How can we incorporate trauma-informed practice into aikido training?
Earlier this week after teaching class in Arlington, I headed into Memphis for class at Keishinkan Dojo. Toward the end of class, we got a call that there was an active shooter in the area. I locked the door and we stayed inside–some of us longer than others. This, after the kidnapping and murder of runner Eliza Fletcher near the campus of the University of Memphis, was another stressful tragedy.
At work the next morning–unsurprisingly–I had multiple emails from University students who were in various stages of stress relating to the citywide emergency. Each of us feels these things in different ways depending on our own histories and contexts, and I think that is important to recognize. Thinking about this led me to writing this short note–something I’ve been planning to do since I opened the dojo.
“Trauma-Informed” practice has its roots in medicine and social work, though it has spread from there to include yoga, sports, education, even some martial arts. The basic idea is pretty straightforward: that many people have experienced some sort of trauma in their lives. This could be formally-diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be recent or not, ongoing or not. The question of “how serious was it?” is less important than the question of “what did you experience?” or “how did this affect you?”
Consensus on the approach centers on six principles and four guidelines. There is a ton of writing on the topic, and I don’t want to write a literature review here. My question is, how can we incorporate trauma-informed practice into our aikido training? Some of the principles and guidelines–such as peer support–should already be part of aikido training. Others–such as empowerment and choice–are less clear, especially in the formal hierarchy of the dojo. In a physical practice like aikido, it is worth thinking about how to prevent retraumitization. A trauma-informed approach might help students feel safer and open the door wider to new members. It may even make it possible to begin addressing some of the social conditions that make life more precarious for some than others.
“True Budo is done for the sake of “building peace”. Train every day so as to make peace between this spirit and all things manifested on the face of the Earth.”
Morihei Ueshiba, Budo Training in Aikido (1936, p26)
As a starting point, part of trauma-informed practice is listening and providing room for people to collaborate. I’m looking at this less as a new type of program and more as an ongoing effort–one where the work is probably as important as the outcome. Reaching shodan (first-degree black belt) doesn’t mean that all the basic techniques of aikido are perfect, just that you have some basics and have demonstrated a commitment to the process.
If anyone is interested in thinking this through with me, you should let me know at the dojo or drop me a message. I’d love to get a group together to develop this idea further.