Trauma Resurfacing in the Body, Part 3

by Nina

Meditating Together by Melina Meza

Three years ago when Baxter, Brad, and I started this blog, I was hoping that it would not only be a place where we could share some of our own knowledge about yoga, aging, and yoga for healthy aging, but that we would be able to engage in some interesting discussions with our readers as well. After all, we all have so much to learn from each other. In a way, perhaps because many of readers weren’t that comfortable using the comments section—or perhaps we just didn’t have enough readers in the early days—that “discussion” part of our blog never really took off. However, I’m very pleased that recently we have been getting some really interesting comments (see Friday Q&A: Trauma Resurfacing, Crying in Class, Part 2 ) and that some very stimulating exchanges have been taking place. And one particular topic, trauma resurfacing in the body, has triggered a lot of interesting discussion. Just the other day a reader wrote to me privately with some very interesting comments and suggestions related to the two posts Friday Q&A: Trauma Resurfacing, Crying in Class and Friday Q&A: Trauma Resurfacing, Crying in Class, Part 2. I found the comments so important, that I asked the reader for (and received) permission to post the email on our blog. So today, our main post will be written by this reader, who prefers to remain anonymous. (All of you should know that if you write to me privately or leave an anonymous comment, I will do everything possible to protect your anonymity if that is what you prefer.)

After this reader’s comments, I will provide an additional note from myself to clarify something that I believe the reader misunderstood. We corresponded about this misunderstanding and the reader also approved the content of my note. I’m only including the note because I believe that this clarification would be helpful for all our readers.

Email from Our Reader 

First, thanks to you and Baxter for addressing these concerns so thoroughly and providing resources. Having seasoned teachers like you take this seriously is very meaningful and reassuring.

I have only one qualm with what the two of you pulled together. I think you may run the risk of over-pathologizing emotional issues. They are really no different from physical ones, especially if they begin in the physical. Here is what I think is appropriate, from a student’s perspective (which I know is different than yours and you are free to disagree with me):

1. First, we all acknowledge yoga can kick up difficult emotions for people. So ideally teachers should get a tiny bit of training in this area. For example, Mental Health First Aid is a program that gives people tools to be helpful, while also setting boundaries. The training is not intensive and is designed for non-professionals. The result for yoga teachers would be something close to an intervention in class like Baxter described. But an explicit focus as part of teacher training would offer new teachers some scientifically grounded information, a couple concrete tools, and would de-stigmatize the emotional aspects of the practice—which is very empowering for both teachers and students.  

2. Second, if a student approaches you after class, here is what would have helped me (I am lucky to have gotten some of this). Please recall I was a beginning student at the time. More seasoned students might not need this. 

3. A bit of sympathy and an acknowledgement that it took courage to trust you with this information (the amount of shame associated with certain kinds of trauma cannot be overstated). 

4. Validation that, yes, yoga can surface strong emotions and memories. The student is not crazy. This happens, a lot and for different reasons.   

5. Empowerment —Reiterate that :  

• the student is welcome in your class 
• class is a safe place
• the student can retreat to child's pose (or whatever helps) whenever he or she likes during future classes 
• as the student learns his or her triggers (which can take time), the student should feel free to modify or ask for help with modifications from you. For me, I learned it was using a strap in bridge and other poses that was triggering me. So it was no straps for a long time.

6. Offer more resources if the student asks or you think they would be helpful. It is preferred that these recommendations are specific, not 'find a therapist,' but 'this is the name of a yoga teacher who specializes in things like this.'

In reflecting on this aspect of my yoga practice, it occurs to me that we spend a lot of time talking about our edges in class. And for me—after a lot of confusion and ups and downs—these memories simply turn out to be an unconventional kind of edge. Holding it in that space has allowed yoga to do its good work. And I am profoundly grateful for that.

Thanks again for all your thoughtful responses and for being willing to dig deeper into this topic.

Note from Nina

So many of those suggestions are excellent, don’t you think? And I love what the reader said about how the memories “simply turn out to be an unconventional kind of edge” and that “Holding it in that space has allowed yoga to do its good work.”

I would say, however, that I don't feel Baxter and I “over-pathologized” emotions that arise during yoga. What we meant was a person could be crying for ANY reason. For example, though some kind of trauma could be resurfacing, crying could also be the result of something more mundane, such as the person broke up with their lover, their cat is sick, the teacher read a poem that was so beautiful it brought tears to their eyes, or even they just feel relieved to be at yoga class after a stressful day—whatever. That's why the teacher shouldn't make assumptions about the reason for crying and try to comfort the person with words (which would also disturb the class in general and draw attention to the person in question). And, of course, if the student approaches the teacher before or after or before class to explain why there will be (or was) crying, it is completely appropriate to express sympathy and compassion in general, and for the teacher to reassure the student that it is not uncommon and that the class is a safe space. And if the student’s situation is serious, such as depression, anxiety, trauma resurfacing, and so on, it might be kinder to ask gently, “Are you seeing a professional about this?” because if the answer is yes, then you could just let them know this is a good idea and that yoga can be an excellent supplement to therapy. And if the answer is no, you could gently suggest, “Perhaps you should consider doing so. If you like, I can find some recommendations for you.”

