Stress management

A growing part of my work consists of stress management and trauma prevention. A majority of the groups and teams that I work with live and work in conflict areas or perform in international settings under high pressure. The importance of physical and mental fitness is all too often underestimated. My background as a Critical Alignment Yoga teacher and certified TRE® Provider blends in naturally in my regular work as trainer and facilitator.

Team work
TRE® is a practical self-help method that reduces symptoms of physical stress. It supports trauma prevention and reduces physical symptoms of stress, also with diagnoses like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

For organizations, teams and groups, I teach courses on stress management with TRE®. This is combined with restorative yoga exercises and mindful breathing, and backed-up with theoretical knowledge of how stress impacts the body. This increases awareness within a team on acute and chronic stress and its impact on the body. Usually these trainings help teams to function on a better level as well.

How does TRE® work?
If your body experiences a threat, it reacts with a fight or flight response. If that doesn’t work anymore, the body freezes like a computer crash. Like mammals, we as humans are made to deal with stress and traumatic events. We have only forgotten how. In sports or yoga, muscles release their tension superficially, TRE® works more profound in the body. The method enables you to release tension on a deep level, and to learn to regulate the release process yourself. After 3-5 sessions people are usually equipped and empowered with enough tools to apply TRE® back home safely.

Certified TRE® Provider
It is recommended to only work with certified TRE® Providers, as quality assurance. As certified Provider, you can find me on the international website of TRE®.

Additionally, I am secretary to the board of the Dutch foundation of TRE® Netherlands.

For Dutch readers
In an interview with the Dutch magazine Gender en Duurzame Vrede, you can read more about my work with NGO’s from Libya, that specialise in supporting female victims of violence: https://nicolien.com/mijn-werk-als-trainer-met-ngos-in-libie/, autumn 2017.