Positive Approaches Journal, Volume 14, Issue 1

Volume 13 ► Issue 4 ► March 2025

Trauma Sensitive Yoga: A Mindful Embodied Approach to Healing the Trauma of Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence

Rachel Allen & Erika B. Brosig

Sexual abuse and domestic violence can have lasting impacts on the lives of survivors. Many survivors struggle with flashbacks, anxiety, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, difficulty trusting, and body-related issues, among other things. These interpersonal traumas impact how survivors relate to the outside world, but they also profoundly affect how they relate to their own bodies. The body, the site of the trauma, becomes unsafe, leading survivors to disconnect. Counseling can be incredibly beneficial in healing from sexual abuse and domestic violence. Still, for many survivors, some areas of impact cannot be reached through counseling alone.

In 2013, Rachel Allen RYT 200 (YogaSong) and Erika Brosig from Victim Services Inc. (VS - a sexual assault and domestic violence program) traveled to Omega Institute for the Yoga Service Council Conference featuring keynote speaker, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of the pioneering book on trauma and healing, The Body Keeps the Score¹. Moved by what they learned, Allen and Brosig, both survivors of interpersonal trauma themselves, returned home with enthusiasm and a commitment to bringing Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) to their community. They connected with Rosemary Pawlowski, Executive Director of the BottleWorks Ethnic Arts Center, who had grant funding for a program that addressed trauma, but lacked a specific program to invest in. This newfound collaboration between The Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center, VS, and YogaSong launched the Integrative Healing Group (IHG). This innovative ten-week group wove together the elements of a traditional support group, a TSY class, and self-expression through visual arts and music. Allen and Brosig developed the program with support from The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and Zabie Yamasaki, Founder of Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga, both who had long standing programs that positively impacted participants. More than a decade later, the program continues in our community, now offering ongoing TSY classes in person and via Zoom, all provided at no cost to the participants.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga

TSY teaches survivors a safe way to reconnect to their bodies and opens up a level of self-compassion that goes beyond what counseling alone can do. TSY is distinctly different from a typical yoga class. Language is invitational. Pace and flow are determined by the participant. Choice is offered in every form and the themes drawn from yoga philosophy are designed to help heal from trauma and sustain recovery. Pioneering research on the benefits of yoga for trauma survivors has been done across the country in places like Boston and California, and the results are promising¹. An essential element in this research is TSY's ability to increase interoception, the ability to experience our visceral selves - for example, being able to feel our muscles contract or extend or sense our feet on the ground. Neuroscience shows there are specific brain pathways that light up when we are aware of moving muscles in the present moment. TSY’s foundation in mindfulness brings present awareness to breath, body sensations, and movement. Research shows that TSY may help move the traumatized brain, which is stuck in the primitive limbic system, into the higher-level frontal cortex, where planning, strategizing, critical thinking, and connection reside².

Methods

The goal of the IHG and the TSY Program is to create a safe and healing environment through the practices of TSY and the healing arts, allowing survivors to reclaim their body in the healing process and, therefore, reclaim their life. The philosophy behind the programs draws from research piloted by Bessel Van der Kolk and the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute (now called the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI), showing the efficacy of yoga in shifting the neurobiology of the traumatized brain¹. The group and TSY classes bring together survivors who have felt isolated in their shame and guilt for most of their lives. TSY helps the participants become more comfortable in their bodies, often for the first time since the abuse occurred, and teaches them how to process their emotions in a healthy manner. Expression through music and art creates another pathway for the survivors to tell their stories, and the support group component gives them a sense of empowered community.

Initially designed for female-identifying individuals who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, this project has since expanded to include survivors of domestic violence. Local foundations generously supported the program, funding three sessions of the IHG. Since then, ongoing TSY classes have been supported by Victims of Crime Act funding through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and provided at no cost to the participants.