I would also like to say that I hope this blog is a safe space where we can respectfully discuss controversial topics. So speak up, everyone! You can do this either in the comments section of our blog (see How to Comment) or on our Facebook page.  I moderate all the comments but I always publish anything legitimate, even if the reader disagrees with our postings. The only comments that I delete are those I believe to be spam. And you can always write any of us privately via the Contact Us page. 

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Friday Q&A: Trauma Resurfacing, Crying in Class, Part 2

Morning Glories by Melina Meza

Last week when Baxter and I wrote our post Friday Q&A: Trauma Resurfacing, Crying in Class, we felt a bit like we were going out on a limb. Finding the right way to talk about trauma resurfacing during yoga practice was a delicate process, especially because neither of us has had the experience ourselves. And we also wanted to be as diplomatic as possible in discussing the role yoga teachers should play (and not play) when a student cries during classes. So we were very pleased to receive some positive comments about our post. In fact, Baxter found the comments on the blog site so insightful that he asked me to share them with you, our readers. Of course, some of you may read the comments sections of our posts and will have already seen one or both of these comments. But for those who read the original post early or those of you who don’t read the comments, I'm including them below. We are so grateful that these readers took the time to contribute their own thoughts about this important topic. Thank you, Kate and Mary!

—Nina

"Thank you for this post; I think lots of teachers will benefit as I've seen little written about it. This line of Baxter's really resonated with how I feel on the topic: "I try not to pacify or console, or imply that I know what they are going through, but continue to cultivate a safe environment for them to experience their full practice." Creating a safe space for the more intense moments of the practice to be digested is key, and I believe is often what enables them to come up for people in class in the first place. I find it useful to let students know that when practicing yoga over a series of years almost every emotion available will be experienced to some degree and that crying from sadness or any other emotion can be a healthy and useful way to process those emotions or experiences that arise. I wonder if saying even that much goes outside scope of practice, but nonetheless it's been beneficial for students who have cried in class to hear and understand so they don't feel there is something wrong with their practice or something that needs fixing. 
Nina, thank you for the resources for better supporting those working with a history of trauma. The front body protected poses are excellent reminders." —Kate

"Thank you for this important post. I think we will be seeing much more about the benefits of a yoga practice for trauma survivors. I can highly recommend the book by Emerson and Hopper, and the training through the Trauma Center at JRI. As an adjunct to talk therapy, I believe yoga is a powerful ally in the treatment of trauma, and hope that more people will become aware of its benefits. In those cases, making sure that the student is already actively in therapy is vital, so that what comes up in yoga class can be processed safely with a trusted professional. In my experience so far, your advice about child's pose (and front body protecting positions) is spot on – although, naturally any pose could trigger emotions and memories, as each individual's experience is unique. As the original commenter stated, I agree that there are likely many more trauma survivors in our classes than we realize, and although there is no way of knowing the reason for the spontaneous tears in class, I think it's a gift for any practitioner to be in an environment where experiencing and expressing emotions is welcomed and not judged – something that all yoga teachers can strive to provide." —Mary

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Friday Q&A: Trauma Resurfacing, Crying in Class

We recently received this comment on Ram’s post about trauma (see Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Yoga to the Rescue).

Q: This is a very important topic. I have always been pretty surprised that my yoga teachers (many of whom are simply excellent) seem oblivious to the trauma students bring into their studios. I was mistreated as a
 child and when I began a yoga practice, I was unprepared for how yoga resurfaced issues that I had long thought were put to rest. But there I was -- breaking out into tears in bridge pose in the middle of class for no apparent reason. I could not find anything (or anyone, though I was not exactly willing to shout my needs from the mountaintop) that could help me understand what was happening. My teacher at the time was sympathetic, but stumped. I have since learned from friends who were sexually assaulted that yoga kicked issues up for them, too. It took me a while to understand somatic memory and to find ways to use yoga as a source of healing. I wish I could have found some help with that since I was so new to yoga and did not really have a sense of how to proceed. Is there any effort to make this part of most training programs? Are there guides or reading materials for us to learn from? Often, when I go into a new class, I count the students and do a rough estimate of the survivors of child abuse and sexual assault (knowing the stats and assuming a random sample of the US population is present). The number is never zero. 

A: I’m so sorry to hear about the difficulties that you, our commenter, have experienced, both in terms of the original abuse and then later having the experiences resurface in your yoga class. And I’m very glad your teacher was sympathetic and that—eventually—you found ways to use yoga as a source of healing. But one thing for you to realize is that it is quite common for yoga students to cry during class (especially during backbends) for any number of reasons. So while you suspected that you were crying due to traumas resurfacing during practice, a yoga teacher could not possibly know that from your tears alone (see Baxter’s comments below about crying during class). And unless you are studying with a yoga teacher who is also a trained therapist or has taken a special training program to work with students recovering from trauma, it is actually not appropriate for an ordinary yoga teacher to try to help you with these issues.

