An embodied approach to mental health, trauma recovery & well-being

Thanks for being curious, you’re in the right place!

My name is Brianna - I’ve spent my career so far working in the community.

I’ve supported people with complex trauma, PTSD, mental ill-health, substance use issues, homelessness, domestic violence, mothers with children in out-of-home care & veterans returning from service.

Creating & facilitating therapeutic & psychoeducational groups has always been the most fulfilling aspect of my work.

One of the programs I co-created won an award for its innovation & service to the community.

Having said that, I’ve always felt stuck trying to support people within our current mental health system.

We need more options in addition to talk therapy & medication.

The lack of choice for mental health & trauma recovery has often left me feeling unable to assist people who were grappling with issues that caused them immense stress. I’ve repeatedly witnessed how the absence of effective options exacerbates trauma & mental ill-health.

At the same time, witnessing this ongoing cycle led me to my own experience of chronic stress & burnout.

This chronic stress left me angry, reactive, and irritable. I found it increasingly hard to connect with people. I barely left the house. I didn’t sleep well, I had no energy, and I felt numb. I had chronic constipation, excruciating period pain & an extremely poor immunity.

Then, I took a year off. I wasn’t sure I could work in the community again. Too much burnout, too much stress, too much vicarious trauma.

During this year, I did nothing. I slowed everything down. I went surfing. And the best part of all – I did my Yoga Teacher Training after practicing for 12 years.

My Yoga Teacher Training was where I became curious again.

I became curious as to why yoga made me feel so good. Why had I stuck with it for 12 years?

I became curious about what was wrong with the mental health system. How could we support people with more options for recovery?

As I read, researched & studied, I realised the answer to both questions was the same.

Yoga made me feel good because, in my extremely fast-paced & stressful life, it was the one thing that reconnected me to my body.

Coming home to my body gave me some relief from the chronic stress I was facing & mitigated the health issues the stress was causing.

In the same vein, the mental health & community support systems are broken because we ignore the body, we just talk.

We ignore the nervous system – the brain & body feedback loop where trauma & chronic stress are caused & stored. 

But your body is the missing link.

Finding safety within your body is vital to overcoming the negative impacts of chronic stress & trauma.

Coming home to my body is how I resolved my physical health challenges.

It’s how I overcame burnout & a lifetime of anxiety.

I want to support you to do the same.

To have a body is to be human.

To remember your body’s natural capacity for healing & to be able to use that body as a resource is to be resilient, to have agency & to feel empowered.

So, how can I serve you?

If you’ve experienced complex trauma, mental health challenges or perhaps you’re experiencing ongoing stress:

• Join a Trauma Centre Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) program

• Attend one of my unique, in-person workshops

• Try a free at-home practice

If you work in the community:

• I can support you to support your clients through TCTSY

• I can teach you an embodied approach to trauma recovery & burnout prevention through staff training & workshops

I can’t wait to support you.

Brianna Attard.