Trauma-Management Yoga

Description

We now offer a one-on-one program of yoga for the management of clients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders (C-PTSD). These include trauma ascribed to warfare experiences, spousal abuse, sexual abuse, automobile accidents, or natural disasters.

Our program for PTSD Treatment in Cathedral City is derived from the work of David Emerson E-RYT and Bessell van der Kolk, MD, at the Trauma Center at JRI, as well as the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where Dr. Casellas trained in Mindfulness in Medicine.

TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM, THE CLIENT MUST BE IN THERAPY, UNDER A LICENSED THERAPIST. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THE FIRST SESSION, WHICH WILL CONSISTS OF A CONSULT WITH THE CLIENT AND HIS/HER THERAPIST TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY.

No prior experience with yoga for PTSD or meditation is required to enroll in this program.

The sessions are designed in such a manner that the client will always be in control over what he/she opts to do. Dr. Casellas is there to guide and help the client concentrate on the breath and the sensations (interception) perceived in the body-the somatic (in the muscles, skin, etc.), visceral (inside the body such as ringing in the ears or gurgling in the stomach), and the kinesthetic (movement) sensations.

The program consists of six sessions (two hours each), which are tailored to the specific needs and goals of the client. These include:

• General education about trauma and how it affects the sensations in the body and why yoga therapy helps regain those sensations and relieve the signs and symptoms of PTSD.
• Gentle to moderate yoga in a safe and private environment, the major intent of which is to have the client safely experiment with identifying sensations in the body. A typical session includes breathing exercises, movements, and postures (which will help build strength and flexibility, and induce relaxation. The intensity of the yoga depends on client’s physical and emotional condition. For example, the practice may be limited totally and completely to chair yoga or supine (lying down) yoga.
• How to design the client’s own yoga classes and program so that the client can practice on their own to help them deal with personal triggers, obstacles, and physical limitations.