Trauma is a word we hear often these days. In the last few years, we have become more open to saying that we have experienced trauma and how we deal with the impact of it. COVID-19 also brought to the forefront the impact of such events. The pandemic caused new trauma and also stirred up old ones, forcing all of it to come up to the surface.

The Difference in Experience

When the sudden lockdown happened, many of us felt scared, isolated, like we had no power, and even hopeless. We all know at least one person whose behavior became so “unlike them” that we perhaps questioned their sanity. That behavior is a psychological and emotional response to the sudden and distressing event of 2020.

Trauma can result from a single event or from ongoing, repeated experiences. Gabor Maté says that “trauma is not what happens to you. It’s what happens inside of you, as a result of what happens to you.”

That’s because not all of us have the same experience. A support system offers the safety needed to integrate the experience and lessens the impact of the event. In absence of that, the individual may feel alone, isolated, uncertain about the predictability and safety of their environment. This psychological and emotional response can have long-lasting impacts on an individual’s mental and physical health, especially in the case of ongoing experiences.

Using Yoga in Trauma Recovery

Yoga can be incredibly powerful tool, primarily to help balance an unregulated nervous system. It is an ancient practice which combines physical postures with breathing techniques to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and help manage physical pain. Because trauma is stored in the body, moving through yoga postures can be an accessible tool for survivors to bring awareness back to their own body and mind, and start to integrate the traumatic experience.

Some of the consequences are the excessive focus outward, constantly scanning the environment, or inability to notice or process sensations. At the same time, breathing is often affected and it becomes more shallow, characterized usually by short chest breathing. Practicing yoga in a safe space offers participants the opportunity to re-engage in a safe way with their body and their breath.

Yoga can also create a sense of belonging. Whether practicing in a group or private setting, being with others and receiving the support from a qualified professional also increases the ability of participants to co-regulate, to feel seen, and connected.

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga vs Trauma-Informed

Often times, we find these two terms used interchangeably. However, they are not always the same thing.

Establishing safety is the first step in trauma recovery. Trauma informed many times means exactly that: that the practitioner understand trauma, how it affects the body, how it may show up on the mat, and how to create a safe space in which survivors can re-learn skills to reconnect with their bodies.

Sometimes that is enough for the participant to take the initial step.

An evidence-based practice

However, if you are looking for an adjunct treatment designed specifically for complex trauma and PTSD, then look into trauma-sensitive yoga, and more specifically Trauma-Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga or TCTSY. TCTSY takes the practice of yoga in recovery a step further. That’s because it is an evidence-based modality and a clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It is a modality that has been studied and shown to effectively reduce the symptoms of PSTD to the point that in this study 52% of participants no longer qualified for the diagnosis after 10 weeks of practice. In 2021 a study showed that the practice of TCTSY yielded quicker symptom improvement, higher participant retention, and an equally sustained effect compared to CPT (cognitive processing therapy).

TCTSY also qualified for inclusion in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), a database published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Choosing to work or learn with someone who is trauma informed or trauma sensitive depends on your specific needs. Often times it comes down to fit and whether you feel safe and can build trust with the practitioner. So ask your questions and trust your gut. There is always someone that matches your needs and the most important thing is that you are taking that step.