Trauma- Sensitive Yoga as an Adjunctive Treatment: The G.R.A.C.E. Model

ABSTRACT

This was an exploratory study on the perceived benefits of one trauma- sensitive yoga program for women who self- selected to attend the program to improve their mental health. The participants in this study were women from the United States between the ages of 20–60 years old. Participants attended one of two six- week trauma- sensitive yoga groups utilizing the G.R.A.C.E model, a format developed based on Emerson’s trauma yoga guidelines and modified by the instructor. The themes of the weekly classes in this format include grounding, reconnection/relatedness, awareness/acceptance, and compassion and empowerment. The participants of this study completed pre- surveys and post- surveys. The results of the surveys indicated that participants perceived improvements in self- care, embodiment, and mood. These results show that trauma- sensitive yoga may have benefits beyond the treatment of specific diagnoses that could be applied to a variety of population.

KEYWORDS:

• Embodiment
• self- care
• trauma- sensitive yoga
• creativity in counseling

Conflict-of-interest statement

There are no financial relationships that would influence the content of the submitted work. There are no patents, copyrights, or royalties relevant to the submitted work at this time. There are no other known activities that could have influenced the content of the submitted work.