Trauma - Informed Resources
This is a collection of resources for those formerly affiliated with Yoga to the People, and others who feel harmed by manipulation and abuse in bodywork and spiritual communities, in the wake of the out-pouring of stories facilitated by the creators of @yttpshadowwork. @yttpshadowwork on Instagram also has a link to resources in their profile. Here it is: linktr.ee/yttpshadowwork
I support the work that @yttpshadowwork is doing though I am not affiliated with them other than sharing my personal stories.
If you feel desperate and need to talk to someone right now here are two 24hr hotlines providing counseling and advocacy:
RAINN- National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
https://hotline.rainn.org/online - online chat
BAWAR - Bay Area Women Against Rape: 1-510-845-7273
The people and writings listed her are not formerly affiliated with Yoga to the People. This is an intentional choice in hopes of allowing us who were so closely involved with Yttp a different framework of healing, so that we can see where we may have internalized the harmful approach Yttp often adopted towards healing and spirituality and going forward make different choices in our own teaching and healing practices.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this document. This is a community effort. I value the transparency of this endeavor, as lack of transparency was one of the major problems at Yttp, and enabled the continuation of abuse for too long.
*Please Note, recommendations of trauma-informed POC, Queer and Transgender therapists and support groups is needed in this document. I am searching for this myself, but value your personal experience more than a search engine. Please email me if you know someone or of a group.
If you have feedback, concerns, questions and/or have resources to add to this document please contact me: kaitlinmcsweeney@gmail.com
If you want to share your survivor story or know someone who might: yttpshadowwork@gmail.com
Order as follows: organizations that offer trauma-informed support, individual therapists, books and articles, group sittings (mostly through zoom at the moment)
Organizations that offer trauma informed support:
California Institute for Integral Studies: offering low income counseling, acupuncture and somatic psychotherapy.
East Bay Meditation Center: offering BIPOC sangha on Thursdays, recovery support groups, guided meditation, trauma informed practice.
Spirit Rock: offering weekly sittings including a BIPOC only sitting on Sundays, trauma resolution groups and trainings for trauma-informed teaching, retreats and workshops.
Spirit Rock - An Insight Meditation Center - Spirit Rock - An Insight Meditation Center
Therapy Den: search engine for finding therapists in your area. https://www.therapyden.com/
Trauma-Informed Therapists
This is contact information for a few trauma-informed therapists who were recommended to me by people not affiliated or formerly affiliated with Yttp. They are all licensed and work primarily with somatics, that is working with memory held in the body as well as the ‘working memory’ of the mind. POC therapists listed first.
http://roottherapy.info/index.html - Aretha Hampton, LCSW
https://linktr.ee/Yamt - Ashante T. MA - MHC, LAC, instagram @you_are_more_than
https://www.amberboydtherapy.com/post/black-lives-matter - Amber Boyd, LMFT, MA
Allante' Burnell, Limited Licensed Psychologist, Northville, MI, 48167 - Allante Burnell, MS, TLLP
Sis, Everyone Needs Therapy!: SENT - Alysse Louise McCall, LGSW
Sara Oakes, SEP, CST – Craniosacral & Somatic Healing
Sound Mindfulness Group - Eliza Carlson, LMHC, CN, SEP
Resource Resilience Counseling - Rebecca Renfrow, MS, SEP, LMHCA
Integral Counseling and Psychotherapy - Veronika Gold, SEP, EMDR
BodyMind-InnerWork - Lynn Anne, MFT, SEP
Somatic Therapy - Joel Decker, SEP, MFT
Somatic Therapies: Stress, Trauma, Chronic Pain, Oakland CA|Abby Rose - NARM, SEP, HSE
Julie Rappaport - LMFT, SEP, CYT
Frederique Georges, MFT, SEP: San Francisco Pschotherapy, Somatic Experiencing
Anne M. Pincus, Ph. D - San Francisco Therapist
https://www.shailavie.com/ - Shai Lavie, MFT
Sakti Rose, Marin, Healing for Stress and Trauma - Sakti Rose, MA, SEP
Books and Articles, Audio- please recommend more!
I’ve included links to some recommended books on Ebay, Etsy and Amazon but if you can, support black-owned independent bookstores, here is an article with a list of stores: https://lithub.com/you-can-order-today-from-these-black-owned-independent-bookstores/
http://traumadissociation.com/books#abuse - books recommended by traumadissociation.com
The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van der Kolk https://www.ebay.com/p/208724599?iid=153990988755&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=153990988755&targetid=917185845248&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9032063&poi=&campaignid=10459991946&mkgroupid=100467642381&rlsatarget=pla-917185845248&abcId=2146000&merchantid=6296724&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzbaxj4fE6gIVUD2tBh2RmAKKEAQYAiABEgL3jPD_BwE
It Didn’t Start with You - How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle, Mark Wolynn
https://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Start-You-Inherited-Family/dp/1101980389
Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience
https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Racial-Trauma-Road-Resilience/dp/0830845887
The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing and Social Justice, Staci Haines
The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice: Black Lives, Healing and US Social Transformation, Fania E. Davis
Articles
“Navigating digital meditation spaces as BIPOC”, by Mariah Emerson
https://medium.com/@hrblgyapothecary/meditations-for-and-by-bipoc-c82c6d4d7726
“Trauma Defined”, by Karen Onderko
https://integratedlistening.com/what-is-trauma/
Audio
East Bay Meditation Society offers pre-recorded talks on topics related to healing and strengthening embodied practice during trying time, as well as topics relating to social justice and oppression:
https://eastbaymeditation.org/resources/audio/
Liberate Meditation App: a collection of meditation resources created by BIPOC, for BIPOC.
https://liberatemeditation.com
Randi Mae: author, counselor and public speaker. She has recordings of guided meditations through Insight Timer:
https://randimae.com/about-randi-mae/
The Healing Refuge, Center for Healing and Recovery:
“If you are waiting for your first appointment, or need support in between sessions, the following are some useful tools and resources that can support you to find internal safety and stabilization through self-regulation, self-soothing, self-care and distress tolerance. The resources below incorporate grounding skills, Somatic Experiencing ’emotional first aid’ skills, mindfulness and self-compassion strategies, and DBT skills.
Many of the resources below are free of charge, or offered for a nominal fee.”
https://healingrefuge.com/emotional-first-aid/
Group Sittings (mostly through zoom)
Sean Feit Oakes- Phd, meditation teacher with a trauma-informed foundation.
“I bring a particular focus on working with the nervous system and resolving the symptoms of trauma, supported by devotional practice, study, and ethics as the basis of the path.”
Insight meditation group sittings Tuesday evenings 7:15-9pm (currently via Zoom):
https://www.seanfeitoakes.com/sangha-gatherings/
Will Kabat-Zinn- meditation teacher, Spirit Rock faculty
“Will has taught meditation to neuroscientists who study the effects of mindfulness and meditation on the brain, law enforcement professionals, incarcerated youth, and business and technology leaders from around the world.”
Offers early morning meditation and Sunday evening meditation via Zoom: https://sundaysangha.net/