What is TCTSY?
Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga began at the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, Massachusetts, in support of folks navigating complex trauma and treatment resistant PTSD. TCTSY is now the foundational program at the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI and is offered and practiced by people all over the world.
This methodology is rooted in the hatha yoga tradition, offering options to explore movement and breath practices as a way to support healing from trauma. The practice is offered through the lens of the intersectionality framework with elements based on trauma theory, attachment theory, and neuroscience.
It is an empirically valid, evidence-based intervention for complex trauma and chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), with deep gratitude to survivors exploring this practice and sharing their experiences. In addition, many of the folks I have practiced with, and who may not identity with having experienced trauma or harm, have found this movement practice to be extremely beneficial.
At its foundation, TCTSY is relational - an ongoing practice of embodiment. It supports the development of agency and the exploration of felt sensations in the body, and it has had a profound impact on my own healing journey.
TCTSY is a practice that can be tricky to put words around; however, we offer it with deep reverence to the use of language - in the way we navigate making choices and how our words can support the invitation to move, find stillness, or process a challenge. In this practice, there is no prescription for what a form looks like - we can explore how a shape or transition might feel (or not feel) and we encourage space for curiosity. It doesn't assume that the human experience of healing is linear, and yet, we can explore opportunities to come back to the present moment, begin again, and approach connection.
Core Elements of TCTSY
The five core elements of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga are: invitational language, present moment felt experience (also known as interoception), choice-making, shared authentic experience and non-coercion. It is an opportunity for participants to approach having a conversation with their bodies, reconnecting or connecting for the first time with agency, and practicing self-trust by acknowledging and making decisions for oneself.
About Dion
My yoga practice began in 2000, as I searched for movement modalities that emphasized awareness of the inner self versus the visual aesthetics of the outer form. Although my personal practice continues to be influenced by dance, Pilates and functional movement conditioning, my approach has evolved to allow for more self-compassion and embodiment. I completed my 200-RYT training in 2013, and continued to seek updated information about the science of our body-brain connection in healing and recovery from adverse life experiences. In 2018, I completed the Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) Facilitator training through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at Justice Resource Institute, where I continue to work closely with my mentors, David Emerson and Jenn Turner, in this methodology. With ardent awareness of power dynamics and an emphasis on non-coercion, I feel deeply grateful to share this evidence-based healing practice with individuals in private sessions and in small group classes. I have had the honor of working with and supporting clinicians and physicians who seek trauma stewardship, students and faculty at UC Davis, as well as first responders and cancer fighters, survivors and their care providers.
Originally from Sonoma County, I have lived in Davis with my husband, our three children (now adults) and beloved rescue dogs since 1994.
Certifications & Experience:
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2018: TCSTY-F 300-hour Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator training with David Emerson and Jenn Turner, The Center for Trauma and Embodiment at Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, MA
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2018: E-RYT 200 and YACEP with Yoga Alliance
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2017: Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher Training with Zabie Yamasaki of Transcending Sexual Trauma Through Yoga, Irvine, CA
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2016: 40-hour Introduction to Trauma-Sensitive Yoga with David Emerson and Jenn Turner of The Trauma Center at JRI, Brookline, MA
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2014: The Daring Way Authenticity Workshop – the practice of shame resilience skills based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown, Davis, CA
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2014: BBarre Plus Instructor Certification, Maiden Lane Studios, San Francisco, CA
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2013: 200-RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) Akasha Yoga, Davis, CA
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2000: The Method Pilates Certification (formerly known as The PhysicalMind Institute)
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1999: ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer
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1990: 600-hour Pilates apprenticeship with master teacher, Sarah George Johnson
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1986: IDEA (International Dance Exercise Association) Certified Group Exercise Instructor
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1985-1990: Dancer with teams and companies in SF, Oakland and San Diego
Current Involvement
I collaborate with the non-profit, Cancer Champion Fitness, in offering mindful movement and body-based mediation practices for those fighting and surviving cancer, along with their caregivers.
I facilitate yoga therapy groups at ERC Pathlight in Sacramento, supporting folks who are in recovery from eating disorders, and mood & anxiety disorders.
I am associated with Thriving Pink, both as a volunteer “Pink Pal”, and as a trauma-sensitive movement facilitator for this impactful non-profit.
As a dancer/performer with NBA's Golden State Warriors, on The Hardwood Classics dance team, I have the unique opportunity to support professional dancers (ages 8 to 80) with an integrated approach to mindfulness in the arena.
Mostly, I support people in their individual movement practices for trauma resolution, injury rehabilitation, and embodied joy through dance. I work with folks individually, in small groups, and in educational and corporate settings. I am honored to be trusted with the referrals of many therapists and physicians.
