What does trauma-informed practice mean?

Being "trauma-informed" is a huge buzzword in many professionals at the moment including psychology, medicine, yoga teaching and many others. But what does it mean to be trauma-informed? In this article, we will explore the concept.

Understanding trauma prevalence

One of the biggest changes is that we are talking about trauma a lot more now. We have moved from a place where we thought trauma was rare to understanding that many people carry trauma with them. This is especially the case in adverse childhood experiences which are, unfortunately, far more common than we once thought.

We are also changing our understanding of trauma. We are moving away from "big T" trauma such as life-threatening situations and becoming more aware of "small T" trauma which reflects the build-up of non-life threatening but still impactful events that people experience.

In summary, being trauma-informed starts with embracing the idea that trauma is a lot more prevalent than we thought.

Awareness of trauma

Now that we know trauma is out there, the next step is being able to recognise the signs of trauma.

There is no one simple indicator of trauma, and many of the symptoms overlap with mental and physical health conditions. But being aware of the patterns in trauma can help us keep the question in our minds.

Trauma's effects on an individual can include changes in mood, withdrawal, avoidance, hypervigilance, trouble sleeping, physical tension and difficulties with trust and relationships. This list is not exhaustive but gives an idea of some of the most common indicators.

Building safety and trust

When working in a trauma-informed way, one of the most important principles is that an individual's sense of safety has been eroded by the traumatic event(s) and we need to be mindful of this.

This might involve being very clear about what is going to happen, working at a pace that the client feels comfortable with, developing a physical environment that feels safe and fundamentals like keeping our word and being on time.

Here are some examples of how we can build safety:

• Therapists might think about how the chairs are positioned and who is sitting closest to the door
• Mindfulness teachers might encourage clients to keep their eyes open during practices
• Yoga teachers might consider how a certain pose may make students feel more vulnerable and always obtain consent before making adjustments

All of this is good practice for working with any client, not just those carrying trauma.

Working collaboratively

Trauma often involves events that strip individuals of control or a violation of boundaries. We can help empower clients by giving them control back and working collaboratively with them.

Here are some examples of working collaboratively:

• Therapists might invite a client to choose where to sit and give the client options as to how they want therapy to work
• Mindfulness teachers can invite clients to open or close their eyes as they wish
• Yoga teachers can offer students alternative poses and the chance to opt out of any particular pose, activity or adjustment

Again, all of this is good practice for working with anyone, as well as being particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing the effects of trauma.

Working with the body

Bessel van der Kolk's book The Body Keeps The Score suggests that trauma is not merely stored in the brain but is stored throughout the whole body.

This means that if we want to work in a trauma-informed way, we need to address the physical impact of trauma as well as the mental.

Yogic philosophy has long advocated for the mind-body connection but for therapists, this involves working less with the cognitive processes as we might do in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and bringing a greater emphasis to the body, such as is used in sensorimotor therapy.

Conclusion

Working in a trauma-informed way is not an all-or-nothing issue. You are probably doing many of the things that already support individuals with trauma. By continuing to build our awareness and understanding of trauma, and focusing on safety, collaboration and bodily experience, we can continue to develop our ability to work effectively with trauma.