Embodied Healing - Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Experiences of psychological trauma profoundly change our relationship with our body.

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is the first yoga-based empirically validated clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), supported by more than 10 original, peer-reviewed studies and many more independent analyses. It is a program developed by The Center for Trauma and Embodiment at Justice Resource Institute (JRI) based in Massachusetts, USA.

The TCTSY methodology integrates trauma theory, attachment theory, neuroscience, and yoga philosophy. Delivered in a modified Hatha yoga style, participants engage in physical forms and movements designed to enhance empowerment and cultivate a positive relationship with their bodies. Unlike traditional Hatha yoga, TCTSY emphasizes the internal experience of the participant – focusing on what the forms feel like rather than their appearance. This inward focus is a key aspect of TCTSY as a complementary treatment for complex trauma, empowering the individual rather than the facilitator.

Unlike many public yoga classes, TCTSY does not use physical hands-on adjustments. Instead, it empowers participants to take charge of themselves based on their own felt sense of their bodies. By focusing on this internal experience to inform choice-making, TCTSY helps restore the connection between mind and body and cultivates a sense of agency often compromised as a result of surviving trauma. TCTSY has been utilized with children, youth, and adults across the globe. In 2022, over 32,000 people around the world used TCTSY as an adjunctive treatment for complex trauma & PTSD.