Trauma Center - Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)

What is TCTSY?

TCTSY is an evidence-based adjunctive intervention for complex, developmental trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD. Participants are welcome to choose when and how they'd like to practice, and for how long. They are welcome to change, modify, or make their way out of any shape, at any time, for any reason. The TCTSY facilitator (TCTSY-F) does not make hands-on assists, nor do they walk around the room while the participant is practicing. The TCTSY-F engages in the practice with the participants for a shared authentic experience, rather than make commands of the participants. 

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. TCTSY presents opportunities for participants to be in charge of themselves based on a felt sense of their own body. The TCTSY-F offers different variations (options) of the forms and movements, and the participant is free to decide which variation is best in their own body. The emphasis is not on the external expression 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. With this approach, the power resides within the individual, not the TCTSY facilitator.

This is a practice of embodiment, in that we practice being in the body. Research suggests that this practice may restore functioning in parts of the brain that have been damaged from trauma. This blog post explains this process in more detail.

As functioning becomes restored, the participant begins to learn to listen to their own body as a source of wisdom, in that they learn to trust their intuition in terms of what is useful/not useful, or supportive/not supportive. While this is something we practice on the mat in ways that are specifically related to the practice of yoga, this skill can be extended off the mat in everyday-life situations as well. What's further, is that once a participant begins to welcome and befriend their physical sensations and feelings, they can begin to welcome and befriend their emotional feelings as well. This has important implications in terms of what can become available for the participant during cognitive forms of therapy. Whereas what one was feeling used to be blocked off, inaccessible, or foreign, now becomes interesting and familiar territory, which can then be explored with a talk therapist.

As mentioned, TCTSY has been shown to be effective for people who were living with treatment-resistant PTSD conditions. Therefore, TCTSY may be hope for people who have lost all hope. What's further, with restored functioning of the brain, forms of therapy that were previously ineffective (thereby making one's condition "treatment-resistant") may become a viable option again. However, TCTSY has been evidenced as an effective stand-alone therapy, the results of which out-performed the gold standard in treatment in one study (Kelly et al., 2021). Not only did the participants report a greater reduction in symptoms with TCTSY, but the symptoms stayed diminished or relieved entirely long after the study. Some participants no longer qualified for the diagnosis of PTSD after the TCTSY intervention.

The TCTSY program is the first to qualify for inclusion in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) database published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Research Behind TCTSY:

TCTSY trauma sensitive yoga model developed at the Center for Trauma and Embodiment is as effective as Cognitive Processing Therapy, the current gold standard of care, in providing symptom relief for U.S. women military veterans suffering from PTSD (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2023).

The TCTSY model has been utilized and researched since 2002 and has consistently demonstrated positive outcomes for trauma survivors. More broadly, TCTSY is part of a recent movement within the mental health field to engage the body in healing from psychological trauma and PTSD, especially for the most severe trauma where talk-based therapies may be less effective.

Reduction in symptoms were sustained over a long period of time and participants were less likely to drop out of the practice, compared to the control (CBT) group. (Campbell et. al, 2024).

How much does it cost?

Individual TCTSY 60-minute sessions are offered on a tiered level:

• $65.00 for a supported rate
• $85.00 for a usual individual rate around Athens
• $105.00 for a supporter rate

Group (3 or more) TCTSY 60-minute sessions are offered on a tiered level:

• $85.00 for a supported
• $105.00 for a usual individual rate around Athens
• $125.00 for a supporter rate

(Plus processing fees)

Here is a short TCTSY Preview:

Where are sessions held?

Serenity Roots Yoga & Wellness Center, 8950 Lavelle Rd. Athens, OH, 45701

Or, online through Zoom. If an online session is needed, schedule as normal and call/text 740-586-4181 or email traumasensitiveyogaproject@gmail.com to let me know it is an online session.

What if I need a time that isn't listed or I would prefer to meet at a different location?

If you need a time that isn't listed, feel free to call/text 740-586-4181 or email traumasensitiveyogaproject@gmail.com and we can work something out.

I can also travel locally with no additional pay, or out of town with pay, if needed.

What can I expect after signing up?

After signing up, you'll be emailed a questionnaire. It is optional, but the more information I have, the better I am able to design a practice that can best suit your specific needs.

The first session involves a consultation, and then we can begin the practice. Subsequent sessions can be the same, or modified as needed.

"More frequent yoga practice over extended periods may augment and sustain decreases in symptoms of both PTSD and depression" (Rhodes et. al., 2016). This means that the more often one practices over long periods of time, the more likely one is to experience a relief in symptoms. This also means that the symptoms are lessened more and more over a long period of time.

Disclaimer:

Trauma Sensitive Yoga is not intended to replace one-on-one treatment with a licensed mental health professional. I am not a clinician and I am unable to diagnose or treat anyone's mental health condition.

For more information about TCTSY (including the research behind it), please visit: https://www.traumasensitiveyoga.com/.