Trauma informed Pilates

Unlock Tissue Memory

Trauma experiences can leave a lasting effect and can show up in many areas of life, leaving us feeling lost and out of control. These experiences are a shock to the body and can have a profound effect on our nervous system, confidence, safety and identity. When we are feeling stressed or anxious, our whole body experiences it and we go into fight, flight or freeze mode. Those sensations get trapped in our tissue and nervous system and can cause nightmares, flashbacks, unease and angst through our body and mind.

The body cannot differentiate between between physical and emotional danger so we must learn to recognize it, acknowledge it and release it. Movement therapy through Pilates can help. Our bodies can only handle so much stress so the body stores it in our muscles and fascia and our brain disconnects from that part of the body to block the experience. Learn to unlock and release these stored trauma memories with Pilates movement therapy and breathwork.

We are here to help you find a more mindful relationship between body and mind so you can once again find balance and calm in your life.

What is Trauma and how can we help?

Trauma can have a multitude of definitions depending on how we experience it. It can have a lasting emotional response that causes fear, stress and triggers in the body. However, the essence of trauma isn’t in the actual events but our aloneness within them. If the body is under enough stress, it will shut down and go into survival mode and immobilization. This is when our body can’t handle the stress and we need something to snap our nervous system out of it. This is where movement therapy through Pilates with an empathic and caring practitioner can help. Only when we have enough interpersonal support can we digest the event and move forward. Any experience of pain or fear that is not met by an empathetic other, will be tucked away in the body as if no time has passed.

At Align Pilates, our goal is to create a safe space to communicate, learn, move, breathe, slow down, listen and release. We are here to support you and to help you feel grounded, calm and connected.

Sessions in Trauma currently offered by Brita

Practitioners have completed Trauma Informed Practice Training through UBC and the Canadian Psychology Association.