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Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu: A Guide for Survivors, Therapists, and Jiu-Jitsu Practitioners to Facilitate Embodied Recovery
Heal from trauma and PTSD with the martial art of jiu-jitsu--written for survivors, mental health therapists, and trauma-informed martial arts instructors.
This groundbreaking book introduces jiu-jitsu as a powerful embodied modality for trauma survivors in recovery, and includes 10 grounding practices, self-defense techniques, and 30 instructional photos.
Unhealed trauma--from “little t” traumas to complex PTSD--leaves a lasting imprint on the bodies and minds of survivors. And in the aftermath of trauma, many people experience shifts in how they feel, connect with others, and interact with the world at large. This embodied, whole-person approach will help you heal the wounds of traumatic stress and how it shows up within yourself and your relationships, from disembodiment and numbness to anger, fear, anxiety, confusion, and dissociation.
As part of a martial arts trauma recovery program, you’ll learn
• Trauma, embodiment, and the transformative power of jiu-jitsu
• Self-defense skills that can help survivors of violence define boundaries and feel safe, secure, powerful, and at home in their bodies
• Creating a welcoming, responsive practice space as a studio owner
• Integrating jiu-jitsu practice into a safe, accessible recovery protocol for survivors--and how therapists can recommend them to clients or build them into a treatment plan
Written for trauma survivors, mental health clinicians, and martial arts practitioners and studio owners who want to create a safe, empowering, and trauma-sensitive space, Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu is a unique and vital guide to healing trauma’s invisible wounds.
This groundbreaking book introduces jiu-jitsu as a powerful embodied modality for trauma survivors in recovery, and includes 10 grounding practices, self-defense techniques, and 30 instructional photos.
Unhealed trauma--from “little t” traumas to complex PTSD--leaves a lasting imprint on the bodies and minds of survivors. And in the aftermath of trauma, many people experience shifts in how they feel, connect with others, and interact with the world at large. This embodied, whole-person approach will help you heal the wounds of traumatic stress and how it shows up within yourself and your relationships, from disembodiment and numbness to anger, fear, anxiety, confusion, and dissociation.
As part of a martial arts trauma recovery program, you’ll learn
• Trauma, embodiment, and the transformative power of jiu-jitsu
• Self-defense skills that can help survivors of violence define boundaries and feel safe, secure, powerful, and at home in their bodies
• Creating a welcoming, responsive practice space as a studio owner
• Integrating jiu-jitsu practice into a safe, accessible recovery protocol for survivors--and how therapists can recommend them to clients or build them into a treatment plan
Written for trauma survivors, mental health clinicians, and martial arts practitioners and studio owners who want to create a safe, empowering, and trauma-sensitive space, Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu is a unique and vital guide to healing trauma’s invisible wounds.
304 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2022
45 people are currently reading
1354 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 4, 2023
This is a book that describes itself as for trauma survivors, clinicians and jiu-jitsu practitioners. As someone who identifies in all three categories it was refreshing to see these elements combined. Martial arts are not something that are typically thought of as conducive to healing from trauma, nor are survivors/victims typically thought of as warriors. Through that opposite action and physical embodiment Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be a healing and empowering art, helping transform individuals' suffering. I highly recommend this book to those identifying any of those three experiences. Jiu-jitsu practitioners coaching is made more effective and inclusive through understanding trauma. Clinicians benefit from understanding the mind-body connection in healing and options they may not have considered. And victims benefit from shifting through victimhood to identification as a survivor and then finally shifting again into identification as a warrior.
March 15, 2022
I found this to be a really interesting read. My husband who is a fire fighter does jiu jitsu and says it is therapy for him. This helped me getting a better look into that side of it.
