About
Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)
Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is an empirically supported, evidence-based treatment method. It was developed as an adjunct therapeutic approach for people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), chronic treatment-resistant PTSD, and complex trauma (C-PTSD). TCTSY was developed at the Trauma Center in Boston by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Professor of Psychiatry, and yoga teacher David Emerson. Since 2017, the method has been officially recognized in the United States as an evidence-based treatment for trauma-related disorders.
The Method
TCTSY (Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga) integrates insights from trauma theory, attachment theory, neuroscience, and Hatha Yoga. Yoga is not understood as a performance or goal, but rather as a way to rediscover contact with one’s own body and experience a sense of safety within it. A central principle comes from trauma researcher Judith Herman, who emphasizes: “No treatment that takes away a trauma survivor’s autonomy can contribute to recovery.” In TCTSY, you therefore decide for yourself which movements you perform and how intensely you wish to participate. You determine the pace at which you move and perceive. This creates the opportunity to gradually regain a sense of control and safety in your own body—always with a focus on staying in the present moment, rather than being overwhelmed by distressing memories.
Support and Connection
Healing requires connection. Many people with traumatic experiences are familiar with feelings of isolation or mistrust. TCTSY creates a safe space in which you can slowly rebuild trust—both in yourself and in the people who accompany you. Practicing together supports a sense of being held and connected.
Body Awareness and Interoception
An important aspect of TCTSY is interoception—the ability to perceive, understand, and respond to bodily sensations. After traumatic experiences, the body may feel foreign or unpredictable. Through gentle, mindful movements from Hatha Yoga, you learn to consciously sense bodily experiences again without being overwhelmed by them. Over time, this can strengthen the ability to better regulate stress responses and to develop positive, safe experiences within one’s own body.
TCTSY is offered worldwide in individual and group settings—for example with veterans, in women’s counseling centers, with children and adolescents, refugees, and in therapeutic institutions. The method is intended for anyone who has experienced trauma and is seeking a safe framework in which to work with self-determination, mindfulness, and at their own pace.
