t to judge one as good and one as bad.

It’s to ask: What does this moment need from me?

Do I need to expand… or soothe?
Witness… or integrate?
Float… or ground?

How to Tell the Difference

Ask yourself gently:

1. Does this feel like something is leaving… or returning?
2. Ascension often clears; trauma often resurfaces.
3. Is this a new sensation… or an old story playing again?
4. Ascension introduces change, trauma repeats patterns.
5. Do I feel curious… or afraid?
6. Ascension tends to inspire; trauma tends to contract.
7. Does this feel connected to something I’ve read, learned, or spiritually expected… or does it feel deeply personal and emotional?
8. Do I feel better after letting it move… or more stuck?

Trust your body. It speaks clearly when you listen with neutrality.

What to Do When You’re Not Sure

It’s okay to not know right away.
Healing and ascension are not separate paths; they weave through each other.

But here are ways to support both:

Ground First

When you don’t know what you’re feeling—anchor into what is real.

Breathe. Touch your skin. Drink water.
Name 5 things you see. 4 you can touch. 3 you hear. 2 you smell. 1 you feel inside.

Let the Emotion Speak

Ask:

“What are you here to show me?”
Write what comes without editing. Let the emotion finish its sentence.

Use Flower Essences to Discern and Support

• Cerato – to strengthen inner guidance
• Star of Bethlehem – for unresolved trauma or spiritual shock
• Walnut – to ease the transition between energetic shifts

Support the Nervous System

• Kali Phos – for nervous exhaustion (ascension or trauma-based)
• Nat Mur – for grief that won’t express
• Mag Phos – for emotional tension in the body

And If You Need Help Navigating It

You don’t have to decode this alone.

In my remote healing sessions, I attune to your field—not to label your experience, but to gently uncover:

• What your body is holding
• What your soul is shifting
• And how the two are interacting right now

Sometimes it’s an upgrade.
Sometimes it’s a release.
Sometimes… it’s both.

Either way, your process is sacred.

You are not doing this wrong.
You are not broken because you still hurt.
And you are not imagining your awakening.

This path is not linear.
It is not clean.
It is not always love and light.

But it is always—always—bringing you back to wholeness.

Sending you lots of love and high vibrations 

~Anna Merkaba – Distant Energy Healer- Channeler – Lightworker. 

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