"Sweet Discomfort," the Growing Edge - Trauma Aware AmericaTrauma Aware America

“Sweet Discomfort,” the Growing Edge

Back in the early 80’s I had the pleasure of spending some time with Lilias Folan, “The Yoga Teacher Who Brought Yoga to Our Living Rooms Decades Before Online Yoga Was a Thing.” During the weekend retreat she taught through my then employer, the YES! Education Society, one special concept stood out: sweet discomfort, a term I have never encountered elsewhere. Lilias talked about holding the yoga pose to that point, sweet discomfort. Since then I realized Ms. Folan’s concept defines our growing edge. I use the concept in many circumstances, including for physical therapy, how long to sit or stand, and how much I touch into a traumatic memory in recovery work. I hope the concept serves me as well as it has Ms. Folan. Lilias is 87 years old and reportedly still practicing yoga each day. No doubt, it is to “sweet discomfort” still.

About Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Shay Seaborne CPTSD teaches Relational Neuroscience for stress reduction, trauma recovery, and community building. Shay has studied the neurobiology of fear / trauma /PTSD since 2014 and Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) since 2019. They write, speak, teach, and make art to convey their experiences as well as their understanding of the neurobiology of fear, trauma theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology concepts, and principles of trauma recovery. A native of Northern Virginia, Shay settled in Delaware to sail KALMAR NYCKEL, the state’s tall ship. But once they finally had mental health insurance, their life rapidly changed. The standard treatment for PTSD nearly killed them. The psychiatric abuse began a cascade of negative medical encounters that repeatedly caused additional harm and the development of severe Medical PTSD. Shay wishes everyone could recognize that "mental health problems" are symptoms of dysregulation, our mainstream culture is neuro-negative, and we can heal ourselves and each other through awareness, understanding, and safe connection.

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