When I realized the worst that had happened to me, I took it out on the gym. I rested every night there in an attempt to relieve myself of the burden of depression. Then, within a few weeks, I discovered a pattern: All those physical exercises lead to an emotional cleansing when I quit. I would get into my car, put my seat belt on, and start screaming. And feel… GREAT! I liken it to the perfect test. I asked my trainer at the time about this phenomenon, and he told me it was my body’s way of releasing stress. It has become important and effective for managing a new habit.
By the time The body keeps score published in 2014, a seminal text exploring the physical manifestations of PTSD, was a game-changer for trauma recovery. Written by the famous psychiatrist and researcher, Bessel van der Kolk, the book is based on the desire of the brain to connect and handle traumatic events, but the body does not forget, which is “recalibration of the brain’s activation system, the rise of stress hormones, a change in the system that filters relevant information from the irrelevant.
The book shows the power of sensitive yoga teachings – how movement is not just a physical thing. Inspired by these experiences, Macarena Corral, PsyD, LP, E-CYT, attended a workshop for yoga teachers alongside van der Kolk herself and was certified in 2017. She one of the trauma sensitive yoga practitioners in the state of Minnesota. Ahead, she talks about the science behind trauma sensitive yoga, its role in calming our fight-and-flight response, and how it can serve as mental health therapy. .
Give us a reason for trauma sensitive yoga. Who is it for? And how to help?
For many victims, they are overly anxious and/or hypervigilant – this can manifest in the body in many ways such as (but not limited to) feeling on the side, muscle of muscle, chest tightness, trouble sleeping, nightmares. memory problems, attention problems, and anxiety. Therefore, they need to learn ways to accept and manage their thoughts and behaviors. Sensitive yoga can promote positive emotions and increase parasympathetic activity, which helps to calm the nervous system. More specifically, yoga can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which is the opposite of the fight, flight, or rest response. When the PNS is activated, the heart, blood, and breathing slow down and we enter a state of relaxation. These techniques can be learned to be useful to people when they are awakened to painful memories, limiting the physical and emotional response that occurs with the memory.
Tell me a little about your situation. What led you to this line of work?
While completing my doctoral program in clinical psychology, I was introduced to hatha yoga which became my way of managing the enormous stress that came with juggling school and work responsibilities. From there, I jumped right into a 200-hour yoga teacher training program and started teaching yoga a few months later. During this time, I continued to study and learn about different trauma techniques, which led me to the work of Bessel van der Kolk [renowned psychologist and author of The Body Keeps the Score] and the Center for Trauma and Embodiment. In 2013, I attended a workshop on teaching trauma sensitive yoga at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, with van der Kolk himself, and that weekend had a great effect on me – it was transformative. it is important to my practice and teaching of yoga and my attention to the needs of my students. It also became part of my vision for a mental health facility that uses multiple interventions to treat the whole person by providing an integrative and empowering approach to healing and preventive care; a clinic that became the Center for Collaborative Health. After that initial training, I applied and was accepted into the regular certification program and became a Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator in 2017. Now, at the Center for Collaborative Health, we offer yoga groups trauma sensitive developed, including methods. Yoga and breathing in single therapy sessions as a conjunctive therapy for some ailments.
Can pain be physically recorded in our bones and muscles?
Research shows that pain isn’t just mental — it’s physical. The body remembers pain, even when we don’t with knowledge that is clear. Pain in the muscles and bones is not treated; is naturally stored in memory and brain centers, and manifests as changes in the central nervous system response (ie, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, abdominal pain, changes in food or stress, heat, cold, and restlessness). Important emotions at the time of the trauma are stored in this way and we become conditioned to respond to the memories of the event in similar ways. This shows how the body reacts when a situation reminds a person of a traumatic event. Evidence shows that this starts your alert system, always ready to face a threat or attack.
How do you know if you are reaping the benefits of this job? What are the types of improvement grades?
In general, people affected by trauma may feel insecure in their bodies and in their relationships with others. Yoga can help rebuild that confidence by helping a person better understand their body, foster a better relationship with their body, and empower them to make healthy choices for their health. their bodies. However, regaining a sense of security can take weeks, months, or years, depending on the nature of the trauma. Those who experience persistent and persistent abuse may take a long time to see the changes they desire (as “progress” is defined by everyone and what a they expect to gain from their yoga practice). Overall, trauma sensitive yoga can help improve things like concentration, attention, and focus; reduce anxiety, depression, and anger; provide feedback processing techniques; and helps with relaxation, sleep, and mood. Treatment results depend on the person and their condition.
Guide us through how trauma sensitive yoga can help a fight-or-flight response stay calm under pressure.
When a person experiences trauma, the amygdala, or the part of the brain that triggers the fight, flight, or flight response. This can increase the level of stress hormones in the body, such as cortisol, leading to a basic feeling of being “on edge” most of the time. Basically, the brain sends messages that we are not safe and we need to be on high alert. The problem is that when the amygdala is overactive, the parts of the brain that help with self-regulation and thinking are not activated. As a result, we are only looking at life and it doesn’t happen now. This is why it is not good to talk about medicine if our body is dysregulated and we cannot access medicine in the right way.
Breathing and movement can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, regulate body reactions and bring the body to a relaxed and safe place. Trauma sensitive yoga can help a person learn to recognize and accept body sensations, thereby regaining a sense of safety in their body. By knowing the feelings in the body, we begin to understand what we need to feel healthy and well. Serious yoga practitioners can empower people to make choices about how they move, and teach very specific ways to regulate themselves and manage their stress.
Anything else you would like to know about this job?
I think it’s important to consider that trauma sensitive yoga, or any form of yoga, is not an appropriate treatment option for some. Everyone is different, and their stories are different, so it’s important to work with your provider (eg, therapist, therapist, etc.) to determine a treatment plan. the better.
Dr. Corral practices out of the Center for Collaborative Health, and offers individual sessions ($55 for 30 minutes to $110 for 60 minutes) as well as group sessions ($180 for 60 minutes).