Cultivating trauma sensitive yoga in a supportive and safe environment.

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)

During Trauma Sensitive Yoga, you will be invited to explore yoga forms and movement in your own way.

Enlightened by years of neuroscience, trauma theory, and attachment theory research. The emphasis is not on the appearance of the yoga forms, or “doing it right,” but rather on your own internal experience. These classes offer the opportunity to make choices about how to move (or not move) your body, with invitations to tune-in to your felt bodily experience as much or as little as you like.

TCTSY is equally accessible to all people regardless of age, gender identity,
race, ethnicity, body type and physical ability.

JOIN OUR CLASSES

CHRISTINE DU MOND, TCTSY-F, RYT-500,

My approach is shaped by my personal journey with trauma, which has also fostered my healing. With 15 years of experience in Hatha and Bikram yoga, I have a strong understanding of the body-mind connection. I am certified in Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) from the Center for Trauma and Embodiment in Massachusetts, a science-based method for healing complex trauma. As a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT500), I apply my deep knowledge of trauma and stress responses in my work. I also hold a certificate in Applied Polyvagal Theory for Trauma Recovery from the Embody Lab.

Currently, I teach Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, Polyvagal Theory, and somatic practices at The Center for Trauma Recovery in Essex Junction, Vermont, supporting women in an intensive outpatient program focused on healing and recovery.

ABOUT TCTSY

Developed at the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI in Needham, Massachusetts, Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is an empirically validated, clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The TCTSY program is included in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) database published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In addition to yoga, TCTSY has foundations in Trauma Theory, Attachment Theory, and Neuroscience.

The TCTSY methodology is based on central components of the Hatha style of yoga, where participants engage in a series of physical forms and movements. Elements of traditional Hatha yoga are modified to build a trauma survivors' experiences of empowerment and cultivate a more positive relationship to one's body. Unlike many public yoga classes, TCTSY does not use physical hands-on adjustments to influence a participant's physical form. Rather, TCTSY presents opportunities for participants to be in charge of themselves based on a felt sense of their own body.

Although TCTSY employs physical forms and movements, the emphasis is not on the external expression or appearance (i.e. doing it"right"), or receiving the approval of an external authority. Rather, the focus is on the internal experience of the participant. This shift in orientation, from the external to the internal, is a key attribute of TCTSY as a complementary treatment for complex trauma. With our approach, the power resides within the individual, not the TCTSY facilitator (TCTSY-F). Further, by focusing on the felt sense of the body to inform choice-making, TCTSY allows participants to restore their connection of mind and body and cultivate a sense of agency that is often compromised as a result of trauma.