“Can educators cultivate greater compassion for their students through curiosity and understanding the ripple effects of trauma, so they can increase their efficacy while also maintaining presence and increasing fulfillment (without burnout and resentment)?”
To understand what challenges Pilates teachers face, I posted a question on Facebook about who their most challenging students are. I received over 65 responses. I analyzed the data to find common threads. This article will discuss the “most prevalent challenges.”
The lack of boundaries was the MOST popular!
Here are some examples of what people shared:
· Late cancel /no show
· Verbal abuse towards the instructor
· Lack of disrespect to the instructor or studio
· Disrespectful comments toward the instructor's body, weight, and clothing
· Disruptive behavior before, during, or after class
· Negative/argumentative
· Oversharing information
· Talkative during class time
· Difficulty saying NO to clients
· Resistant
· Combative
The connection between boundaries and trauma is significant. Trauma can often result from violations of personal boundaries, such as physical or emotional abuse, neglect, or invasion of personal space. Establishing healthy boundaries is crucial for preventing or healing from trauma, as they help create a sense of safety, autonomy, and control in relationships and situations.
Top Five Basics types of Trauma
Trauma and the Brain
Trauma can interfere with the parts of the brain that govern fear and stress response, emotional regulation, and executive function, which increases the risk of neurological effects of developing emotional, behavioral, and mental health, especially during childhood trauma.
Trauma and the Nervous System
Trauma pushes the nervous system outside its ability to self-regulate. For many, the nervous system gets stuck in the “on” position. The person becomes over-stimulated, unable to become calm. It creates anxiety, anger, panic, hyperactivity, depression, and fatigue. (The nervous system will be discussed in further detail later in this article).
Trauma and the Body
Trauma can affect all of the vital systems in the body: nervous, cardiac, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, endocrine, excretory, immune, reproductive, skeletal, and muscular. Trauma creates a disconnection between the self and the body. The physical effects are exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, and dissociation. Over time the body becomes tense, and muscles become constructed. Everyone reacts differently to trauma.
Trauma and Behavior
Trauma can significantly impact behavior. Individuals who have experienced trauma may exhibit various behavioral responses, including emotional dysregulation, hyperarousal, avoidance, and re-experiencing traumatic memories. These behavioral changes can manifest as mood swings, anxiety, depression, difficulty forming and maintaining relationships, combative and even self-destructive behaviors.
Lack of boundaries
Lack of boundaries refers to behaviors or situations where individuals have difficulty setting and maintaining personal limits or respecting the boundaries of others. It can manifest in various ways, such as:
1. Overstepping personal boundaries: People may invade someone's personal space, disregard their privacy, or share sensitive information without permission.
2. Emotional boundary violations: This includes disregarding or dismissing someone's feelings, pressuring them into sharing personal emotions, or failing to recognize emotional limits.
3. Time and energy management: Individuals with poor boundaries may struggle to manage their time and energy effectively, often overcommitting themselves or allowing others to take advantage of their availability.
4. Difficulty saying no: People with weak boundaries may have difficulty declining requests or asserting their needs, leading to feeling overwhelmed or exploited.
5. Inability to recognize others' boundaries: Some individuals may disregard the boundaries of others, imposing their opinions, values, or physical presence without regard for consent or personal space.
6. Emotional dependency: Lack of boundaries can contribute to emotional dependence on others, seeking constant validation, or needing others to regulate their emotions.
How Trauma Impacts the Nervous System
Trauma can have profound effects on the nervous system. When a person experiences a traumatic event, the body's natural stress response system is activated, triggering a cascade of physiological changes. Here are some ways trauma can impact the nervous system:
Trauma can lead to hyperarousal, in which the nervous system remains in a constant state of alertness—resulting in hypervigilance, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and an exaggerated startle response.
On the other hand, trauma can also cause the nervous system to enter a state of hyperarousal, where there is a numbing or dissociative response. They create feelings of detachment, emotional numbing, reduced awareness of one's surroundings, and a sense of being disconnected from oneself or others.
Trauma can disrupt the body's stress response system, leading to irregular release of stress hormones such as cortisol and resulting in heightened sensitivity to stress, difficulty regulating emotions, and an increased risk of developing anxiety or mood disorders.
Trauma can impact the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions. It leads to symptoms such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, and gastrointestinal distress.
Trauma can affect brain structures involved in emotional regulation and memory processing, such as the amygdala and hippocampus. They contribute to difficulties in managing emotions, forming new memories, and experiencing intrusive memories or flashbacks.
How can we create a safe and supportive environment that empowers Pilates educators and their clients to establish and maintain healthy boundaries?
Can we shift our thinking to our client's behaviors rooted in survival mode buried in the subconscious brain?
The challenges of students' behaviors are subconscious, as traumatic events directly affect their nervous system.
Trauma dysregulates the nervous system leading to difficulty establishing boundaries, perpetuating emotional distress. Healing trauma and setting healthy boundaries are interlinked, aiding nervous system regulation and fostering resilience.
Setting boundaries when teaching Pilates is essential to maintain a safe and professional environment for you and your students.
It is crucial to practice presence, both with yourself and your students.
