Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)
About TCTSY
TCTSY is the original Yoga for trauma
TCTSY is yoga for treatment resistant Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). Originally designed by the Trauma Center in Brookline, MA, it is now part of the Justice Resource Institute. TCTSY methodology has foundations in hatha yoga, neuroscience, trauma theory and attachment theory.
TCTSY Methodology
The TCTSY methodology is based on the hatha yoga style, neuroscience, trauma theory and attachment theory.
Using the components of Hatha yoga, the TCTSY methodology modifies yogic elements to facilitate one’s own empowerment and sense of agency over their body.
In TCTSY, the focus is not on the appearance of the physical shape. There is no end goal, no "perfect" pose. The intention with this is to give the participant room to notice their internal experience.
This shift in orientation, from the external to the internal, is a key attribute of TCTSY as a treatment for complex trauma and PTSD. With our approach, the power resides within the individual, not the TCTSY facilitator . Further, by focusing on the felt sense of the body to inform choice-making, TCTSY allows participants to restore their connection of mind and body and cultivate a sense of agency that is often compromised as a result of trauma.
TCTSY Components
Invitational Language
All facilitating cues in TCTSY are an invitation, never an expectation. The participant remains in control of how, when and if they want to move their body. Invitational Language is used with the intention to empower the participant to move however would feel most useful for them in any given moment.
Interoception
Interception is our neurobiological way of sensing what is going on inside of our bodies. It may look like noticing hunger, thirst, and the need to sleep. Sometimes as a result of trauma, our brain and body’s interoceptive abilities can be affected. In TCTSY, we provide opportunities for strengthening our nervous system’s interoceptive muscles by noticing what is happening in our bodies as we practice the physical forms of yoga.
Choice-Making
Participants are welcome to make choices based on their own internal experience. In TCTSY, facilitators provide the opportunity to for participants to notice what is happening in their bodies and make a choice based on that neurobiological feedback. Choice-making is the foundation for embodied agency and empowerment.