This short post concerns a specific metaphor that those affected by trauma may find helpful. The metaphor of an hourglass is sometimes used to refer to life and the passage of time. For PTSD, complex PTSD (c-PTSD), and other trauma-based states of being, the metaphor may operate quite differently to help us better understand the experience of living with these conditions.
Imagine an hourglass standing upright, with the bottom representing past experiences and the top symbolizing future experiences. In the middle lies the present moment, where the sand is continuously flowing.
It is often said that we should “live in the moment,” emphasizing the significance of staying grounded in the present. However, for individuals with PTSD, c-PTSD, and other trauma-based conditions, it is helpful to consider that there isn’t just one hourglass representing a chronological experience of time. There are multiple hourglasses. In these additional hourglasses, the sand has become stuck in the middle. These may represent memories or, particularly for c-PTSD, emotions, and even physical states.
These ‘stuck’ hourglasses may also represent different parts of ourselves that may feel separated or disconnected, a concept explored in therapies such as the Internal Family Systems model. In certain moments – triggered by external events or internal states – the person is drawn into the middle of one of these alternative hourglasses.
So people with PTSD and related conditions are ‘in the moment’, just not always the present chronological moment. Instead, they find themselves drawn into an alternative psychological or emotional moment in time, caught in a parallel hourglass where the sand remains stuck.
To recover from trauma, it is necessary to address these multiple hourglasses. This involves a mindful and compassionate process of understanding the hourglasses that we find ourselves in and, through recovery, encouraging the flow of sand within them thorough physical, emotional and cognitive approaches.
Humanistic Systems 