Why do I say Joanne Spence’s new book Trauma-Informed Yoga is a must-read? If you, as a mental health, yoga or other healing professional, support people in recovery from a history of trauma and associated mood disorders, you will love this book.
Stephen Porges, PhD changed our understanding of the body-mind’s response to threat when he published Polyvagal Theory in 2011. Deb Dana, LCSW brought that understanding into the treatment room when she published The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy in 2018, and in the simplest and most accessible of ways, Joanne Spence, BSW, MA, helps us non-neuroscientists take hold of the “Autonomic Ladder” and support our clients and students as they rise to safety and connection.
When I read Trauma-Informed Yoga for the first time (disclaimer—I read it a couple of times, because I contributed the Foreword) I felt myself ground in my Ventral Vagal pathway. There are so many soothing practices here, many from the LifeForce Yoga toolbox. Spence reminds us that our true nature has never been sullied by whatever may have happened. She gently guides us back to a remembrance of our wholeness.
This is a book I return to again and again when I teach, and for my own self-care. It’s AVAILABLE NOW and getting wonderful reviews! Do take a look.