The format of the IHG was based on the eight limbs of a trauma-informed yoga practice as outlined in Emotional Yoga: How the Body Can Heal the Mind³. The participants received a copy of the book, a journal, a folder, and index cards. Each week’s 2.5-hour session included a check-in, sharing a quote about healing for participants to reflect on, and a discussion on the chapter for that week related to healing from trauma, led by Brosig, an experienced trauma therapist. This was followed by a brief break, and then the TSY practice led by Allen, a TSY-trained yoga teacher. Allen, also a Certified Music Practitioner and Sound Healer, guided expression through music throughout the sessions. During the first and last sessions, participants experienced expression through art, with a prompt to paint a representation of where they were in their healing journey at that time. The art created during these classes served as an outcome measure for the group, along with comment cards completed at each session and pre-, mid-, and post-assessments of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. At the first, fifth, and final sessions of the group, participants were given the Adult Client Questionnaire (ACQ) developed by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (now the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect). Possible scores range from 25-125, with higher scores indicating more troublesome symptoms. At the start of the groups, the average ACQ score was 69. At the end of the ten-week sessions, scores dropped an average of 18 points, with one participant seeing a dramatic decrease of 53 points.

Ongoing TSY classes are still taught by Allen, and each class has a trained counselor from VS in attendance to support participants throughout the process. Participants are referred by agency staff or outside professionals. Each class introduces a yoga teaching related to healing, breathwork, gentle yoga asana, meditation, and incorporates music and sound healing. Participants can opt in or out of a brief check-out.

 Case Presentation

Jessica is a 43-year-old survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence, and familial sex trafficking who battled substance use and an eating disorder for most of her life. She struggled with overwhelming feelings of sadness, loneliness, fear, self-doubt, guilt, and shame. Her trauma history led to anxiety, panic attacks, a very distorted view of her body, and longstanding intimacy issues.

Jessica learned about the IHG and TSY program through individual trauma therapy with Brosig. She reflected on the group, sharing that “Rachel showed me how to breathe and move and taught me that my body could hold positive energy, that when I released my breath, I could let go of all the negatives that I was holding in my chest and my stomach for so very long. Yoga truly AMPLIFIED my ability to reconnect to my physical self. I learned how to give my body grace and to show it compassion for the first time. For over 15 years, I covered all the mirrors in my house so that I wouldn’t have to see myself. Shortly after our yoga group ended, I was able to stand in front of the mirror again and see me, not the ugly feeling I felt inside for such a long time.”

Jessica was working hard to heal the trauma from her childhood, but she was trapped in an intensely violent relationship. She felt stronger and more empowered as she connected with the group leaders and other survivors. That support, combined with the skills she was learning, created the inertia for change in her life. She recalls, “I will never forget driving after group one day, and I said to myself in my car, call Erika, you need out of this marriage. You can create safety for yourself and your children. Within the next 24 hours, I had a safety plan in place and asked him to leave. I started what felt like my whole life over again at 31 years old.”

With a new life in front of her and a connection rebuilt with her body, Jessica found that she could shift her focus to her healing journey and forge a new path for herself and her children. She also discovered that being able to connect with herself gave her the ability to connect with her children in new, meaningful, and impactful ways. Over a decade later, that path has led Jessica to work at Victim Services Inc. Starting as an advocate, she has since grown with the agency and is now the Safe Housing Coordinator. Yoga remains a daily practice in her personal life and in her professional career as a certified TSY instructor for children 3-18 years old. She credits her experiences in therapy and TSY as the catalyst for change, and she now guides other survivors of domestic violence to safety, provides trauma therapy to survivors of all crimes, and chairs the county Human Trafficking Response Team.

Conclusions

The practice of TSY has taken root across the country and internationally, largely due to the publication of books like The Body Keeps the Score,¹ along with continued efforts in researching TSY’s efficacy. Another key factor has been the commitment of individual practitioners to educating others. Allen and Brosig’s successful collaboration brought TSY into the mainstream in their community and they were fortunate to have the opportunity to train other professionals in the model at the local, state, and national levels. Since that time, several VS staff members have been trained in providing TSY for children and adolescents, thus expanding the reach of the program to a younger demographic. This continued programming is a dream realized for both Allen and Brosig, who remain committed to serving survivors of interpersonal violence in all forms.

