Becoming a Trauma-Informed Spiritual Explorer

Mindfulness meditation, yoga, and other spiritual practices bring many benefits, but for those struggling with trauma, those practices can actually amplify their symptoms. That doesn’t mean they should avoid these practices. By adopting trauma-sensitive principles, those healing from trauma often have the most to gain.
In this episode, Sounds True founder Tami Simon speaks with Dr. David Treleaven, a leading voice in Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness (TSM), to explore the five principles of TSM, why the breath is not always a neutral or safe object of attention, how to tell if an intense meditation experience is helping or not, when to lean in to your practice and when to change direction, techniques to re-ground and regulate, guidance for meditation teachers, the importance of supportive relationships in TSM, and much more.
David Treleaven, PhD, is a writer, educator, and trauma professional working at the intersection of mindfulness and trauma. He is the author of Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and a visiting scholar at Brown University. David is the founder of Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness (TSM), a community of practitioners committed to setting a standard of care through mindfulness-based practices, interventions, and programs.
For more information go to: davidtreleaven.com
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Sounds True was founded in 1985 by Tami Simon with a clear mission: to disseminate spiritual wisdom. Since starting out as a project with one woman and her tape recorder, we have grown into a multimedia publishing company with more than 80 employees, a library of more than 1500 titles featuring some of the leading teachers and visionaries of our time, and an ever-expanding family of customers from across the world. In more than three decades of growth, change, and evolution, Sounds True has maintained its focus on its overriding purpose, as summed up in our Mission Statement.
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[@upendasana7857]

Great conversation and well done Tami for pushing for clarity.
I was always terrified at the thought of long meditation retreats years ago as I knew on some level I could never have coped with it.
I think its vitally important now that there is more trauma informed practices with meditation and other practices.
Connecting with the body is so important for those of us who tend to dissociate or go into our heads or spiritually bypass.
Creating that groundness and container that's just enough to allow us to bring up that often repressed or often unconscious material that is trauma is so important.Using breath and body awareness,self compassion are all really useful basis to process trauma.

[@willowway42]

Thank you for speaking to this phenomenon. I've certainly experienced this and it seriously worsened the trauma symptoms here long term and interfered with my healing journey. Spiritual practices and healing practices are not the same thing.
I was a great dissociator too....
Bless 🙌🌿

[@mimilepsge6785]

I am in total agreement. Having been a therapist for 28 years and have watched people being carried out of meditation retreats because they are no longer able to function in a conscious manner. I have been concerned for about this for a long time
Therapy and meditation and are very different. My experience has been that many meditation teachers have not done their own personal work and come from a place of trauma themselves.
I am really not judging here I am just saying that that is the reality. And it needs to be addressed
It concerns me that both Tammy and her guest are circling the qualifications and abilities of people who run such retreats
I strongly strongly suggest that if someone is thinking about going to a Meditation Retreat they do a great deal of research as to who will be the facilitator. I'm glad this was brought up and it needs to be taken to another level thank you

[@rainbowbridgerestoration979]

Hi! Hope your day goes wonderfully!!

[@user-ds6gg8ne4f]

Well said. Same for me.

[@user-ds6gg8ne4f]

Thank you for bringing this important topic to light in this interview and in your work.
I dove into Buddhist meditation at Spirit Rock. About 13 yrs ago I did a 1 month long retreat . I told the teachers I had cptsd and to please help me discern if I’m pushing too hard. They assured me they were trauma trained. After 3 weeks with serious suididal ideation I told them I was leaving, that this wasn’t compassionate. I felt like a horrible failure. I felt gaslighted. It took me 2 years to unwind out of that experience.
Just to say I appreciate Spirit Rock’s dedication to the teachings. I really 5:21 hope they are taking very seriously how deep and potentially life threatening these trauma patterns can be if they are repeatedly activated.
Om mani padme hung
It’s been a very long journey healing.
May we all have tremendous patience and love on this healing path ❤

[@stephenburgess5710]

Really clearly communicated! Have as a baseline competency that you know is there. If someone does’t know how to come back in their window, then more is not going to be better.
I’ve been experiencing some hypervigilance lately and couldn’t figure out what was happening. Now I’m coming back in to the window of tolerance. It was ok I was out of it. Now I’m coming back within the window, I feel more grounded than ever. Great framework for discussing excitement in the body in the context of emotional healing and the role of being regulated versus disregulated.

