Trauma-Informed
Self Defense Program
Some trauma survivors literally cannot feel entire areas of their bodies. They become numb, disconnected, and dissociative. Often the sensations they do feel are unsettling and unpleasant. Most people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) no longer experience their body as a safe place. They are unfamiliar with their inner self and cannot find safety and relaxation anywhere. Martial arts assist individuals in reconnecting with their bodies.
By explicitly integrating body, mind, and spirit, martial arts promote whole body awareness and establish a profound connection between spirit and physical expression. When taught with a trauma-informed approach, practitioners ultimately learn to move from their center, rather than from their upper body, which will help reconnect them to their innate experience of safety and being grounded. Using the body in a purposeful and empowering way can help overcome sensations of panic and anxiety and replace them with an experience of strength and skill.
Martial arts combine centered grounded movement, focusing on maximizing bodily control and effective generation and transmission of power, with mind-body integration and awareness. This not only tremendously helps with whole system regulation but also promotes an experience of strength, mastery, and confidence that is highly beneficial to people recovering from trauma.
By explicitly integrating body, mind, and spirit, martial arts promote whole body awareness and establish a profound connection between spirit and physical expression. When taught with a trauma-informed approach, practitioners ultimately learn to move from their center, rather than from their upper body, which will help reconnect them to their innate experience of safety and being grounded. Using the body in a purposeful and empowering way can help overcome sensations of panic and anxiety and replace them with an experience of strength and skill.
Martial arts combine centered grounded movement, focusing on maximizing bodily control and effective generation and transmission of power, with mind-body integration and awareness. This not only tremendously helps with whole system regulation but also promotes an experience of strength, mastery, and confidence that is highly beneficial to people recovering from trauma.
As a trauma thriver, it is important to train with a trauma-informed instructor in a trauma-focused atmosphere to prevent the potential experience of re-wounding.
Martial arts and self-defense skills help people get back into their bodies and stay grounded in the moment. Using the body in a purposeful and empowering way can help overcome sensations of panic and anxiety and replace them with an experience of strength, skill, confidence, and safety.
Martial arts and self-defense combine centered grounded movement, focusing on maximizing bodily control and effective generation and transmission of power, with mind-body integration and awareness. Not only does this help tremendously with whole system regulation, but these factors also combine to promote an experience of strength, mastery, and confidence that is hugely beneficial to people recovering from trauma.
TIMA is influenced by the principles of multiple martial arts disciplines.
“In Trauma Informed Martial Arts and Self-Defense, we learn a calmness of mind and mastery of emotion that spills over into our everyday lives. We learn skills to use another person’s energy to defeat them. Training teaches us techniques to use in an attack situation. More importantly, it guides through how to attack our own lives in a powerful and meaningful way as it aids in our healing from trauma.” – Lisa Lacy (TIMA Instructor)