A close up of a woman stretching before yoga on a mat. Learn how an EMDR therapist in Red Bank, NJ can offer support with trauma and mindfulness. Search for EMDR Red Bank, NJ to learn more about EMDR trauma therapy in Red Bank, NJ today.

Trauma can have a profound and lasting impact on our lives.

It can leave us feeling scared, alone, and stuck in a never-ending cycle of pain. But there is hope. Through practices like yoga, we can begin to heal the trauma that's holding us back and start living our lives with purpose and joy. But what happens when we integrate the impacts of body movement with somatic-based psychotherapies like EMDR?

Let’s explore what trauma informed yoga is and how it can help you heal from your past trauma when integrated with EMDR (see my previous post on EMDR for more info)

What is Trauma Informed Yoga?

Trauma informed yoga is a type of yoga that has been specifically designed to help people who have experienced trauma heal their mind, body, and soul. This practice acknowledges the fact that trauma can have a lasting impact on every area of our lives and provides a safe space for survivors to begin their journey of healing through body movements tied to releasing emotional pain in the body.

Trauma informed yoga classes are typically small so that each student can receive individualized attention. The instructors are also trained to provide modifications so that everyone can participate in the class regardless of their physical ability and with someone sensitive about the importance of consent prior to assisting clients in such modifications. Most importantly, the focus of these classes is on the students' experience of safety and not on achieving perfection in the poses or increasing athletic ability.

What are the Benefits of Trauma Informed Yoga?

There are countless benefits of practicing yoga, but for survivors of trauma, there are four key benefits that stand out:

Yoga helps us to become more aware of our bodies and our breath. This awareness can be extremely helpful for people who have dissociated from their bodies as a result of trauma. Through yoga, we can learn to inhabit our bodies once again and begin to feel safe in our own skin.

Yoga helps us to connect with others. When we're dealing with trauma, we often isolate ourselves from the world as a way to protect ourselves. But this only serves to deepen our feelings of loneliness and isolation. In contrast, practicing yoga can help us feel connected to others as we share the experience of the class together.
Yoga helps us to release emotions that are trapped in our bodies. For many survivors, talking about their experiences is too painful or triggering. However, they may find it easier to express themselves through movement and touch. Yoga provides an outlet for survivors to safely express their emotions without having to put words to them.
Yoga helps us to find peace within ourselves. One of the most beautiful things about yoga is that it allows us to slow down and be present in the moment. For survivors who are constantly reliving their trauma or living in fear of future events, this sense of peace can be life-changing.

A man sits cross legged while meditating on a yoga mat. This could represent the support of yoga that an EMDR therapist in Red Bank, NJ can help you realize. Learn more about EMDR therapy in Red Bank, NJ by searching for EMDR therapist Red Bank, NJ.

Integrating EMDR and Trauma Informed Yoga

Not all of us who are survivors of trauma are ready to put words to our experiences and some of us need to do more than only put words to those experiences. For those ready to go a bit further and a bit deeper, introducing yoga into the psychotherapeutic process of EMDR with a trained clinician can be life-changing.

Traditional EMDR practice rarely involves body movement and instead can take a more meditative stance when processing trauma memories, similar to standard psychotherapy treatments. However, as research continues to evolve with regard to the use of EMDR and the process of healing emotional stress, one thing I have experienced personally when working with my clients is that when we move our bodies we have the opportunity to feel more in control, less vulnerable and trauma has more likelihood to move through the body, eventually releasing it faster than standard EMDR protocols.

So Where Does Yoga Come Into the Process?

Poses like pigeon or ka Pada Rajkapotasana are known to not only release physical tension in the back and hips but it is also believed to release emotional stress like anxiety, worry, and even depression, all believed to be locked in those areas of the body. The mind-body connection is more powerful than we often allow room for when looking at holistic treatment planning.

When we use bilateral stimulation, like tapping or auditory methods used in EMDR, while in brief poses known to release emotional stress, the benefits to healing can be exponentially more impactful. Integrating these two healing methods can help facilitate the release of emotional trauma or even blockage to processing that can occur due to deeply repressed trauma memories. Sometimes this can be done while processing verbally in position or it can be a silent method of processing for those of us who are simply not there yet. The benefits are equally impactful, especially with traumas we do not remember, traumas that occurred when we were preverbal (often stored only in the body), or traumas we are simply not ready to talk about but are ready to heal from.

As an EMDR trauma therapist, I meet my clients exactly where they are and modify the process uniquely to each individual. Slower is always better when it comes to looking pain in the eye. Regardless of how we get there, we will get there together.

Start Working with An EMDR Therapist in Red Bank, NJ

A woman smiles and looks out a window after a yoga session. Learn more about how an EMDR therapist in Red Bank, NJ can help you cultivate mindfulness. Search for EMDR Red Bank, NJ and how EMDR therapy in Red Bank, NJ can help you today.

If you're a survivor of trauma, know that you're not alone—and there is hope for healing. Through practices like trauma informed yoga, EMDR, and other modalities developed for trauma healing you can begin to address the pain that's been holding you back and start living the life you envision for yourself. If you're interested in trying yoga, look for classes specifically designed for trauma survivors or please feel free to reach out to discuss the integration of yoga and EMDR with me. I am here to answer any questions you have about starting your healing journey. You can start therapy with Thomas Blake Therapy by following these simple steps:

Schedule a free, 15-minute consultation
Begin meeting with Thomas Blake, skilled EMDR Therapist
Start overcoming past trauma!

Other Services Offered with Thomas Blake Therapy

At Thomas Blake Therapy, I understand that you may be struggling to overcome more than one issue. This is why I’m happy to offer support in addition to EMDR Therapy to help you heal from trauma, anxiety, and more. I’m happy to also offer LGBTQ Affirming Therapy to support and advocate for the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, Narrative Therapy where I will work collaboratively with you to dissect the problematic story of your life and reshape that dialogue, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy to accelerate healing in patients who have struggled to heal from chronic emotional pain due to treatment resistance. If any of these services resonate with you feel free to reach out. My online therapy services are offered in California and New Jersey. For more about me and my services, check out my Bio and Blog!