Breathwork, Yoga, and Trauma: How to Release Trauma from the Body and Not Just From the Brain.

Megon Champion
Oct 14, 2024
6 min read

Over the years our understanding of trauma has shifted. Originally we often only associated trauma with people returning from war and when the systems of the trauma continued, we considered them weak. Since then many studies have been done but one of the most exciting has been published in the book “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Treatment of Trauma” by Dr Bessel van der Kolk. This book looks at trauma as being more of a universal experience and looks at treatments for trauma beyond just medical solutions. A whole-body solution, not just a brain solution. But what is trauma?

Trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, and how are they different.

What is trauma?

Trauma is any situation or event we may find stressful, frightening, or distressing. These events are usually difficult to cope with or out of our control. They can be a once-off event or an ongoing event.

Because trauma affects each person differently, there is no fast rule as to what events can be traumatic. It is more the way you react to them. Trauma can happen during the event, long after the event, and at any age.

The main types of trauma are:

Childhood trauma.
Collective trauma.
Generational trauma.
Moral Injury.
Racial trauma.
Secondary trauma.

Trauma symptoms can be broken up into two categories. They are initial symptoms and delayed symptoms. Initial symptoms are among others:

Exhaustion.
Confusion.
Sorrow.
Anxiety.
Feeling on edge.
Numb to your surroundings or emotions.
Dissociation.

Delayed symptoms can include:

Relentless exhaustion.
Nightmares.
Flashbacks.
Depression.
Confusion.

What is PTSD?

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced a traumatic event. People with PTSD often have intense thoughts and feelings related to their experience well after the traumatic event happened.

There are four main categories of symptoms of PTSD and they can vary in severity:

Intrusion: this includes intrusive thoughts such as involuntary memories, flashbacks, and vivid memories.
Avoidance: try avoiding anything that reminds them of the event. This could be people, places, activities, and even situations. They may even avoid discussing the event or how they feel about it.
Alteration in cognition and mood: memory loss around the aspect of the traumatic event or distorted thoughts about the event's cause leading to blaming oneself or others. Negative thoughts and feelings about oneself and others. Ongoing fear, horror, anger, guilt, shame, etc. Less interest in previous activities enjoyed, feeling estranged from others, and a void of happiness.
Alterations in arousal and reactivity: include irritability, angry outbursts, reckless behaviour, self-destructive behaviour, being suspicious of one’s surroundings, being easily startled, and problems concentrating or sleeping.

These symptoms are usually seen within three months after the event but can also appear years after the events happened. And while many people can experience these symptoms after a traumatic event, to be diagnosed with PTSD the symptoms need to be prolonged and cause significant problems in a person’s day-to-day life.

PTSD often comes with related conditions such as:

Depression.
Substance use.
Memory problems.
Acute stress disorder.
Adjustment disorder.
Disinhibited disorder.
Reactive attachment disorder

What is CPTSD.

CPTSD or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychiatric disorder that is a sibling disorder to PTSD. While PTSD occurs after one traumatic event, CPTSD occurs after sustained, repeated, or multiple forms of traumatic events. You have a higher chance of being diagnosed with CPTSD if:

You experienced trauma at a young age.
The trauma lasted for a prolonged period.
Escape/rescue was unlikely or impossible.
You have experienced more than one trauma.
Someone close to you harmed you.

CPTSD and PTSD share major symptoms. However, CPTSD has additional symptoms that are distinct to anyone suffering from it:

Difficulty controlling emotions.
Anger and distrust towards the world.
Constant feelings of hopelessness/emptiness.
Feeling if you are permanently damaged/worthless.
Feeling as if you are completely different from others.
Feeling like nobody understands what happened.
Avoiding friendships/relationships or finding them difficult.
Experiencing dissociative symptoms.
Physical symptoms: headaches, dizziness, chest pains, and stomach aches.
Regular suicidal feelings.

