No intervention that takes power away from the survivor can possibly foster their recovery, no matter how much it appears to be in their own best interests.

- Judith Herman MD - Trauma and Recovery

Origin

Developed at the Trauma Center in Brookline, Massachusetts, Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is an empirically validated, clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  The TCTSY program earned inclusion in the National Registry of Evidence–based Programs and Practices (NREPP) data base published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the United States. In addition to yoga, TCTSY has foundations in Trauma Theory, Attachment Theory and Neuroscience.

Approach

The TCTSY methodology is based on central components of the Hatha style of yoga, where participants engage in a series of physical forms and movements.  Elements of traditional Hatha yoga are modified to build trauma survivors’ experiences of empowerment, and cultivate a more positive relationship to one’s body. TCTSY does not use physical, hands-on adjustments to influence a participant’s physical form. Rather, TCTSY, presents opportunities for participants to be in charge of themselves based on a felt sense of their own body.

Although TCTSY employs physical forms and movements, the emphasis is not on the external or appearance (i.e. doing it “right”), or receiving the approval of an external authority. Rather, the focus is on the internal experience of the participant. This shift in orientation, from the external to the internal, is a key attribute of TCTSY as a complementary treatment for complex trauma.  

With this approach, the power resides within the individual, not the TCTSY facilitator. Further, by focusing on the felt sense of the body to inform choice-making, TCTSY enables participants to restore their connection of mind and body and cultivate a sense of agency that may be compromised as a result of trauma. 

To bring awareness to present moment ‘felt’ experiences, the facilitator can offer to guide the client through interoceptive forms such as moving an arm up and down and asking the client to possibly notice sensation. It is about “purposeful attention with the object of mindfulness being the body experience.” It is not about ascribing meaning to the body experience, but rather noticing the experience of the moment and choosing what to do once it is felt. The approach offers bottom up processing rather than a top down cognitive approach, recognizing that the body can also hold memory. This technique allows “greater capacity for emotional regulation, interoceptive awareness and self-acceptance, and may facilitate deeper interpersonal connection.”

The core elements of the TCTSY model set the foundation for a practice in support of empowering survivors to foster recovery:

Invitational language

Choice making

Interoception

Shared Authentic Experience

Non-coercion

*Text Source traumasensitiveyoga.com