Friday, September 11, 2015

Healing arts and sexual violence

As a yoga teacher who offers classes to teen survivors of sexual assault, I have been looking to deepen my knowledge of how yoga supports healing from this type of trauma. 

I've found a local training that I'm so excited to get to experience next month through the Breathe Network.  Here is a description from their web site, and after the training I'll post some of the takeaways and insights I get. 


“Trauma Resilience – Healing the Wounds of Sexual Violence with the Holistic Healing Arts”

Description
In this interactive panel discussion, you will learn the nuances of how sexual violence impacts the body, mind and spirit and how specific healing arts modalities can uniquely facilitate integrated and sustainable healing by transforming symptoms into strengths. Healing arts practitioners will then share their insights from working with survivors and offer recommendations on how to modify the delivery of their given modality in order to enhance trauma-sensitivity and safety for survivors – and to ultimately promote a survivor’s innate capacity to heal. Importantly, time will be allotted for event participants to directly ask questions to the panelists that may be specific to their experience or practice.
General Overview of Content
Understanding the Impact of Sexual Trauma on the Body, Mind and Spirit
~The Spectrum of Sexual Violence
~Symptoms – Inquiry and Insight
~The Innate Capacity to Heal

Moderated Discussion with Practitioners on the Panel
~How their Healing Art Supports Survivors in Healing
~What is Trauma-Informed Care?
~Modifications and Techniques for Working with Survivors within the Healing Arts

More Information
Healing after sexual violence often requires learning how to safely connect inside and nourishing a strong connection between the body, mind and spirit. Incorporating healing modalities that holistically address trauma allows survivors to experientially witness how refining the intrinsic relationship among the body, mind and spirit can be one of the most powerful tools for resilience. The depth of these healing practices allows survivors to gain a sense of comfort within their own shape, to non-verbally process feelings that transcend language, and to trust their own wisdom, voice and intuition around their healing process.
Together, we will explore the layered impacts of sexual trauma and how working holistically with symptoms of trauma can be catalysts for transformation. Practitioners in the healing arts will learn skills and techniques to modify their treatment in order to provide trauma-sensitive care to survivors of sexual violence. Panelists bring a range of experiences and modalities in their work with survivors that might include acupuncture, art therapy, chiropractic, EMDR, equine assisted therapy, massage, psychotherapy, reiki, yoga and more, and they are receptive to the inquiries and insights from workshop participants.