Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)
Training That Transforms
A research-grounded approach to trauma healing that recognizes your body as an essential part of the process.
Trauma doesn't only affect what we think or remember. It can profoundly change how we experience our bodies, our relationships, and our sense of safety in the world.
Traditional approaches to trauma treatment often focus on thoughts, memories, and emotions. Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) brings another important dimension into the healing process: our embodied experience.
Developed collaboratively by clinicians, researchers, and trauma survivors, TCTSY is an evidence-based therapeutic intervention for complex trauma and PTSD.
Through accessible movement, shared authentic experience, invitational language, and meaningful choice, TCTSY offers opportunities to develop awareness, connection, and a different relationship with our bodies.
Rooted in research. Centered on survivors. Practiced around the world.
A Worldwide Approach to Trauma Healing
What began at the Trauma Center in Massachusetts has grown into an international community of professionals bringing TCTSY into therapeutic, clinical, educational, and community settings.
Now a flagship program of the Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE), TCTSY is offered across more than 50 countries and territories by an international network of certified facilitators.
Its approach recognizes that trauma healing cannot always be addressed through words alone.
TCTSY offers an embodied, collaborative experience where participants can explore movement, notice sensations, and make choices about their own participation.
The experience belongs to the person moving, not the person facilitating.
Research That Informs the Practice
TCTSY has been studied for more than two decades, including through randomized controlled trials examining its use with individuals experiencing complex trauma and PTSD.
Research has demonstrated promising outcomes in reducing PTSD symptoms and supporting body awareness and engagement in treatment.
The research continues to expand internationally, contributing to a growing understanding of the role embodied approaches can have in trauma treatment.
Explore TCTSY Foundations Training
Foundations I (20 hours)
An opportunity to experience, explore, and understand a different approach to trauma.
This internationally recognized training introduces the research, theory, and experiential practices that inform Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga.
Through education, movement, discussion, and shared learning, participants are invited to experience the principles of TCTSY while considering how they may inform their existing professional work.
What You'll Explore
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How complex trauma influences the brain, body, and relationships
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The neuroscience and research supporting TCTSY
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Embodied awareness, interoception, and present-moment experience
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Invitational language, choice, and shared authentic experience
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Power dynamics and anti-oppressive approaches to facilitation
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Accessible movement and trauma-sensitive participation
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Experiential practices, small-group discussion, and reflection
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Integrating trauma-sensitive principles into clinical, yoga, and community settings
Training Format:
20 hours, including 14 live hours and 6 hours of independent study. Available online and in person.
Continuing Education:
Yoga Alliance (20 hours), IAYT (18 hours), NCBTMB (4 self-care hours).
This training meets the Foundations prerequisite for the Center for Trauma and Embodiment's 300-hour TCTSY Facilitator Certification Program.
Foundations II (additional 20 hours)
For those who have completed the initial 20-hour Foundations training, this additional 20-hour experience offers more opportunities to explore trauma-sensitive facilitation through movement, discussion, reflection, and practice.
Participants can deepen their understanding of choice, language, relationships, and how trauma-sensitive principles may become part of their professional work.
Together, the two trainings provide 40 hours of TCTSY education.
Continuing Education for Foundations II:
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Yoga Alliance (YA): 20 hours
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International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT): 20 hours
Combined Continuing Education for Foundations I & II:
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Yoga Alliance: 40 hours
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IAYT: 40 hours
Prerequisite:
Completion of the initial 20-hour Foundations training. The additional training is optional.
“Keri taught me more about somatic therapy in 20 hours than I learned in a full semester of graduate school in psychology.”
Who Is TCTSY Foundations Training For?
Bringing Embodied Awareness Into the Work You Already Do
You don't need to be a yoga teacher to explore TCTSY.
These trainings welcome professionals and community members interested in understanding how trauma influences our relationship with our bodies and how trauma-sensitive principles can inform the ways we support others.
Including:
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Yoga teachers and movement professionals interested in bringing more choice, accessibility, and trauma-sensitive language into their teaching.
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Therapists, counselors, and social workers exploring the relationship between trauma, embodied awareness, and therapeutic care.
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Healthcare professionals interested in collaborative, trauma-sensitive approaches to movement and care.
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Educators, recovery professionals, and community providers seeking to integrate greater awareness, choice, and connection into their work.
No previous yoga or clinical experience is required to attend Foundations.
Experiences From Our Training Community
Sometimes the most meaningful reflections come from the people who have shared the learning experience.
Here's what participants have shared about their TCTSY Foundations training with Keri.
"Keri is extremely knowledgeable and does an excellent job translating her clinical knowledge into a lecture format in a way that is engaging, inspiring and easy to understand even if you do not have a background as a yoga teacher."
"Keri is thoughtful, knowledgeable, and present as a TCTSY facilitator. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to train with her, and empowering to explore this new modality with her and learn about her approach to teaching TCTSY."
"Keri is a great presenter and a master teacher. It is evident she cares about her clients and believes deeply in this modality. She is attentive to questions and knowledgeable. Very Enriching."
— Reflections from TCTSY Foundations participants
FAQ's & Pricing
Do I need yoga or clinical experience to attend?
No. The 20-hour Foundations training is open to individuals across a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds.
How is TCTSY different from trauma-informed yoga?
Trauma-informed yoga can describe a variety of approaches. TCTSY is a specific, researched therapeutic intervention developed for complex trauma and PTSD, with established principles and a professional training pathway.
Will the 20-hour training certify me in TCTSY?
No. The 20-hour Foundations training is the prerequisite for CFTE's separate 300-hour TCTSY Facilitator Certification Program. You are able to add that you have had 20 or 40 hours of training in TCTSY to your bio after the foundations courses.
Do I need to complete all 40 hours?
No. The additional 20-hour Foundations II training is optional and offers an opportunity for deeper learning.
Are online trainings available?
Yes. TCTSY Foundations trainings are offered in person and online.
Meet Keri Sawyer
Licensed TCTSY Trainer | E-RYT 500 | YACEP
Keri Sawyer's work brings together a deep commitment to trauma-sensitive education, embodied practices, and the belief that meaningful learning begins with honoring each person's experience.
As a licensed Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Trainer, Keri facilitates professional trainings for yoga teachers, mental health clinicians, healthcare professionals, and community providers, supporting a greater understanding of trauma and the role embodied awareness can have in healing.
In her role as Trainer Liaison with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE), Keri communicates and collaborates with licensed TCTSY trainers around the world, providing ongoing support, strengthening relationships, and helping connect an international community of professionals dedicated to trauma-sensitive practices.
Keri is the founder of Openview Yoga and serves as Somatic and Communications Director at the Developmental Trauma Training Institute. She is also a board member of the Namaspa Foundation and a member of Namaspa's 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training faculty.
Her approach to teaching reflects the principles she shares: authenticity, collaboration, curiosity, and meaningful choice.
Join Us for an Upcoming Training
Explore an internationally recognized approach that brings together research, embodied experience, and a deep respect for individual choice.
Whether you're beginning your exploration of trauma-sensitive practices or continuing your professional education, we welcome you.
20-Hour Foundations | 40-Hour Extended Foundations
In person at Namaspa in Bend, Oregon, and online.
Explore Upcoming Trainings & Register
Learn more about the worldwide TCTSY community at TraumaSensitiveYoga.com.