In this practical course, we learn the basics of trauma, the hypervigilance and negativity bias of our nervous system, and how to regulate ourselves.
We get to know ourselves somatically (in our body). We practice tools to work with the uncomfortable sensations and energy that we’ve disconnected from. We use powerful tools to stay grounded in the safety of the present moment and to break the trance of catastrophic thinking.
You will learn:
Trauma informed somatic mindfulness: we store trauma in our body along with associated thoughts and memories
A hypervigilant nervous system generates most of our catastrophic thoughts
How to signal safety to the nervous system through smooth, diaphragmatic breath, softening your body, and calming your mind
Tools to break the trance of compulsive thoughts
Sensations and energy in the body that make thoughts feel more real
Practice and strengthen your ability to realize you are safe in the present moment
This is for you if:
You want to deepen your understanding of how the impact of trauma shows up within your nervous system as survival responses like fight/ flight/ freeze/ fawn
You feel hijacked by hypervigilance and want to learn reliable tools to experience that you are safe in the present moment
You want to strengthen your ability to self-regulate and co-regulate with others
We don’t have to suffer through life with an unregulated nervous system
Without a strong mind, we turn against ourselves with a mean inner critic. We anxiously try to control other people and the external world to feel safer. Our mind is caught in a trance of ruminating and catastrophic thinking. We shut down and think about emotions instead of feeling them.
Unresolved trauma hijacks our system and keeps us in perpetual hypervigilance and survival responses of fight/ flight/ freeze/ fawn.
As we lessen and dissolve the obstacles to knowing and honoring ourselves, we aren’t as reactive to other people shaming us. We form better boundaries. We are on our own side.
We become a steady presence for ourselves as we welcome feelings and associated thoughts, memories and beliefs. We become free from self limiting beliefs and patterns.
Everyone is welcome to attend the classes live or through replays, and to participate in whatever way works best for you.
Participants who pass an open book written exam based on course content and personal reflections receive 10 Continuing Education Credits for Yoga Alliance through Yoga Farm Ithaca.
We meet for six Tuesdays 7PM to 8:30PM Eastern from March 19 to April 23
Our daily practice Wednesdays 8AM has a special focus on the weekly theme.
On completion of this course, you are eligible to enter the training to become a Somatic Mindfulness Coach.
-
We begin wtih trauma informed somatic mindfulness inquiry 101
A hypervigilant nervous system generates most of our catastrophic thought.
You will learn tools to break the trance of ruminating and compulsive thinking, become familiar with sensations and energy in your body that make thoughts feel more real, and cultivate patience and kindness.
We learn to signal safety to our nervous system through smooth, diaphragmatic breath, softening our body, and calming our mind.
-
We store trauma in our body along with associated thoughts and memories.
We can cultivate somatic (body) awareness and learn tools like locate/describe to realize we are in the present moment where we are safe.
Ruminating and catastrophic thinking can overrun our mind and cause us to disconnect from our body. In this section, we practice powerful tools to break this trance.
Building on the tools for thought, we can self-regulate, learn why this energy is here, and work with it to heal.
-
After the 6 week course Strong Mind and Resilient Nervous System, you are eligible to enter training as a Somatic Mindfulness Coach.
Now we build on our own somatic awareness and deepening comfort with the sensations and energy in our own body.
We teach others these tools and practice helping them feel safe enough to connect with the sensations, energy and feelings in their own body.
In this 4 weeks we meet for 2 hours to provide time to meet in small breakout rooms to practice with each other.
This section is specifically for coaches, counselors, facilitators, and others in helping professions. You have the option for certification as a Somatic Mindfulness Coach.
Tuesdays 7PM to 9PM Eastern April 30, May 7, 14, 21
By participating in this course, you will:
Build resilience and strength in your nervous system and whole mindbody
Become more grounded, resourced, and present in the safety of this moment
Know the basics of how trauma shows up in yourself and others, recognize trauma responses of fight/flight/freeze/fawn, and become skilled at emotionally regulating and co-regulating with others
Somatic mindfulness coach certification is for you if:
You are a life coach, facilitator, or counselor who helps people align with their values and supports them in making practical changes
You are a therapist wanting to integrate more trauma informed somatic therapy into your cognitive based work with clients
You are a yoga teacher, school teacher, nurse, chiropractor, doctor, massage therapist, general holistic practitioner, or peer supporter to whom people turn for help
You are a student or newly certified in any of these professions
The Stillpoint Method is a somatic mindfulness based inquiry practice that can be used in conjunction with your own methods of coaching and counseling.
Why Do We Need To Be Trauma Informed?
Trauma-informed is a buzz word the last few years for good reason. Many people felt stressed, scared, disconnected, and like we could barely keep our head above water before Covid, then it intensified.
