Yoga & EMDR Therapy
A trauma sensitive yoga therapy group
Are you experiencing overwhelming anxiety, depressed mood, relationship difficulties, eating issues, or effects of posttraumatic stress disorder?
We have the therapeutic group for you!
Facilitators:
Narda Singh is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who is an Experienced and Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher, & has training in EMDR Therapy.
Dr. Kelly Penner Hutton is a Registered Clinical Psychologist who specializes in treating trauma, anxiety, and mood disorders. She is a Certified EMDR Therapist.
Both facilitators are skilled in individual and group therapy as well as Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and EMDR Therapy, evidence-based therapies used to effectively decrease symptoms of stress and trauma.
Dates
Tuesdays 6:30-8:30pm, 6 weeks
October 15 to November 19, 2019
Description
Join Kelly and Narda for a group focused on effective strategies to deal with the affects of trauma. During times of stress the brain’s natural way of processing information is blocked. This means that a traumatic or negative experience becomes stuck, leading to symptoms such as anxiety and depressed mood as well as re-experiencing of the event, even though it is over and time has gone by.
This group is focused on understanding the affects of trauma and the symptoms you are experiencing, as well as learning effective strategies for managing symptoms. During the group you will learn strategies from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Mindfulness Cognitive Behavior Therapy (M-CBT), and yoga. You will be introduced to the window of tolerance, be provided with education regarding stress and trauma, learn to re-connect with your body through yoga, and experience the present moment through the use of coping strategies. Starting week 3 participants will choose a past or present distressing event for which they would like to gain insight or decrease the distress associated with it. We will use EMDR processing techniques to ‘unstick’ the distressing nature of the memory and process it to adaptive resolution so that when you think about the event it doesn’t bother you as much as before.
Research has shown that yoga is an effective adjunctive tool for the treatment of trauma, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
Group sessions include several components
1. Guided instruction and introduction of coping strategies
2. Group discussion and support
4. Processing of distressing past or present events using EMDR processing techniques
3. Trauma-sensitive yoga (30-45 minutes)
What is trauma sensitive yoga?
The basic principles of yoga are honoured taking into consideration how traumatic experiences may impact one’s experience with yoga. We adjust the experience to make it more user-friendly, comfortable, and to promote a feeling of safety. Yoga is a somatic approach to healing that is essential in recovering from traumatic experiences. Both Narda and Kelly are experienced therapists and understand the need for flexibility in the application and practice of yoga as well as the physical nature of trauma (i.e., trauma is stored in the body). We will adjust our approach based on feedback from group members.
Some aspects that we consider are:
We create a safe container for practicing yoga through the set up process and physical layout of participants in the class
The pace, cuing, and sequencing of the class is adjusted
Clear boundaries are set regarding touch and adjustments
Confidentiality and safety regarding self-disclosure
The individual is considered the expert of their own experience
A focus on inner resourcing
Participants are encouraged to dress modestly and comfortably
Yoga postures, breathing techniques and meditations are utilized that support self-regulation
Cost
$550 for 6 weeks (a huge savings compared to over $1000 for 6 one-hour individual therapy sessions)
Note: Kelly Penner Hutton is a Registered Psychologist and her services may be covered under some health insurance plans