Teaching with curiosity, empathy, compassion, understanding, and open communication is essential in supporting all individuals to regain control over their boundaries, safety, and well-being.
Empower the students by giving them the freedom to choose and allowing them to have a voice, which in turn encourages them to be more active and expressive.
Asking, I wonder what happened to them instead of judging or assuming.
Self-care is vital to avoid burnout and resentment.
Communicate the rules, expectations, and guidelines of your Pilates class to your students from the beginning.
Maintain professional and respectful behavior during class, avoiding personal or inappropriate discussions.
Be cautious about physical contact during corrections, and always ask for permission before making adjustments.
By setting clear boundaries, you create a positive and professional atmosphere that fosters connection, resiliency, and growth for both the student and the teacher.
About 1 in 8 U.S. women
will develop invasive breast cancer throughout their lifetime.
According to www.breastcancer.org, “About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer throughout their lifetime. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. In 2021, about 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers.”
Learning that you have breast cancer is very emotional diagnosis. It is a life-changing event that NO ONE will ever be ready to hear. This unwanted development can create a wide array of emotions. The first and more-most response to this verdict is denial. Accepting and acknowledging the changes happening to your body can take a long time to deal with emotionally and physically.
But how should you move forward in your life with cancer weighing on your thoughts? We’ve come up with a list of five ways that you can use to maintain your physical and mental health while fighting breast cancer.
Diet
Eating a diet full of vegetables, fruit, whole grain, and a limited amount of red meat can benefit your overall health. A healthy diet can improve mood, stamina, and a general sense of wellness. If you can, try to avoid processed foods and drink plenty of water. If you have special dietary needs, make sure you follow the doctor’s orders.
Exercise
For women with breast cancer, regular exercise may improve the survival rate. According to Dr. Linsey Gold, a breast surgeon, maintaining a healthy weight and exercise reduces breast cancer recurrence. If you are starting to exercise, please consult your doctor first.
Stress Management
Stress management for each person is going to look different. But one thing is for sure, you will want a support system – it’s extremely important, especially for your mental health! Your support system could include your doctor, nurses, social worker, family members, and close friends. For many individuals, asking for help can be challenging because maybe for the first time in their life, they have had to rely on someone else.
Mental Health
Medical trauma is at the forefront of breast cancer (please see the previous blog for the description of medical trauma). Dr. Linsey Gold states that, “women with breast cancer are at significant risk for developing depression, anxiety, PTSD, fatigue, and insomnia.” There are no known programs that specifically target breast cancer survivors. (Journal of Clinical Oncology, August 18, 2021) However, getting to know other breast cancer survivors can be beneficial. Seeking out information from the American Cancer Society in your area also may be helpful.
Mindfulness
The Journal of Clinical Oncology also suggests that mindfulness helps combat fatigue and insomnia. Mindfulness can be sitting quietly, reading, walking outside, practicing yoga, taking a bath, breathing, exercise, meditation, or whatever you enjoy. Be in the present moment. Put down your phone and listen to what your body is telling you. What does your body need?
Tami’s Story
On October 31, 2006, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was one of the lucky ones as my doctor and I caught it early. And because my cancer was slow-growing, I also had the time to explore multiple treatment options. This gave me a sense of control over my body even though I was scared.
That’s not to say that it was easy for me to come to a complete acceptance and understanding of my diagnosis. In fact, it was extremely difficult. I had always exercised regularly and maintained a healthy diet. For years, however, I was in a toxic relationship. And as research at the time showed that stress could increase a person’s chance of a cancer diagnosis*, I struggled with the knowledge that my past relationship might have been more harmful to me than I originally had thought.
It has taken time for me to heal and recover from my physical and emotional scars. I am so very grateful to my doctor and the medical team who cared for me. And having my family and friends to support me, helped me feel like I wasn’t alone.
Breast cancer wasn’t a death sentence for me. 15 years after the diagnosis, I am able to watch my grandchildren grow and my daughters thrive. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance. Because of this, I want to share my story so that my others might be able to find support and comfort in it during their own journey, whether they are fighting the battle with breast cancer, or supporting another in this fight.
For those who are facing breast cancer right now, you are NOT alone. Remember to nurture yourself and surround yourself with a caring support group. Creating a balance between home, family, career, side hustle, relationships, and everything else is key during treatment and recovery. Healing and rest are so important, not only for your physical body but also for your mental health. Surrounding yourself with loving, supporting people will help you stay strong.
In conclusion, each one of us has known someone who's been affected by breast cancer. Creating awareness, education, and encouraging women to conduct monthly self-exams and schedule mammograms, when needed, is taking a proactive approach for breast health. Self-care is essential, not selfish!
* “Although stress can cause a number of physical health problems, the evidence that it can cause cancer is weak. Some studies have indicated a link between various psychological factors and an increased risk of developing cancer, but others have not.
Apparent links between psychological stress and cancer could arise in several ways. For example, people under stress may develop certain behaviors, such as smoking, overeating, or drinking alcohol, which increase a person’s risk for cancer. Or someone who has a relative with cancer may have a higher risk for cancer because of a shared inherited risk factor, not because of the stress induced by the family member’s diagnosis.” https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/feelings/stress-fact-sheet
