Holistic Wellness
Addiction & Recovery
ANXIETY is the most common disorder in the US.
SINCE THE PANDEMIC:
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1 in 5 adults struggles with anxiety
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Nearly 1 in 3 — 27.3% — of American adults now struggle with depression and/or anxiety
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1 in 4 kids ages 13-18 suffers from anxiety
Those with untreated generalized anxiety:
• Miss out on important social events
• Are 3 to 5 times more likely to go to the doctor
• May miss school or work
• May engage in substance abuse
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR MENTAL HEALTH?
It can improve the mind-body connection. Yoga emphasizes fostering the mind-body connection, which is important for healing. The mind can want something, but the body can still be braced in hypervigilance. It's essential for full holistic healing to involve both the mind and the body.
It calms the nervous system. Once someone goes through a highly stressful or traumatic event, it can be hard for the nervous system to go back and regulate. Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which signals the body to calm down.
It emphasizes the present. For people who have experienced a stressful event or trauma (including daily life), it can be hard to keep their mind in the here and now instead of on a loop in the past or trying to control the future — both of which can compound stress. Trauma-Sensitive yoga focuses a lot on connection to the present moment. Interoceptive awareness is used to navigate the ability to notice sensations in the body or notice the breath. All of which are happening in real-time.
It helps reclaim a sense of control. When someone experiences stressful events or trauma, their capacity to cope is overwhelmed, often leaving them feeling powerless. Trauma-Sensitive yoga can support a sense of empowerment as participants build self-trust and self-leadership skills.
WHAT IS TRAUMA SENSITIVE YOGA OR TCTSY?
EVIDENCED-BASED TREATMENT FOR COMPLEX TRAUMA AND PTSD, which works for all mental health-related issues that begin as stress or overwhelm.
Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is an empirically validated, clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), supported by more than 10 original, peer-reviewed studies and many more independent analyses.
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TCTSY is based on the Hatha style of yoga. The emphasis on proper technique has nothing to do with form and everything to do with how participants are feeling. The goal of this approach is to provide survivors a safe space to focus on the power of their body to inform decision-making, thereby strengthening their body awareness and fostering a sense of agency. Agency is something that’s often negatively affected by trauma.
THE METHODOLOGY
The TCTSY methodology is based on central components of trauma theory, attachment theory, neuroscience, and yoga philosophy and practice.
Although TCTSY employs physical forms and movements, the focus is on the internal experience of the participant - what the forms feel like instead of what they look like. 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 provides opportunities for participants to restore their connection between mind and body and to cultivate a sense of agency that is often compromised as a result of surviving trauma.
Patanjali
“A mind free from all disturbances is yoga”