October is often a busy month with school sports, fall festivals and harvest season upon us. Easily forgotten is that October is Domestic Violence Awareness month.
In the past year, the Southwest Crisis Center in Rock County has provided services for 88 individuals who experienced domestic and sexual violence.
To help bring awareness that domestic violence does happen here in Rock County, the Southwest Crisis Center sponsored a yoga event called Warrior Heart Yoga Night, a one-hour session designed to help everyone find the strength of their warrior heart.
The Southwest Crisis Center takes a trauma-informed approach to our work with those who experience domestic violence. We provide or connect individuals with alternative methods of therapy.
Healing through yoga is one way in which we do that.
We recognize that not everyone processes trauma or heals in the same way. What works for some may not work for everyone so we need to provide a variety of resources.
The Southwest Crisis Center now has three certified yoga instructors on staff throughout our five-county service area.
The benefits of yoga are not limited to survivors of domestic violence.
Bessel van der Kolk, author of “The Body Keeps The Score” and director of the Trauma Center in Boston, says that 80 percent of the population has experienced some kind of trauma in their lives.
“Our studies show that yoga is equally as beneficial, or more beneficial, than the best possible medications in alleviating traumatic stress symptoms.
“In the studies we did involving neuroimaging of the brain before and after regular yoga practice, we were able to show that the areas of the brain involving self awareness get activated by doing yoga and those are the areas that get locked out by trauma and that are needed in order to heal it,” says van der Kolk.
Individuals who have experienced trauma often become disconnected from their bodies and stress takes its toll in many physical ways.
Although we often think of domestic violence as being physical, living in an emotionally abusive home can have the same traumatizing effect.
Yoga opens people up to connecting the mind and body and encourages feeling safe in your own skin.
The Southwest Crisis Center has provided alternative therapy 53 times to individuals in the past year.
Those who have attended regular yoga sessions have said there is a noticeable difference in their lives and that it has been an essential part of their healing process.
If you have questions about an unhealthy relationship or if you feel you may be experiencing domestic or sexual violence, the Southwest Crisis Center can help. All services are free and confidential by calling 800-376-4311, 24 hours/day.
Jennifer Lindsey serves as the Rock County advocate with the Southwest Crisis Center.