In my training, in fact, I was specifically instructed not to try to comfort or take care a crying student. This may sound harsh but the reasoning is that, first, you can’t know why the student is crying and, second, you do not have the training to be counseling a student about emotional issues because you are not a therapist. (This is equivalent to the yoga teacher’s situation with students who have physical problems. Because we are not doctors, we should not be diagnosing and treating medical conditions in our students, but should refer them to experts for help.) At most, we were told, we could offer a more comforting yoga pose to do.

For example, once while I was assisting Rodney Yee in a backbend workshop (backbends are known for triggering tears) a student began to cry. He told me to quietly offer the student a bolster and ask her whether she wanted to set up in Supported Child’s Pose, which she did. And that seemed to help calm her. So, in general, as a teacher who is not specially trained to help students who have survived trauma or abuse, I’d say that if you start crying in a yoga pose and you feel comfortable enough to continue on, you could just allow yourself to cry. But if you do not want to continue in the pose, you should come out and take a pose that feels more comfortable to you, possibly a pose where your front body is protected (the opposite of a backbend) whether that is Supported Child’s pose, a Supported Forward Bend, or even Crocodile Pose (Makrasana) where you lie on the floor on your belly. If these types of poses don’t offer comfort, perhaps try a simple seated pose or any other pose your intuition tells you will work for—whatever feels best. And if you were to come to me after class and share with me the reason for your crying, I would recommend that you see a therapist or an expert on trauma for advice.

Supported Child's Pose

A Supported Forward Bend

Crocodile Pose

Because none of our staff members here at Yoga for Healthy Aging have expertise in that area, we won’t be responding to your comment with specific advice about the issues you raised. However, fortunately for all of us, there are some therapists and experts who do use yoga and meditation to help patients who are survivors of sexual abuse and other forms of trauma. One that was recommended to me by a reliable source (thank you, Jarvis Chen!) is Bessel van der Kolk, MD, founder of the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, MA. Here is an interview with him www.traumacenter.org. 

This quote from that interview is particularly relevant for us: 

“Yoga teachers need to be aware that material will come up during class and they need to be prepared at all times to help people to calm down their bodies, by working with the breath and quieting poses. Teachers should create a safe space in the class, keep the focus on the breath and the flow of the asanas. It is best to refrain from excessive talking, explaining or preaching during the class—the job of the Yoga teacher is to help people to feel safe in every aspect of their self-experience.”

Some of van der Kolk’s associates have actually written a book on the topic Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga by David Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper, PhD. And David Emerson, director of yoga services at the Trauma Center, has a forthcoming book called Trauma-Sensitive Yoga in Therapy (see www.traumasensitiveyoga.com).

I noticed that  Emerson will be teaching a workshop on this topic in October 2014 at Kripalu (see http://kripalu.org/program/view/TSYT-142) and that the Trauma Center provides Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Teacher Training (contact demerson@traumacenter.org).

So that’s a few resources to get you—and anyone else who is concerned about this issue—started.

Now here’s something more from Baxter about how a yoga teacher should handle the general situation of a student crying in class. 

—Nina 

A: I clearly remember, during my teacher training days, the first time one of my fellow students began to cry in class. I mean, really cry loudly. I was simultaneously confused (was she in pain?) and worried about her (should I console her?). Her crying began during a restorative pose—something like Child’s pose—and it ultimately lasted a minute or two. The teacher did not directly address the crying, which was also quite curious. After class, the student shared with some of us that she was actively processing some long-standing grief and that we might expect more of such crying in the future. She had discussed it with the teacher previously, and so they had an understanding of what was happening. These crying episodes went on intermittently for months afterwards.

I also recall the first time I experienced tears during practice, also while doing Child’s pose (Balasana) in my home practice. I don’t recall the thought or feeling that preceded the tears rolling, but they sure came out. There was some sadness associated with the act of crying, but also a kind of liberation of emotion that felt quite good.

In my classes, I will occasionally notice someone crying, usually during the cool down period of class or in Savasana. But I have also seen this happen at the start of class during sitting meditation, too. If the tears are quiet, I usually observe as unobtrusively as I can, what is happening, and rarely feel the need to directly check in with the student. These are almost always regular students of mine, so I have experience working with them already and feel pretty confident that they will check in with me later if necessary. But, like Nina, I tend to focus on maintaining the practice space for all of the students and not intruding on the crying episode.

On rare occasion, if there is louder crying, as quietly as I can, I will approach the student and ask if they need anything from me. I try not to pacify or console, or imply that I know what they are going through, but continue to cultivate a safe environment for them to experience their full practice. In fact, there is no way for me to know exactly what the student is experiencing in that moment, and in some ways, it is not really my business.

As yoga teachers, we are not trained to address the emotional health of our students, as psychologists are. If a student were to approach me with questions about how to deal with difficult emotions, I would refer them to a trained therapist who can appropriately work with them. At the same time, I also can acknowledge to myself that their ongoing yoga practice may help support any work they may choose to do around emotional well-being. But ultimately, it is important to know and acknowledge the limits of my expertise as a yoga instructor and to convey that in a kind and clear way.

—Baxter

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