Bi-Directional Impact of Trauma on Religion and Spirituality and a New Intervention for PTSD
Dallas Adams, MSW, Senior Social Worker, Menninger Clinic
Complex trauma negatively impacts the mind, body, and spirit of trauma survivors. Complex trauma can be described as a person’s exposure to multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature, and the wide-ranging, long-term impact of this exposure. A person’s healthy bio-psychosocial and spiritual development relies on the person’s primary source of safety and stability which begins with the attachment to early caregivers and other loved ones. Trauma, which impairs these relationships, impairs survivors’ relationships with God, others and self. Survivors find themselves often in a state of chronic physiological arousal which disrupts the spirit and impairs survivors’ ability to develop purpose and meaning for their lives. In the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, researchers reported that adverse childhood experiences are vastly more common than recognized or acknowledged. Adverse childhood experiences such as childhood abuse and neglect, witnessing a mother being abused, living with a parent with alcohol of substance abuse, or having a parent incarcerated are examples of childhood trauma. People with complex trauma often experience a rupture in trust with God, others and themselves.
In a 2007, Gallup Poll, 86% of respondents indicated a belief in God. Because God plays such a significant and central role in the lives of many people, this role is likely to be affected by trauma, and in turn to effect the survivor's reaction to the trauma. The same holds true for the person’s spiritual life as well . For survivors of complex trauma with or without Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), their spirituality can negatively affect important clinical issues, such as isolation and social withdrawal, guilt and shame, anger and irritability, hyper-vigilance, anxiety, and physiological arousal, foreshortened future and loss of interest in activities.
Simultaneously, a survivor’s relationship with God, their spiritual practices and treatment for complex trauma and/or PTSD can enhance each other. These relationships may improve post-trauma outcomes through a number of means including: (1) reduction of behavioral risks through healthy religious lifestyles (e.g., less drinking or smoking), (2) expanded social support through involvement in spiritual communities, (3) enhancement of coping skills and helpful ways of understanding trauma that result in meaning-making.
Current PTSD and complex trauma treatment modalities include talk therapy, pharmacotherapy and exposure therapy. While each of these approaches has value, they may not sufficiently address somatic regulation or interoceptive awareness. These two concepts involve noticing, tolerating, and managing body experiences which help emotional regulation. Complex trauma can create loss of body awareness, alexithymia, and loss of affect regulation. Complex trauma and the sometimes resulting PTSD involve changes in physical self-awareness and alterations in the neural structures that register bodily states. This presentation will describe the elements of Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), a specific type of yoga, and explain how TSY can offer hope to those living with complex trauma. This therapeutic approach is consistent with basic tenets of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as it aims to offer hope and compassion and improve the lives of people who are suffering.
Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga Program
The seriousness of PTSD and complex trauma calls for integrative treatment models that go beyond current models to include somatic regulation and interoceptive awareness, both of which serve to integrate body, mind, and spirit. Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is such a model. TCTSY is a clinically informed and research-based intervention that reduces PTSD symptoms in those with PTSD diagnoses and who have a history of complex trauma The goals of TCTSY include engaging interoceptive pathways in the brain, empowerment, and rebuilding and strengthening relationships with selves and others.
Based on the yogic concept of ahimsa or “to do no harm,” which is consistent with major religious beliefs, the intent of TCTSY is to help survivor’s access interoceptive pathways, located in five different areas of the brain. Broadly speaking these areas of the brain allow us to “feel ourselves” and make up the “material me.” TCTSY focuses on trauma related changes in autonomic function, muscle strength, blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and other bodily functions including breath and physical sensation, all of which contribute to the “ material me.” TCTSY help survivors re-activate those areas of the brain as well as learn to manage those internal sensations. For example, TCTSY helps survivors accurately identify a triggered emotional response such as fear and the accompanying physiological aspects and not respond with avoidance.
TCTSY improves standardization of delivery of the intervention by accurately describing five domains of the intervention. The five domains include language, assists, teacher qualities, environment and yoga forms or exercises. TCTSY then uses those domains to address six clinically informed key themes common for those with PTSD and complex trauma. These themes include practice making choices, present moment experience, taking effective action, creating rhythms, spatial orientation, and sensing dynamics. This standardization allows the intervention to be respectful of each individual’s spiritual beliefs. It does this by using concrete, specific language focused only on the movement of parts of the body and breath, and uses alternative language as opposed to common terms in yoga that may be triggering for some. Classes are single gender, and facilitators do not touch participants. Participants are consistently offered choices to do the forms in whatever way is most comfortable for them or to engage in a different form. Classes have no more than 8 persons and facilitators are open to feedback from participants regarding what makes the class safer and appropriate for the participant.
Summary
Six hundred forty thousand cases of child maltreatment are substantiated a year. Such maltreatment often results in trauma which affects body, mind, and spirit and left untreated impacts generations of children and adults. TCTSY offers a research-based adjunctive intervention for traumatic symptoms because the intervention is always in the survivor’s control, is respectful of their religious and spiritual beliefs, meets survivors where they are in their treatment, works as part of a survivors treatment team, can be used with any population regardless of physical abilities When the person is in control of his or her body movements in a therapeutic exercise, they can experience renewed hope that they can be in control of other parts of their lives including relationships with God, others, and self.
