Jamie Marich
Martial arts training can be a viable component of embodied healing for survivors or trauma. This inquiry and case study explore, one method—the Women Empowered (WE) Program based on Gracie (Brazilian) Jiu-Jitsu approaches. The WE program is increasingly becoming more trauma and dissociation-informed in its approach to working with females. Anna, who contributed her lived experience to this case study, explains how this approach advanced her recovery from complex trauma. She shared her reflections using known attitudes of mindfulness as a framework for describing her experience, connected to outcomes related to her long-term trauma recovery. Suggestions and future directions for responsibly integrating programs like WE into trauma treatment and psychotherapy are discussed.
