HOPE AND HEALING: BUILDING A SPACE FOR TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA

in partnership with Resilient Retreat, Inc.
Project location: Sarasota, FL United States

Research has suggested that yoga and experiences in nature are effective treatments for community members impacted by trauma (Mazzio, et al., 2021; Vujcic, 2017). After we experience trauma, it is common for our nervous system to get stuck in a state of fight or flight. This is why it is common for survivors of trauma to experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which includes flashbacks, difficulty controlling emotions, difficulty sleeping, and avoidance behaviors.

Both yoga and experiences outdoors encourage the body to switch from fight or flight to rest and digest, allowing participants to more easily regulate their nervous system which is critical to maintaining mental and physical well-being. To support the healing process, Resilient Retreat will build a yoga platform and create a space by our meditation pond to offer trauma-informed yoga several times a week. This will allow us to serve up to 15 trauma survivors twice a week, resulting in up to 1,560 survivors of trauma served every year!

Dr. Sidney Turner, Founder of Resilient Retreat, and Kristanne Korsch, Young Living Independent Distributor, will work together to create in person and online opportunities to raise $10,000 which will be matched by the generosity of the Young Living Foundation! 

Resilient Retreat offers free and confidential programs to community members impacted by trauma, specifically survivors of abuse and first responders/helping professionals on the frontlines that witness trauma at work. Resilient Retreat offers evidence-based programs proven to help with trauma, including trauma-informed yoga, aromatherapy, equine therapy, support groups, experiences in nature, art/music therapy, and much more. Resilient Retreat conducts research and evaluates their programs. To date, they have found that community members that attend their programs report lower rates of suicidial thoughts, depression, PTSD, alcohol use, and improvements in stress, feeling like you matter to others, and controlling emotions.