Complex trauma negatively impacts the mind, body, and spirit of trauma survivors. Complex trauma can be described as a person’s exposure to multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature, and the wide-ranging, long-term impact of this exposure. A person’s healthy bio-psychosocial and spiritual development relies on the person’s primary source of safety and stability which begins with the attachment to early caregivers and other loved ones. Trauma, which impairs these relationships, impairs survivors’ relationships with God, others and self. Survivors find themselves often in a state of chronic physiological arousal which disrupts the spirit and impairs survivors’ ability to develop purpose and meaning for their lives. In the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, researchers reported that adverse childhood experiences are vastly more common than recognized or acknowledged. Adverse childhood experiences such as childhood abuse and neglect, witnessing a mother being abused, living with a parent with alcohol of substance abuse, or having a parent incarcerated are examples of childhood trauma. People with complex trauma often experience a rupture in trust with God, others and themselves.
In a 2007, Gallup Poll, 86% of respondents indicated a belief in God. Because God plays such a significant and central role in the lives of many people, this role is likely to be affected by trauma, and in turn to effect the survivor's reaction to the trauma. The same holds true for the person’s spiritual life as well . For survivors of complex trauma with or without Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), their spirituality can negatively affect important clinical issues, such as isolation and social withdrawal, guilt and shame, anger and irritability, hyper-vigilance, anxiety, and physiological arousal, foreshortened future and loss of interest in activities.
Simultaneously, a survivor’s relationship with God, their spiritual practices and treatment for complex trauma and/or PTSD can enhance each other. These relationships may improve post-trauma outcomes through a number of means including: (1) reduction of behavioral risks through healthy religious lifestyles (e.g., less drinking or smoking), (2) expanded social support through involvement in spiritual communities, (3) enhancement of coping skills and helpful ways of understanding trauma that result in meaning-making.
Current PTSD and complex trauma treatment modalities include talk therapy, pharmacotherapy and exposure therapy. While each of these approaches has value, they may not sufficiently address somatic regulation or interoceptive awareness. These two concepts involve noticing, tolerating, and managing body experiences which help emotional regulation. Complex trauma can create loss of body awareness, alexithymia, and loss of affect regulation. Complex trauma and the sometimes resulting PTSD involve changes in physical self-awareness and alterations in the neural structures that register bodily states. This presentation will describe the elements of Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), a specific type of yoga, and explain how TSY can offer hope to those living with complex trauma. This therapeutic approach is consistent with basic tenets of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as it aims to offer hope and compassion and improve the lives of people who are suffering.
Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga Program
The seriousness of PTSD and complex trauma calls for integrative treatment models that go beyond current models to include somatic regulation and interoceptive awareness, both of which serve to integrate body, mind, and spirit. Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is such a model. TCTSY is a clinically informed and research-based intervention that reduces PTSD symptoms in those with PTSD diagnoses and who have a history of complex trauma The goals of TCTSY include engaging interoceptive pathways in the brain, empowerment, and rebuilding and strengthening relationships with selves and others.
Based on the yogic concept of ahimsa or “to do no harm,” which is consistent with major religious beliefs, the intent of TCTSY is to help survivor’s access interoceptive pathways, located in five different areas of the brain. Broadly speaking these areas of the brain allow us to “feel ourselves” and make up the “material me.” TCTSY focuses on trauma related changes in autonomic function, muscle strength, blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and other bodily functions including breath and physical sensation, all of which contribute to the “ material me.” TCTSY help survivors re-activate those areas of the brain as well as learn to manage those internal sensations. For example, TCTSY helps survivors accurately identify a triggered emotional response such as fear and the accompanying physiological aspects and not respond with avoidance.
TCTSY improves standardization of delivery of the intervention by accurately describing five domains of the intervention. The five domains include language, assists, teacher qualities, environment and yoga forms or exercises. TCTSY then uses those domains to address six clinically informed key themes common for those with PTSD and complex trauma. These themes include practice making choices, present moment experience, taking effective action, creating rhythms, spatial orientation, and sensing dynamics. This standardization allows the intervention to be respectful of each individual’s spiritual beliefs. It does this by using concrete, specific language focused only on the movement of parts of the body and breath, and uses alternative language as opposed to common terms in yoga that may be triggering for some. Classes are single gender, and facilitators do not touch participants. Participants are consistently offered choices to do the forms in whatever way is most comfortable for them or to engage in a different form. Classes have no more than 8 persons and facilitators are open to feedback from participants regarding what makes the class safer and appropriate for the participant.
Summary
Six hundred forty thousand cases of child maltreatment are substantiated a year. Such maltreatment often results in trauma which affects body, mind, and spirit and left untreated impacts generations of children and adults. TCTSY offers a research-based adjunctive intervention for traumatic symptoms because the intervention is always in the survivor’s control, is respectful of their religious and spiritual beliefs, meets survivors where they are in their treatment, works as part of a survivors treatment team, can be used with any population regardless of physical abilities When the person is in control of his or her body movements in a therapeutic exercise, they can experience renewed hope that they can be in control of other parts of their lives including relationships with God, others, and self.