[@ZacandDora]

Since the pandemic a lot of people are experiencing increasing fight/flight responses and anxiety. It’s worth remembering that this also forms part of the collective soup (some say field) that we are all also always connected to.

[@stephtaylor6292]

This feels very validating and relevant. I really appreciated this episode alot! Thankyou to both of you, Tami and David! *Blessings.*

[@summersunriseyoga]

What an insightful conversation! Thank you for bringing us this content, relevant to both teachers and practitioners 🙏

[@debbievandenberg9080]

Thank you for this it helps me understand myself better ….

[@19grand]

Exactly what I needed.

[@SundanceKit]

This important conversation encompasses topics that should be made available in some form of Trauma Sensitivity Training for audiences of all kinds! So much gratitude going out to both Tammi and David for the gift of these insights.🙏💕. -Cassie Dorrance

[@sylviaclements1002]

Spiritual growth and therapy are two entirely different things and mindfulness like yoga are greatly misunderstood and misused, often with consequences. This conversation leaves me concerned for patients .

[@everybodyshere9567]

everything is connected..contemplate, let it flow

[@sylviaclements1002]

@@everybodyshere9567 True, "We all want to belong and we all want to become." "Everybody's here" but everyone is different. We all want to be in the flow. (Connected and balanced to the frequency of source energy) Being responsible is key as is understanding, intention, and love (528 MHZ). Thus the challenge, commitment, and care required to pursue and achieve integration, realization ,and enlightenment sometime in the continuum. "Do no harm."
The process is natural and individual.

[@everybodyshere9567]

@@sylviaclements1002 this is included

[@peters8080]

yoga and meditation can at times be a sanctioned form of dissociation. Maybe relationships is where mindfulness can really shine?

[@vixenvalenzuela]

This was my issue with spirituality, now it’s starting to make more sense

[@gavinspeaks]

*Fun facts:*
- You are always manifesting
- Stop putting the law of attraction on a pedestal
- Make what you want normal in your mind to have.
~Much Love from a Law of Attraction TH-camr💜

[@Jaime.Vacado]

This is very interesting I never once thought this could be a side effect of meditation.

[@CarolBlaneyPhD]

I guess for those who get really too-horrible-to-face past memories, it is time for MDMA therapy, so they can then (with therapist) face the situation, the memory, and reframe it in a spiritual way, with the help of the therapist. I understand the MDMA medicine helps you face the memory in a completely empathic and loving way. somehow it prevents fight or flight. I am only just starting the interview so maybe you discuss this later.

[@OwningAuthenticity]

"Feeling a draw to want to work well around trauma." This is my life.

[@rainbowbridgerestoration979]

Well then I'm ur twin baby!!!!

[@susie_q1]

Is this version just the trauma wounded just going to another trauma wounded which is pretty much like going to traditional therapy and psychiatry presently which has most often been the norm? Unexamined lives should not be in the healing modalities with just 'training' for this modality that is still trying to break through and be heard, seen and accepted in the medical world. Is this here today listening to just a money making leap to get a piece of the very important trauma healing and being trauma informed world and misusing such important knowledge by others who truly brought trauma modality to mainstream? We have innate wisdom. We may have never been taught to trust it as perhaps never modeled. We can tap into it without going to unhealed trainees 'trying' to act like they have a clue. One of my favorite books from long ago re: traditional therapy is Against Therapy by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. I love so many wise authors who have shared so much in healing stored wounds. My latest addition and further awakening has been Dr. Gabor Mate who has been doing this work trauma work for many, many years. He is a bright light in collective times of great angst. Peddling anything that causes more confusion and pain which can create more doubt holds no interest for me.

[@EileenOR]

I’d guess that Gabor would understand and appreciate what Tami and David are speaking about.
.

[@susie_q1]

@@EileenOR He might be.

[@magiclampboogiesdown9717]

How many times can they constantly circle back and belabor the same point ad nauseum? “Push yourself but don’t overdo it.” Next slide.

[@snowsick1]

Extremely elusive and vague answers to any question...playing with words, grinding water, i wonder what one can gain from this interview...

[@jj1985vid]

Agreed. Tami, as usual, had all the meaningful questions, however, after an hour of answers, the only statement that had any value was at the end of the interview. With regards to ensuring practitioners in society (doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc) become better trauma informed - the more appropriate approach to relating to trauma survivors would be to ask, "what happened to you?" instead of having the perspective of "what's wrong with you?"

[@ShaktiKaliKaloczi]

sorry this is absolute BS