Trauma sensitive yoga (TCTSY) or trauma-informed yoga (TIY)?

There is quite a movement in the yoga world to support individuals with a lived experience of trauma. I’d like to highlight the key differences between Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive yoga (TCTSY) and trauma-informed yoga (TIY) approaches to help inform your decision-making process when choosing a trauma-based yoga program for your or a loved one’s healing.

TCTSY and TIY are both designed to integrate hatha yoga practices and philosophy with trauma healing. The most important difference is that yoga teachers do not require accreditation to conduct TIY classes, whereas, TCTSY facilitators have undergone a 300-hour certification program over a 7-month period. TCTSY was developed by David Emerson, in clinical consultation with Bessel van der Kolk, at the Trauma Centre in Brookline, Massachusetts, and is now a program of the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at Justice Resource Institute. TCTSY is the first yoga-based empirically validated, clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This practice is also supportive to people living with eating disorders and those with emotional challenges such as anxiety and depression. TCTSY foundations are based in trauma theory, attachment theory, neuroscience and components of hatha yoga. This unique yoga therapy brings your body into treatment which can also be complementary to traditional talk therapies for healing. 

TIY generally acknowledges the impact of trauma on individuals and has a focus on creating a safe and supportive environment, encouraging participants to make choices based on their comfort. TCTSY prioritises empowering participants through choice-making and interoception, helping participants focus on their internal sensations rather than external cues, such as physical alignments and approval from the yoga teacher. This shift in orientation, from their external to the internal world, is a key attribute of TCTSY as a treatment for complex trauma and PTSD. With this approach, the power resides within the participant, not the TCTSY facilitator. Further, by focusing on the felt sense of the body to inform choice-making, TCTSY allows participants to be in charge of their own body, restore their connection of mind and body, and cultivate a sense of agency that is often compromised as a result of trauma.

Some TIY classes may have a “casual” style of attendance where the yoga teacher may not know nor have essential information about the participant. This practice may potentially cause unintended harm to the participant if triggered or distressed by their participation in the class. In TCTSY participants are invited to complete a registration process, which may be followed up with a telephone/email conversation, for the facilitator to have knowledge of their professional and/or community support networks to minimise any potential risk to the participant.

To conclude, whilst both approaches recognise the impact of trauma on individuals and aim to create safe and empowering spaces for healing through yoga, the main difference lies in their origins and methodology. TCTSY was developed at the Trauma Centre in Boston and is based on clinical research with a focus on choice and autonomy. This approach strictly avoids physical adjustments by the facilitator and focuses on empowering participants to make decisions about their own bodies. On the other hand, TIY is a broader term that encompasses various approaches, often integrating trauma-sensitive principles into traditional yoga classes. TCTSY is a specific and empirically-validated method rooted in a therapeutic setting whilst TIY is a more adaptable concept applied across diverse yoga practices and environments.