TCTSY

Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) has five core elements: choice-making; present moment experience; invitational language; shared authentic experience and non-coercion. It is an opportunity for trauma survivors to practice connecting with their body in way that feels safe, through a trustful relationship with the facilitator.

TCTSY is different to a general yoga class because it is completely choice-based. The client is in charge of what they do or do not do. There is no right or wrong in the session. The facilitator invites the clients to make movements, shapes, or forms, rather than ‘postures’. Clients are invited to notice sensations in their body, which may or may not be felt at present.

Clients can choose where in the space they feel safe to practice. They can practice from a seated position on the floor, or on a chair, or standing up. Clients decide whether to move or to be still, the range of movement that they want to explore, whether to close or open their eyes. There are choices within each movement, and which movements to include or avoid.

TCTSY is a therapeutic adjunct, an ‘add-on’ to talking therapies. It is a somatic (bodily) approach to recovery. We may repeat the same moves week after week until the clients feels ready to try some new 'shapes'. The power dynamics between the facilitator and the client are equal. We work in collaboration, sharing decisions. We aim for safety, predictability and reliability.  

You are invited to contact your facilitator via the 'send message' box for an informal chat around intake and referral process, or just for a chat, to find out if TCTSY could help you - or a group you support  - to recover from complex relational trauma (C-PTSD).