Trauma-Informed Yoga in the Treatment of Addiction
There are many ways to treat addiction. Many people attend 12-step meetings and talk therapy, but not everyone benefits from simply talking. For some people, it’s hard to find the right treatment, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ recovery method. Everyone has different needs and handles the recovery process differently. Trauma-informed yoga is one way to approach recovery that enables the body to heal.
At Hearts for Hope Therapy, I incorporate trauma-informed yoga as an important component of treatment when working with clients who are struggling with substance use disorders or addiction. I have specialized training and experience as a trauma-informed yoga instructor, and am a certified alcohol and drug counselor. Trauma-informed yoga is a powerful tool for people in recovery to connect with their bodies. In connecting with our bodies, we learn how to connect and accept emotions in a healthy way.
What Is Trauma-Informed Yoga?
Trauma-informed yoga is a mind-body practice that is specifically designed around safety. Trauma-informed yoga teachers intentionally approach every person they work with as if they have experienced trauma, because the reality is, they probably have.
“Trauma-informed yoga is based on a particular understanding of trauma, one that emphasizes its impact on the entire mind-body system, as opposed to particular mental states (e.g., troubling memories) viewed in isolation from the physical body.” [1]
A question that is often asked is how trauma-informed yoga differs from traditional or ‘mainstream’ yoga. Well, since our bodies physically store trauma, something as simple as a common yoga pose has the potential to activate a traumatic memory, thus leading to a visceral, traumatic emotional response. When that happens, the person needs to know that they are safe and learn how to properly move through the uncomfortable psychophysiological sensations. Trauma-informed yoga teachers have specialized training that aid in helping people who have experienced trauma safely dispel trauma responses when they arise.
Trauma-informed yoga teacher Hala Kouri says “being trauma-informed doesn’t mean we assume everyone is broken or hurt, we just err on the side of caution so as to not create shame, pressure or pain unnecessarily as we take people into vulnerable territory.” [2] Trauma-informed yoga is an approach to yoga that takes into account how vulnerable people are when they are guided into attunement with their own bodies and feelings.
Most people have experienced some sort of trauma in their lives. Some of them may not even realize it, as a common coping mechanism is to repress the memory. Because trauma lives in the body, yoga can amplify parts of the body that feel stuck or tense. These areas can be an indication of where the trauma lives, and are the exact areas where healing needs to occur.
Trauma-Informed Yoga for Addiction Treatment
People who suffer from substance use disorders experience the trauma of addiction, which is commonly coupled with challenges related to destruction of health, loss of relationships, isolation, shame, and ultimately, loss of Self and safety.
Most people who become addicted to substances become completely detached from their feelings, emotionally and physically. Trauma-informed yoga guides clients safely back into their bodies so they can feel. They learn how to sit with the discomfort rather than avoid or escape, and be present with themselves. This is uncomfortable for many people dealing with early stages of recovery from addiction, but this is where growth happens.
For individuals with substance use disorders, feeling body sensations may be a new experience. Feeling anything without the veil of a substance may be a new experience—and one that is unpleasant. Trauma-informed yoga teachers are prepared to support their clients who are experiencing strong body sensations and emotions.
Here are 3 benefits of using trauma-informed yoga to support people with substance use disorders.
1.) Yoga Regulates the Nervous System
Trauma lives in the body and can dysregulate the nervous system, which makes a person feel unsafe and puts them into fight or flight mode. When this happens, their sympathetic nervous system activates, making it very hard to calm down. [3]
This hyper-vigilant, aroused state of mind-body is common for anyone who is living with the aftermath of trauma. Through combining intentional breathwork and movement, yoga can take a person out of the panicked, anxious feelings of fight or flight mode. Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which returns the body to a calm state.
When a person’s parasympathetic nervous system activates, the body can regulate itself. This allows the person to feel a sense of safety. [4] This is where trauma-informed yoga comes in. It’s not enough to focus on breathing and practicing yoga poses. Yoga teachers who work with clients impacted by trauma require specialized training to ensure their clients feel safe in their practice.
“Part of the skill of a trauma-informed [yoga] teacher is to emphasize present-state awareness and offer opportunities for students to choose what brings them balance. Over time, students can build coping skills and make choices that support their transition from hyper- or hypo-arousal to a balanced state.” [1]
2.) Yoga Increases Body Awareness
Yoga allows you to feel. This can be scary for people with substance use disorders, where feeling is the opposite of what they are used to. Trauma-informed yoga approaches the bodywork from a place of sensitivity and safety.
Dr. Peter Levine’s practice of Somatic Experiencing® inspires my work at HeARTS for Hope Therapy. Somatic Experiencing® is a body-based way to approach healing trauma.
According to Dr. Levine, “the Somatic Experiencing® approach facilitates the completion of self-protective motor responses and the release of thwarted survival energy bound in the body, thus addressing the root cause of trauma symptoms. This is approached by gently guiding clients to develop increasing tolerance for difficult bodily sensations and suppressed emotions.”[5]
Yoga encourages people to experience and tolerate different body sensations. People who engage in trauma-informed yoga increase their understanding of their bodies. As a result, people become more aware of how they are feeling since emotions are so closely connected to our bodies.
Trauma-informed yoga helps people with substance use disorders feel a greater sense of body sensations and emotions. The trauma-informed approach is essential when working with people recovering from addiction. Their trauma lives deep in their bodies and many are not even aware of it. Yoga brings all that to the surface, and the trauma-informed yoga teacher knows how to help and guide clients through.
3.) Trauma-Informed Yoga Creates a Sense of Agency Over Your Body
Using trauma-informed yoga in therapy for people with substance use disorders requires a safe space, as always ensured at Hearts for Hope Therapy. It’s important to create and honor a space that supports safety for my clients, both internally and externally. In trauma-informed yoga, we don’t use hands-on assists unless the client requests it and has identified that it feels safe to them.
Trauma-informed yoga offers options. This creates a sense of empowerment and agency over what you do with your body. This is especially important for people recovering from addiction because they so often feel as if they don’t have choices. Instead of feeling stuck or paralyzed, they use yoga to move through their blocks and come out on the other side empowered and strong.
Putting Trauma-Informed Yoga to Use at Hearts for Hope Therapy
At Hearts for Hope Therapy, I love working with people who are recovering from addiction through a holistic combination of psychotherapy (talk therapy), art therapy and trauma-informed yoga. When we work together and incorporate yoga as a method to help you along your healing journey, you can expect a safe space to explore your body and emotions as you learn to experience life free from substances. Together we will find ways that emotional expression, movement, and breathwork can help aid you in your recovery.
Book an appointment with me today to integrate trauma-informed yoga into your recovery process.
References:
[1]https://www.eomega.org/article/what-is-trauma-informed-yoga
[2]https://www.offthematintotheworld.org/blog/2018/12/15/trauma-informed-yoga-is-people-informed-yoga
[3]https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/sympathetic_nervous_system.htm
