trauma informed movement prescription

Trauma Informed movement prescription

Often times the hardest part about movement is where to start.

When you’ve experienced trauma fear and uncertainty are huge factors to consider when starting a movement protocol.

Just as there are many different types of trauma and ways they are expressed, the good news is there is no magic prescription to overcome its lingering, sometimes-debilitating effects.

A therapeutic tool may work for one person and not another, and multiple techniques may be best used in tandem are for instance, pairing talk therapy with a mindful-movement practice.

Likewise, there is no specific exercise or movement prescription for trauma; each successful protocol is as unique as the person being treated.

This is why I created the tag line – I meet you where you are at. 

Over the years, I have developed the Fitomize Formula which consists of four healing pillars: Breath, Lymph, Myofascia and Play. 

Unfortunately, the health and fitness industry has brain washed most people to believe that an exercise program needs to start in the  “play” category, but this can be detrimental to the nervous system. 

This is why movement can be so fearsome for people who have experienced trauma. 

That said, a mindful and trauma-sensitive movement practice might include the following brain based activities:

  • Balancing activities, such as training on one leg, with your arms at chest level or above (possibly holding extra weight), or even with closed eyes.
  • Contralateral movements, like crawling or single-leg deadlifts, that require opposite sides of the body (left arm and right leg, for example) to work simultaneously.
  • Activities that involve crossing over the midline of the body, such as Russian twists and curtsy lunges.
  • Strength and mobility work that targets the posterior chain and core, such as rowing and deadlifting.
  • Primal- and functional-movement patterns, including squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, twisting, bending, walking, crawling, and running.

Again, let me reiterate that these actitivies should only be completed after you have a solid understanding of how to correctly breath, move your lymph and unlock your fascia. 

Moving through trauma takes time and effort. The effort may present a lifetime of challenges. But there is also hope. With carefully crafted consistent movements, it is possible for every person to regain resilience and confidence. I’m here to prove to you that it is possible to feel good in your body again.


Click here to start your trauma informed movement journey

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