Whether recent or ancestral, aware or unaware of we’ve all experienced trauma, and we all store some (or a lot) of it in our bodies.
Stored trauma leads to physical and mental issues that negatively affect our lives.
“Trauma is a subjective experience precipitated by life-threatening or life-altering events. It overwhelms the individual and is characterized by a loss of control. Even when the event is over, the trauma experience can continue, producing an altered state of mind that negatively affects a person’s thinking, behavior, and psychological and physiological well-being.” - Brendon Abram
Acute trauma is caused by a one-time event that causes extreme physical and psychological stress. Chronic trauma is an accumulation of traumatic moments that re-occur throughout a person’s life. Vicarious trauma occurs when one becomes a ‘witness’ to the event as a result of close proximity to the trauma survivors.
Trauma survivors are predisposed to dysregulation. The mind-body connection is out of balance. It can feel like you are near your tipping point of tolerance or ability; low-stress tolerance, motivation, focus, and cognitive ability. Other effects include low immunity, impaired communication, and low interoception.
Think of trauma survivors as people living with high levels of stress at a constant rate. Since everything is connected then that also means everything gets disrupted.
‘feeling unsafe.’ Distrust, feeling powerless, shameful, and guilty coupled with a feeling of resisting these feelings brings us to aggression, impulsiveness, and self-harming behavior.
“Yoga helps us with trauma in three main ways, it grounds us into the present moment, it broadens our window of tolerance to regulate the mind-body, it fosters a sense of internal and external connection.” Brendon Abram
I lead trauma-releasing workshops, in which you will learn the basics of how your body stores trauma, and more importantly, how to start releasing it. There is a physical practice that will be adaptable to all levels, sound healing to address specific areas and overall wellness, and information you can take home to continue releasing stored trauma.
Some key takeaways from my recent workshops
When you release ancestral trauma, you not only heal yourself but the generations before and after you. My children were a big reason I started this work.
Trauma is not defined by the experience, but by a person’s response to it
Trauma can be acute, chronic, or both
Connective tissue is key in releasing stress and ultimately trauma
Restorative and Yin poses work with connective tissue in a way that improves flexibility and decreases susceptibility to injury
Upcoming Trauma Releasing Workshops:
Saturday, April 15th - Flower of Life Yoga Center
Saturday, April 29th - Center for Healing and Integration, Westmont
Saturday, May 6th, Yoga By Degrees, Downers Grove
Tuesday, May 16th - The Gathering Lighthouse
Saturday, May 20th - Center for Healing and Integration, Westmont
Small group workshops can address specific needs and will be catered to the concerns of the group - some examples, are grief processing, PTSD, and sexual trauma, survivors.
The group can be all women, men, or any other gender identification, it can be families, professionals (ie first responders, teachers), or a group of friends with a common experience or goal.
If you would like to focus on a particular trauma or demographic in a small group setting, click below ⬇️
If you feel uncomfortable in a group setting, I can work privately with you. Click below to book ⬇️
Trauma is hard, but it doesn't have to rule your life.
Trauma Releasing Yoga © 2023 Ruth (Day) Elliott. All rights reserved. Feel free to share this content, but please provide proper attribution by including a link back to this post and giving credit to me.
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