Trauma, whether from a single event or chronic stress, is not just a psychological experience – it is fundamentally a physiological experience. It affects our nervous system, changing how we feel safe, react to stress, and inhabit our own bodies. For too long, the focus in healing has been solely on talk therapy. Today, experts agree that true, lasting recovery requires integrating the wisdom of the body. This is where somatic tools and trauma-informed yoga become essential.
Why traditional healing falls short…
When faced with danger, the body’s survival instincts (fight, flight, freeze) take over. If these responses can’t complete, the resulting energy often gets stuck in the nervous system and tissues. This is not a failure of the mind; it’s a physiological response.
- The Body Keeps the Score: Even when the conscious mind understands a past event is over, the body continues to react as if the threat is current, leading to anxiety, hypervigilance, and physical tension.
- The Somatic Solution: Somatic tools – body-based practices like gentle movement, breathwork, and mindful attention – work directly with the nervous system to complete these incomplete survival cycles. They teach the body how to self-regulate and return to a feeling of safety.
The power of trauma-informed yoga + self-regulation
Trauma-Informed Yoga is not about complicated poses; it is a somatic, body-based practice that creates an environment of choice, predictability, and empowerment, allowing individuals to gently reconnect with their physical selves.
The primary goal is somatic self-regulation: the ability to sense when the nervous system is overwhelmed and use simple, embodied practices to bring it back into balance.
Core benefits of Body-based healing
- Regulated Nervous System: Reduces symptoms of anxiety, hypervigilance, and panic.
- Increased Interoception: Improves the ability to sense and understand internal body signals (e.g., hunger, fatigue, emotion).
- Restoring Choice: Shifts the experience of the body from a source of danger to a resource for safety and grounding.
Meet the Expert: Nicolette Wilson-Clarke
To navigate the complex intersection of trauma, mind, and body, training must be delivered by a highly experienced, integrated practitioner. Nicolette Wilson-Clarke is one such expert, bringing a unique blend of clinical rigor and practical somatic knowledge to the field.
Nicolette brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and embodied wisdom to the subject of trauma healing. She is an accredited psychotherapist and coach, and founder of The Creative Genius – a specialised agency supporting creatives’ wellbeing. Drawing on her extensive background as a Senior Yoga Teacher, trained dancer, and Pilates instructor, she provides the core somatic foundation to her teaching. Her skills as a mental health advocate and experienced communicator make her an excellent guide for students.
Nicolette begins her PhD in October 2026, focusing on embodied change within creative industries. Her research investigates how prioritising artists’ wellbeing strengthens creative organisations – ethically, financially, and artistically. She is passionately dedicated to shifting negative mental health cultures and promoting inclusivity for all.
Understanding the theory is the first step; gaining practical, hands-on tools is the next.
If you are a professional, carer, yoga teacher or someone interested in developing these profound body-based tools for trauma and learning to apply them in a sensitive, supportive way, you can train directly with Nicolette.
Read about Nicolette Wilson-Clarke’s 4-day ‘Understanding Trauma: Somatics + Yoga Training’ at Yogarise London here:
If you’d like to learn more about the Trauma-informed training, reach out to our Director of Trainings, Clare YTT@yogarise.london
