Trauma-Informed Mindfulness and Meditation

A trauma-informed look at how we implement mindfulness and meditation in the classroom.

The past few years have brought many positive changes to schools around the world as many districts, schools, and individual teachers implemented trauma-informed practices. We are so grateful for these changes, as schools care about the mental wellbeing of students more than ever.

If you have been part of practices like SEL (social emotional learning) that are designed to increase mental wellness for our students, then you may have noticed the big shift in caring for our students and their big emotions through practices like meditation and mindfulness. And these practices can improve our students' coping skills for hard emotions, help them calm their bodies during school so their minds are available for learning, and encourage mental wellness in their personal lives, too.

But we have also noticed that many teachers have been asked to implement mindfulness and meditation without trauma-informed training in these areas and sometimes, unknowingly, implement the practices in a way that may be harmful for some of our trauma-impacted students. We want to give you a few tips for implementing these practices in a trauma-informed way that honors our students' needs.

Silent times of meditation where a student's mind is left to wander can lead trauma-impacted students to relive their trauma and cause distress. Instead, breathing techniques and guided activities that help them focus on the here and now (what they are seeing around them, how to calm their breathing and bodies, etc.) can help.

Having students close their eyes can be incredibly triggering for students who have experienced trauma. For many survivors of sexual abuse, for example, closing their eyes may transport them back to the time of abuse and cause them to relive those horrible traumatic experiences. Instead, teach students how to ground themselves in what is around them, helping them to find ways to calm their minds by noticing what is around them.

Focus on using phrases that encourage personal autonomy--you never want your students to feel that they do not have a choice over what is happening to them in your classroom, especially if using mindfulness or meditation techniques. Some examples:

"If at any time you choose not to participate, you may... (provide quiet alternative)"
"When you are ready..."
"If you are comfortable..."

Never use material that you have not been trained how to use, and make sure that whatever program you implement is trauma-informed. We want to protect our students and do what we can to avoid retraumatizing them in our classrooms, so make sure to vet all activities.

Thanks for all you are doing to love your students well and care for them as a whole person! Want to learn more about trauma-informed education practices? Join the Association of Trauma-Informed Educators today!

Categories: : Classroom, Education, Mindfulness, Teacher