Join us in May for this month's ' Vicarious Trauma: Resourcing the body' workshop where we will focus on breath in relation to our work and contact with trauma. We will have the chance to explore a range of different ways of using our breath and how each practice might be useful for us individually.
Working with trauma takes its toll on our bodies. Sometimes the effects are immediate and obvious – feeling sick, suffering from headaches and other symptoms of anxiety. Other effects might be more subtle and gradual – muscle pain, poor immunity, lethargy and extended or frequent absence from work.
This is one of series of workshops for you or your staff if you are coming across trauma in your work or in an upaid role. You might be a counsellor, psychotherapist, support worker, nurse, social worker, lawyer, manager, researcher or in another role such as a carer.
You will leave the session with a range of tools relating to the breath to take away that you can use during the working day, or on your own at home, in order to help restore balance in the body following contact with trauma.
This workshop is suitable both for newcomers and for attendees of previous 'Vicarious Trauma: Resourcing the body' workshops. While there are similarities across each workshop - this is one of a series where we will focus our attention on a different aspect of resourcing the body each time.
Attending these workshops regularly can be a way to help resource and maintain balance in the body when working with trauma on an ongoing basis.
Heres what a participant on a previous workshop shared about their experience
'Thank you for a wonderful session .. great to have such an inclusive space. Really appreciated the range of body / mind approaches, so helpful
It was really supportive to re-engage with one’s body without feeling overly conscious or inhibited by the expectation that we ‘should’ be a certain way ..
The session was a gift, thank you'
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to;
- name the ways in which our health might be physically impacted by coming into contact with traumatic narratives and working with people who are affected by trauma and explore the impact and role of breath
- describe a number of breathing practices which you can use for yourself in times of need
-consider how you may apply what you have learnt in the workshop in your life and work, either on a first aid basis or part of a longer term strategy for wellbeing
the session will be mainly focussed on individual body work, with some time built in for personal reflection on the practices we are exploring. We will also include some time for tea and an opportunity to connect with each other.
You do not need any experience of yoga, to be flexible or even to own lycra! We will be including some simple yoga movements to try out with the aim of connecting with the body and increasing relaxation rather than promoting flexibility and strength.
Please wear comfortable clothing as we will be moving in the session – if possible avoid wearing jeans as they usually restrict movement. Tracksuit, leggings or looser trousers are fine. If you have a yoga mat, you can bring it, if not, there will be plenty of yoga mats available to borrow. Bring paper and pen/pencil .
Numbers are limited and this will be a small group
Certificates of attendance will be available
Please note, this session is a focus on supporting the worker and does not provide a qualification on teaching breath or bodywork.
About Your Facilitator:
Elise Marshall is a person-centred counsellor, supervisor & trainer and a registered, accredited member of BACP. She is also qualified to level 3 as an EMDR practitioner. Soon after graduating as a counsellor in 2005 Elise went on to qualitfy as a massage therapist with the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine and a few years later completed her yoga teacher training with Prana Yoga College.
Elise has over 14 years working with survivors of trauma including with those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, sexual violence, domestic abuse and torture. For ten years she worked as a psychological therapist with survivors of torture for a national charity where she also designed and delivered training for those working with trauma in a wide range of roles and settings. Elise is an honorary lecturer at Glasgow University School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing and is on the teaching faculty at Temenos Education. Elise also has a small private practice as a counsellor, supervisor, yoga teacher and massage therapist as well as providing long term counselling for a small charity working with male adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. She is a co-founder and director of Mandala Consultants.
Elise has a particular interest in Vicarious Traumatisation and is currently priorisiting time for reflecting and writing about this area. She has commenced training as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner with SOSI.