Meditation and mindfulness are two separate activities, although often combined to enhance each other. You can choose to practice one or the other and still achieve the available benefits.
The reason I bring this up is that meditation can sometimes make things worse, instead of better. For instance, when there is a high-shame index, fear of positive emotions, or other trauma related symptoms, up to and including PTSD, then meditation can sometimes be very uncomfortable and trigger anxiety or other undesirable states.
If you have tried to meditate and notice:
Stop Meditating!
It is entirely possible that you could start meditating, without intervention, at a later date. It could also mean that you need outside help, such as therapy, in order to begin the trauma recovery journey. Healing IS possible and you deserve it, so do what you need to do to care for yourself.
Start Mindfulness!
Becoming more mindful can help you a great deal in recovering from trauma. Specifically, Outward Facing Mindfulness is a great activity because it anchors you into the here and now and gets your mind away from ruminating thoughts.
Here is an excellent practice. The only rules are that you simply observe objectively, without judgement:
You can mix this practice up any way you want, like finding five tastes if you are eating a meal or change the sequence. Take your time with this mindfulness activity and do it at any time and often, such as two to three times a day.
After you practice, notice if you feel differently, such as feeling more aware or more anchored in the present moment. There is no right or wrong, just stay aware.
You might notice that sometimes you feel distracted, while other times you will feel more tuned in. That’s okay. Just keep practicing. In time, you will find yourself remaining aware for longer periods throughout the day, with much greater ease.