Traditional Treatments for Trauma. PTSD, and CPTSD.

Most of the traditional treatments for the three disorders related to trauma are the same with extra treatments for any associated conditions.

The main treatment for trauma is medication and counseling. The correct combination and types of medication will be discussed between you and your Psychiatrist. Medication can be used to treat symptoms like depression, sleep problems, and anxiety. Your Psychiatrist will also recommend the best counselor who specialises in trauma work.

Other treatments can include:

Cognitive Processing Therapy: is a cognitive behavioural therapy designed specifically for PTSD. It focuses on changing negative emotions and beliefs.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy: uses repeated exposure to the trauma or triggers in a safe and controlled way to help the patient face fear, gain control, and learn to cope.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: an evidence-based therapy that uses trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioural, family, and humanistic principles. It is used primarily with children and adolescents.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing for PTSD: this is done over at least three months. The therapist guides the patients through traumatic memories. According to Psychiatry.org “Eye movements similar to those in REM sleep is recreated during a session by having the patient watch the therapist’s fingers go back and forth or by watching a light bar. The eye movements last for a brief time period and then stop.” Over time there can be changes in memories, thoughts, and feelings. Overall emotions can become less negative.

These are just the main treatments used others can include Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy, Narrative Exposure Therapy, Group Therapy, Inpatient Therapy, and Outpatient Therapy.

As you can see most traditional treatments work on the effects of trauma on the brain. While this is a good place to start and an effective way to deal with trauma, it is always good to see the body as a whole.

Alternative Treatments: Treating the Body as a Whole.

As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk talks about in his book “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Treatment of Trauma” symptoms such as headaches, exhaustion, nightmares, disassociation, muscle tension, and anger outbursts are not only the brain’s way of exhibiting trauma but the body’s way as well. Therefore, we need to release trauma from our bodies as well to help us heal.

What is the best way to release trauma from the body? There are two psychologically recommended ways.

Breathwork.

There is a link between breathing and our nervous system because the Vagus nerve runs through the diaphragm. Therefore, How we breathe can help us with feeling more relaxed and safe.

Trained professionals can use different breathing techniques to release tension and make you feel safe. They can be simple with just breathwork or more complex with breathing, music, touch, and other elements.

Simple techniques can include:

Extended Exhale: this is where the exhale is emphasized. The way we exhale signals that we are safe.
Spinal Breath: creates safety and builds neuroception in the body. This allows you to notice subtle sensations in the body.
Alternative nostril breathing: brings balance to the two branches of the nervous system.

More complex techniques include:

Biodynamic Breathwork: is a technique combining breath, movement, sound, touch, emotions, and meditation. This technique helps release blockages caused by trauma flight or fight responses.
Holotropic Breathwork: this technique pairs quickened breathing with evocation music while lying down. It can help connect you with your inner intelligence and begin the healing process.
Wim Hof Breathwork Method: works by taking deep oxygen-rich breaths to control the autonomic nervous system. Cold can also be introduced to halt our sympathetic nervous system from activating and increases our ability to tolerate stress.

Breathwork should be taught in a controlled environment so that it doesn't trigger flashbacks or panic attacks. However, once you feel comfortable with the techniques, they can be used whenever you feel overwhelmed. Especially, the simple techniques which can be used in your everyday arsenal of treatments.

Yoga.

Yoga for trauma is not intended to take you back to the source of the trauma or pain but to help you become more aware of what's going on in your body. Once you become more aware of what's going on in your body, then you can start working on releasing stress, built-up emotions, and tension.

Doing Yoga in conjunction with traditional talking therapy has been known to help open pathways to the brain which can help the patient talk more freely about the trauma.

Conclusion.

With our understanding of trauma changing and the realisation that more than 70.4% (according to the WHO World Mental Health Survey) experience trauma at some stage, we need to change how look at treatment. Combining traditional and alternative methods seems to be the best way to treat the body as a whole and the best way to start.