Dr. Gabor Matte, the renowned Canadian specialist describes trauma as being more than the precipitating event (or events) in the quote below:
I am always eager to add to my knowledge of how to best welcome people living with the aftermath of traumatic experiences to the yoga mat, to a mindfulness class or sangha (meeting), or to one of my resilience coaching programs.
I am participating in a three-day course on how to better understand the varied sources of trauma and how to apply best practices in bringing our students the best possible experience. Sometimes, the traditional meditation method of “leaning into to your trauma” only reinforces the pain. This course is adding additional best practices to my Trauma Informed “toolkit,” such as encouraging the student to change their “object of meditation” or “anchor” to disrupt intrusive thoughts. In effect, we are applying the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principle of “changing your thoughts” and “you are not your thoughts.” I am enjoying the course thus far, and after some time for reflection I hope to bring other best practices to your attention.