After more than a decade of providing TSY for survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence, the authors are confident in its unique ability to reconnect survivors to their once alienated bodies and assist in creating a holistic healing process for trauma. This is particularly true when TSY is paired with other essential components of the healing process, such as building connection with other survivors, finding meaningful ways to reclaim their voices and share their stories, and empowering them to reclaim their bodies and their lives. The depth of transformation is best summarized in the words of one of the IHG participants, who shared the following: “For the first time I have found that I am not alone. That the events that changed my life no longer control me. I have a newfound freedom, which is full of peace, joy, love, and hope.”

References 

1.     van der Kolk BA. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books; 2014.

2.     Emerson D, Hopper EK. Overcoming Trauma through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body. North Atlantic Books; 2011.

3.     Bennett B. Emotional Yoga: How the Body Can Heal the Mind. New York, NY: Fireside; 2002.

Biographies

Rachel Allen is a Certified Music Practitioner, Sound Healer, Reiki Master, and Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with over two decades of experience. She has served as a music practitioner in hospice care, provided Trauma Sensitive Yoga for over ten years, and facilitated expressive music for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and individuals in recovery across various community-based settings. Her collaborations include organizations such as Victim Services Inc., the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Torrance State Hospital, and Center for Population Health. Rachel is nationally affiliated with The Breathe Network as a rostered healing arts practitioner. She has over a decade of study at the intersection of yoga and social justice. Rachel holds many additional yoga certifications including as a Dynamic Gentle Yoga Teacher and an Accessible Yoga Teacher and Ambassador. She is also the author of the chapbook Blessings Beyond Bypass (SeedHouse Press, 2022), with her work featured in Northern Appalachia Review, Long Shot Books, and on the Christians Practicing Yoga Blog. Rachel facilitates yoga, healing music, and movement experiences at retreats and conferences, both in person and virtually. She also offers training on resilience building, compassion fatigue, trauma awareness, and mindfulness across the USA and internationally.

 

Erika Brosig is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Chief Operating Officer at Victim Services, Inc. in Cambria and Somerset Counties in Pennsylvania. She’s been with the agency since 2003 and in a leadership role since 2008. A survivor of sexual abuse, she has dedicated her career to creating healing spaces for other survivors through the use of evidence-based trauma therapy, along with cutting edge and holistic healing techniques. She is an expert in trauma treatment and trauma-informed care and is recognized as a Certified Trauma Treatment Specialist (CTTS) and an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Certified Therapist, Approved Consultant, and Trainer. She also has expertise in grant writing and program development/implementation. In addition to her work at Victim Services, Inc., Erika is an adjunct professor for the University of Pittsburgh’s Master’s in Social Work program and an assistant trainer with the Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute. In 2020, Erika was selected as one of the 25-members of the Trauma Informed PA Think Tank out of Governor Wolf's Office of Advocacy and Reform, which developed a comprehensive plan to make Pennsylvania a Trauma-Informed State. In 2023, she published a chapter in the book Child Sexual Abuse: Practical Approaches to Prevention and Intervention entitled “Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: Living with the Effects of a Disrupted Childhood”. Erika also serves as the Direct Services Committee Chair for the PA Association of Sexual Assault Centers and sits on the PA STOP Formula Grant Implementation Planning Committee. She has been recognized for her work by several national and state organizations, including being awarded the 2023 Ann Schumacher Rural Clinical Practice Award through the National Association for Rural Mental Health, the 2020 Visionary Voice Award through the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and the 2019 Guardian of Victim’s Rights Award through Marsy’s Law Pennsylvania.

 

Contact Information

Rachel Allen

Email: rachel@yogasong.net

Website: Merging Music, Yoga, AND Community Website

Erika Brosig

Email: ebrosig@cambriasomersetvs.org