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Omfg apparently it’s normal/common for survivors to get triggered when doing yoga and exercise routines??? I thought I was just fucking weird

Things that contribute to this (summarized & paraphrased from my session)

• being aware of your body which is a site of trauma can make alarm bells go off
• Any routine that includes commands (e.g. “now stretch your hands up” or “now breathe in”) can be a trigger
• Any routine that includes pain, especially that includes just swallowing pain (“feel the burn! Keep going”)
• Any yoga that involves “letting go” or “relaxing” or “spreading out” is a lowering of defenses, a vulnerability, and can feel unsafe
• In general the emotions associated with forcing yourself to go through a physical act that feels uncomfortable because you’re “supposed to enjoy it” or because you feel like it’s an obligation
• The feeling of not being able to stop at any point, of feeling pressure to going through a whole routine, feels like a loss of autonomy

My psychologist at the DBT centre/program I attend mentioned this to me specifically.  She does a practice that she’s trained to do, called “Trauma-safe Yoga.” So you can still do Yoga if you’ve experienced trauma, but it’s best to find someone who is also a trauma counselling expert, so they know how to ask you what’s okay and what’s not – and so they do not push certain boundaries before you are truly ready.

Also, an important point she brought up to me, that adds to OP’s list above (that folks who’ve experienced trauma may also want to know if they’re entering a Yoga class):

– Some Yoga instructors will physically touch you during class, to adjust your alignment and ensure you don’t accidentally do a pose wrong and get hurt.  But being suddenly touched by someone (especially someone you do not trust) can be a major trigger, for clear reasons.

Need this