MINDFULNESS AND TRAUMA

For people who have an activated nervous system from a trauma or even suffer from PTSD, some of the practices described might be a real challenge.

The most important thing:

• We want you to feel in control. That might mean that you will choose to do things differently from other than what is stated in these readings and recordings.

The overarching goal:

• Finding and learning how to gain and maintain non-judgmental attention in the here-and- now. If you lose that awareness, shift your practice.

Areas you can experiment with:

• Having your eyes open or closed.

• Meditation posture: Sitting, standing, lying down or moving.

• Where you are in the room: for example, with your back to the door or close to a wall

• Using micro-movements (like wiggling your fingers slightly) instead of being completely still.

• Length of meditation.

• Which kind of meditation: Body Scan, Breath, Sounds, Seeing, Walking, other forms of movement, lovingkindness, etc.

Working with Trauma In Your Meditation Practice - Tara Brach [6 mins]

Every body and mind is unique, and we each need to experiment and customize our daily meditation practice in a way that most serves our awakening and freedom. This is especially important for those with PTSD, as the classic mindfulness instructions can potentially lead to a sense of emotional overwhelm. Modifying your meditation practice in ways that bring a sense of safety and stability is key to making meditation accessible and healing.

Download PDF: Meditation Practice Guidelines for Working with Trauma & PTSD

You can either view the information here on line, or download the Week 1 lesson pages

Week 1 PDF

Mindfulness and Trauma

MINDFULNESS AND TRAUMA