What is Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be translated as ‘attentiveness’ or ‘awareness.’ It is a way of being present in the current moment without judgment. Mindfulness involves becoming aware of the thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment we find ourselves in, without getting sucked into them or reacting to them directly.
Trauma reactions
Mindfulness and trauma have a sort of love-hate relationship. On the one hand, mindfulness helps you stay more connected to yourself, and trauma reactions to remain in control. On the other hand, ‘sticking to one's own experience’ is often impossible when trauma is involved. It can lead to the undesired activation of traumatic memories or uncontrollable reactions in the body.
Regulate
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness (TSM) takes into account the trauma energy that may arise. In contrast to ‘normal’ mindfulness practice, a few crucial adjustments have been made that make it more manageable for people with a trauma background. The focus is even more on pacing and gentleness. And above all, people learn how to recognize in time when trauma reactions are surfacing, and how to [help] themselves in this regulate.
How did Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness originate?
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness was created as a response to the needs and experiences of people with a traumatic past. Through current knowledge about trauma, and how it [affects] us nervous system works, we are much better able to curb the sometimes overwhelming trauma energy.Â
Trauma sensitivity
Trauma professional David Treleaven was one of the first to apply trauma sensitivity through his research on trauma in relation to vipassana meditation. He recognized the conflict in which people got stuck as the metaphor of Medusa from Greek mythology. If you look Medusa in the eye, you turn to stone. And that is exactly what happens when you focus on trauma energy. He came up with suggestions on how this can be prevented during mindfulness practice, by incorporating, among other things, the theory of Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) intertwined in it.
How does Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness work?
With Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, you do not focus on the inner experience and/or the body all at once, but you do this in small bits at a time. In doing so, you ensure that you have a firm anchor to which you can return. It is okay to stop when it becomes too much, and only continue when you feel stable enough.
Exercises
- Grounds
Helps people feel more connected to the present moment and their physical environment, which can be especially helpful if you are struggling with dissociation or the feeling of being disconnected from your body.
- Oscillating and dosing
Helps to learn in small steps to connect with the inner world and the body and to stay regulated.
- Resources
Cultivating resources that bring people back into regulation, or prevent you from ‘flying off the handle’.
- Breathwork
Mindful breathing exercises can help people to regulate the nervous system and to manage symptoms of emotional dysregulation.
- Guided meditation
Some trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices can include guided meditations that focus on safety, compassion, and the development of resilience.
- Autonomy and empowerment
You are encouraged to choose what works best for you and to play an active role in your own process.
For whom might Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness be suitable?
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness is intended for people who have experienced traumatic events, such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect, violence, accidents, natural disasters, and other types of traumatic events, including developmental trauma, cultural trauma and intergenerational trauma.
The symptoms can manifest as anxiety, depression, hyper- or hypo-arousal, hypersensitivity, dissociation, and emotional dysregulation, as well as extreme accommodation or, conversely, resisting everything.
ProfessionalsÂ
Professionals who use mindfulness as part of their treatment can learn how to handle these sometimes subtle signals in a Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness training. This teaches you to better respond to the needs of clients with a history of trauma.
Where can I take Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness?
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness training is offered in various places in the Netherlands. It is important whether the trainers are trauma-informed (meaning they have sufficient knowledge of trauma and its impact). Trauma centers also offer trauma-sensitive mindfulness programs as part of their treatment.
- Center for Trauma and Transition regularly offers an 8-week course in trauma-sensitive mindfulness.
- TraumaWijs organizes 8-week trauma-sensitive mindfulness training and trauma-sensitive retreats.
-  Academy for Open Consciousness regularly gives 8-week online training courses in trauma-sensitive mindfulness.
- Jolien Posthumus, trauma-sensitive trainer and therapist, offers various mindfulness training courses.
Where can I find more information about Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness?
- Heart of Everything from expert by experience Wietske Buruma offers information about trauma-sensitive mindfulness and Mettã meditation and a calendar with trauma-sensitive mindfulness trainings.
- David Treleaven provides comprehensive information about mindfulness and trauma.
Reading tips
- Trauma-sensitive mindfulness, David A. Treleaven.
- Trauma-sensitive mindfulness and the polyvagal theory, Dorle Lommatzsch (e-book).
Viewing recommendations
Read more?
More information
Heart of Everything
Platform for trauma-sensitive meditation
In collaboration with
Jerome Stoel
Expert by experience, body-oriented trauma therapist, specialized in working with early childhood chronic trauma, somatic experiencing practitioner, vipassana meditation guide and trauma-sensitive mindfulness trainer (MBSR cat. 1). Jerome has a private practice for body-oriented trauma therapy.Â
