Trauma Sensitive Yoga empirically supported intervention Complex Trauma

How trauma affects the brain has been the focus of trauma research in last decade.  Neuroscientific research reveals that the brain is more resilient than previously thought.  Our brains have the capacity to change from trauma and to change from interventions that are directed at treating that trauma.  Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to change and regenerate in areas where activity has been weakened, by both physiological stress and psychological stress. Trauma is complex and the treatments need to account for that complexity, to facilitate a survivor’s ability to feel alive and move forward in their life.

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) at the Juniper Center is a specific intervention designed to treat people who have a history of Complex Trauma.  The intervention was designed by yoga teachers and trauma experts at The Trauma Center in Brookline, MA, under the leadership of Bessel Van Der MD, an expert in all forms of human psychological trauma.  Using a gentle guided movement practice with a trained facilitator, this somatic intervention is based on neuroscience, attachment theory and trauma theory. It is an empirically supported intervention and has been accepted for inclusion in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) database published by SAMHSA.

What to expect in a Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga session at The Juniper Center

  • You may wear comfortable clothing.
  • You and the facilitator will do movement together.
  • The movements are gentle and simple and can be done from a chair or a yoga mat.
  • One does not need any experience with yoga or exercise or breathwork.
  • You may talk and ask questions at anytime.
  • It is not necessary to discuss past history of trauma unless you feel it is necessary or helpful to you.

Learn more about our TCTSY therapist, Margaret Berger.

Please contact us with questions or to schedule an appointment.

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