Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation can be deeply supportive, but for some people, turning inward or becoming still can also bring up difficult sensations, memories, or states of activation. Trauma-sensitive practice recognizes these possibilities and offers ways to engage in mindfulness without becoming overwhelmed. The intention is not to force awareness, but to gently build capacity for being with your experience, one moment at a time.
Trauma-sensitive mindfulness adapts mindfulness and meditation practices with an awareness of how trauma can shape the nervous system, body, and sense of safety. Rather than asking you to simply "be present," to focus on the breath, or stay with what is difficult this approach honors your individual capacity, offering gentle practices that support choice, agency, and connection with your body in a way that works for you and your past experiences.
Trauma-sensitive mindfulness uses awareness of physical support, environmental sound, tactile cues, and visual orientation to promote present-moment awareness, grounding, and reduction of physiological activation. Practice is paced slowly to reduce the risk of overwhelming the nervous system and to strengthen your capacity to remain oriented and present while attending to internal experience.
Drawing from trauma-informed mindfulness and Somatic Experiencing®, we move at a slow and gentle pace that feels manageable and respectful of your nervous system. You’ll learn to notice sound, sensations, emotions, and internal experiences with curiosity, while also developing resources for grounding, regulation, and a greater sense of safety.