Trauma is not just something that happened to us in the past. We are moving through a collective experience of trauma now. We feel the impact on our nervous systems, and are aware of how hypervigilance plays out in our personal lives, politics and in the media. We need help to build strength and resilience.
Trauma informed somatic mindfulness is not therapy, although it can have therapeutic benefits. As we regulate our nervous system, we experience authentic safe connection. As we learn and practice the tools, we become more stable and trustworthy for ourselves and each other.
We can only help others to the extent that we have and are healing. This work is not a quick fix. It takes time, persistence, and courage AND we don't have to be fully healed ourselves to help others, whether that is family, friends or clients.
If you are one step ahead of someone, reach back your hand.
Elements of Trauma Informed Somatic Mindfulness
Somatic Mindfulness: We recognize what is happening in our nervous system and those around us. People co-regulate with our more settled nervous system.
Friends With Our Mind: Anxiety about the future or ruminating about the past creates a storm of catastrophic and shaming thoughts. We learn how to intervene on the spot with proven somatic tools to build awareness and change the relationship with our mind.
Core Deficiency Beliefs: We develop beliefs based on our experiences. Seeing through our own core deficiency beliefs, we develop a warm authentic relationship with who we are now, and with our younger self.
Adult Agency and Resources: whatever our situation was as a child, with awareness and consistent practice we can build the capacity to be with our younger self with attuned empathy, to recognize and stop inner critic attacks, and to change habits and conditioning.
Understanding Trauma Responses
We turn against ourselves with a mean inner critic. We anxiously try to control other people and the external world so we can feel safer. Our mind is caught in a trance of ruminating and catastrophic thinking. We shut down and think about emotions instead of feeling them.
Unresolved trauma hijacks our system and keeps us in perpetual hypervigilance and survival responses of fight/ flight/ freeze/ fawn. We don’t have to live that way.
People conditioned into learned helplessness can’t afford to take a chance or make a mistake because the stakes are too high. This strategy served a purpose as a child and is no longer as necessary.
As we lessen and dissolve the obstacles to knowing, respecting and loving ourselves, we aren’t as reactive to other people shaming us. We’re not as vulnerable to manipulation. We form better boundaries. It occurs to us to be on our own side and to prioritize our own precious life.
Compassion and Kindness: the Shortcut to Healing
Compassion is the daily practice of recognizing and accepting our shared humanity, so that we treat others and ourselves with loving-kindness. Action in the face of suffering is fueled by understanding and accepting that no one is immune to pain or suffering.
Empathy is the most powerful tool of compassion. It is an emotional skill set that allows us to understand what someone is experiencing, and to reflect back that understanding.
Through attuned empathy, we experience kindness and compassion for ourselves and others. We become a steady presence for ourselves as we welcome feelings and associated thoughts, memories and beliefs. As we become free from self limiting beliefs and patterns, we can help others.
We Become Skilled At Healing and Helping
As our intuition sharpens, we tune in to what is happening moment to moment. People we connect with feel our unconditional acceptance, attention, and care.
We have all known joy, hurt, heartbreak, shame, grief, and love. To the extent we allow ourselves to feel these emotions, we can afford to connect with what someone is feeling about their experience.
We see clearly. We live in a world of systemic oppression around race, class, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, education, and neurodiversity. We understand how oppression plays out in personal life and relationships, and how it creates an affinity with or barrier between us.
If you are interested in the Somatic Mindfulness Certification Course
We have time each week to deeply explore facets of healing trauma and helping others through somatic mindfulness inquiry, trauma education, small breakout groups to share and practice, and talking with Lynn and asking questions in the larger group.
We focus on our own practice to become skilled with grounding, orienting and emotional regulation that help us become a stable presence for our ourselves first, and then with others.
In this course, we won’t work directly with traumatic events and memories during class as you might in private sessions with your students or clients. We learn and practice tools to work with traumatic memories of our own. From our own emotional regulation, we help clients work at a comfortable healing pace.
Between classes, participants are encouraged to practice tools for self-regulating and awareness, and reflect on the somatic inquiry and focus of the week.
We practice somatic listening and teaching with each other.
We Get Better At Life
We deeply know our authentic self on all levels of mindbody. We regularly access higher levels of awareness and stillness. We no longer fear the trauma that is stored as sensations and energy in our body. We cultivate welcoming all that is here.
We practice yoga, meditation and nervous system regulation not to get better at the practice, but to have more ease and joy in life.
With mindfulness of our thoughts and energy, we continue to redirect our attention away from movement to stillness and our own basic goodness.
Cost and Resources
Strong Mind and Resilient Nervous System 6 weeks, $279
Somatic Mindfulness Coach certification: 6 Weeks $499
Registration is through Yoga Farm Ithaca, and they have 3 price options and a payment plan.
A PDF of the slides plus video recordings of everything except the small groups are available for replay.
Please email me with questions or so I can let you know when registration opens. lynnfraserstillpoint@gmail.com