Using Yoga in Therapy for Trauma Healing: Unveiling the Transformative Power of Mindful Movement
Often, when I mention to others that I use yoga in my therapy practice with clients, I get a sort of awed response. As if I’m engaging in a mystical practice or running some kind of spa for over-privileged people. There seems to be this unfortunate impression that only very lucky, special people could have access to premium counseling services that would allow the addition of something “extra” like yoga or mindfulness.
But here’s the thing: yoga isn’t meant to be fancy, inaccessible, or just for people with bodies that fit our current society’s idea of what’s “beautiful.” If it were any of these things, I would not be interested in doing it. Let alone teaching it to anybody else.
But Why Use Yoga In Therapy?
The reason I use yoga in my intensive therapy sessions is that I am a mental health therapist who is committed to using evidence-based practices in my service menu. I want people to receive excellent, high-quality interventions that will actually have a positive impact. All my offerings in my private practice are based around this idea, and I will never operate any other way.
Yoga has been demonstrated to have a profound effect on relieving anxiety, and depression, creating positive beliefs about one’s own body, and helping to offset the effects of stress, fatigue, and physical aches and pains. These effects were found across a variety of different groups of people. Including stressed healthcare workers and women in treatment for breast cancer who experienced very low energy levels. Impressive!
Who Can Benefit From Combing Yoga With Therapy?
So when it comes to the clients that I see in particular, who are usually burdened with some form of trauma in their early or young adult life, the need to provide additional support for their recovery using something like yoga, becomes even more imperative.
Individuals with trauma histories are more likely to not only have a number of disturbances in the quality of their mental health but also to experience more body-based symptoms. Such as insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and issues with skin irritation. With the mounting struggles that past trauma can cause for the body, it makes sense to use additional techniques, beyond talk therapy, to help ease the burden of symptoms.
Yoga In Therapy Can Lead To Connection To Ourselves And To Others
Mindful movement and yoga not only help to alleviate the other issues that trauma and current life stress can cause. But it also addresses the root of the issue. When we are able to return to our bodies in a way that creates safety and a sense of being “at home,” it allows us to reclaim what was once lost and to heal our physical disconnection from ourselves.
Greater connection to ourselves is foundational for feeling that we can create healthy and sustainable connections with others as well. So by bringing in the tool of yoga, we can also become more resilient in our most important relationships. As well as reduce the experience of isolation that so often accompanies trauma.
Conclusion: Integrated Mind Body Therapy With Yoga Is The Way
Curious about accessing a holistic therapy method that acknowledges the fact that you are both a brain and a body? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me through my Work With Me page. Better healing starts with taking that first step.
About The Author
Linda Sanderville, LCSW is a psychotherapist with over ten years experience in effective trauma treatment and training and supervision of other mental health professionals. Currently, she provides specialty services to adults seeking recovery from stressful life events and those who desire to optimize their wellness and the health of their relationships.
Interested in Using Yoga with Therapy in Charlottesville, VA?
Take the courageous step towards healing and transformation through the transformative power of yoga for therapy. Embark on a journey of self-discovery, releasing the weight of past traumas and embracing your true potential. Join Satya Counseling and Yoga and let the gentle guidance of mind-body therapy empower you to create a life of peace, resilience, and authentic self-expression. Follow these three steps to get started:
Schedule a complimentary 20-minute call to see if we’ll be the right fit
Begin meeting with me, Linda Sanderville, Yoga Teacher and Trauma Therapist
Begin healing through mind-body therapy!
Other Services Offered at Satya Counseling and Yoga
At Satya Counseling and Yoga, I want to help create a safe space for my clients to start their healing journey. To help accommodate you at my Northern Virginia practice, the services I offer in addition to Yoga for Therapy are couples counseling, trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, and depression therapy. I also offer a Transformation Therapy Intensive for those looking to seek accelerated progress toward their identified goals and personal growth. For more about my practice check out my FAQs and blog!