I think this is a good read for anyone out there, if you are into the practice or not.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I think this is a good read for anyone out there, if you are into the practice or not.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
February 17, 2022
This book proposes that jiu-jitsu can be beneficial and therapeutic for those with trauma-related conditions (e.g. PTSD,) and it offers advice and insight to martial arts teachers, therapists, as well as trauma survivors considering jiu-jitsu. I’m curious to see how much merit these ideas prove to offer. By that, I mean neither to insult the bona fides of the authors, nor even to foreshadow skepticism. What I am saying is that this proposition isn’t one that’s been studied thoroughly and systematically. [The authors acknowledge as much. They’re at the vanguard of an idea here.] Therefore, the good news is that the book is bleeding edge, but the bad news is that it’s based largely on anecdotal evidence and the application of tried concepts to an untried (and quite unique) domain.
On one hand, few activities can teach one: breath control, now-centric living, command of emotions, and increased comfort with being in close proximity to people (who may seem physically intimidating) like the martial arts. Those all feel like positive features for a trauma survivor, and some of them (e.g. breath control) are addressed extensively in the book. On the other hand, the way martial arts teach one to keep one’s focus in the moment is via the pressure of an attacker – defender dynamic. If one is triggered by intense, seemingly aggressive activity, that’s hard to reconcile with the nature of the martial arts -- which should always be safe but do necessitate a certain degree of intensity to mentally prepare students for a combative experience.
As I read through the panoply of challenges that might arise - from inability to train with someone who looks vaguely like one’s attacker to not being able to be experience a mount (one of the most fundamental jiu-jitsu positions) - I often had the feeling I’d have in response to a book entitled, “CrossFit for the Severely Arthritic” [i.e. not all fine objectives work together.] The authors do discuss alternatives like private lessons and specialized workshops / classes, but those are more realistic solutions in some cases others. (i.e. I feel that few of the dojos I’ve been in could afford to offer the range of classes for special demographics that are mentioned [though, workshops, probably.] But there’re only a few hours a day one can hold classes that people who can afford to attend aren’t working, and paying rent on a larger space on the amount that can be earned from those few hours a day is daunting enough.) If you can attend special trainings for trauma survivors, the book’s guidance all seems quite workable. But, otherwise, I had to wonder to what degree one could accommodate those with these needs without losing those who feel they benefit from the existing approach. [e.g. Many dojos I’ve been in used a rotation scheme so that everybody trained with everybody else, and in virtually all there was an expectation of a certain level of decorum and discipline of behavior on the mat -- e.g. not wandering off in the middle of practice, not holding side conversations, and not picking / choosing what techniques one will practice. (All of which, were activities mentioned that could happen in the trauma-sensitive school, and all of which I feel I benefited from having trained out of me.)]
There was a tremendous amount of useful information in the book. How to recognize an individual has been triggered. How to best respond. It’s certainly worth reading for those reasons alone, and – maybe – they’re onto something.
On one hand, few activities can teach one: breath control, now-centric living, command of emotions, and increased comfort with being in close proximity to people (who may seem physically intimidating) like the martial arts. Those all feel like positive features for a trauma survivor, and some of them (e.g. breath control) are addressed extensively in the book. On the other hand, the way martial arts teach one to keep one’s focus in the moment is via the pressure of an attacker – defender dynamic. If one is triggered by intense, seemingly aggressive activity, that’s hard to reconcile with the nature of the martial arts -- which should always be safe but do necessitate a certain degree of intensity to mentally prepare students for a combative experience.
As I read through the panoply of challenges that might arise - from inability to train with someone who looks vaguely like one’s attacker to not being able to be experience a mount (one of the most fundamental jiu-jitsu positions) - I often had the feeling I’d have in response to a book entitled, “CrossFit for the Severely Arthritic” [i.e. not all fine objectives work together.] The authors do discuss alternatives like private lessons and specialized workshops / classes, but those are more realistic solutions in some cases others. (i.e. I feel that few of the dojos I’ve been in could afford to offer the range of classes for special demographics that are mentioned [though, workshops, probably.] But there’re only a few hours a day one can hold classes that people who can afford to attend aren’t working, and paying rent on a larger space on the amount that can be earned from those few hours a day is daunting enough.) If you can attend special trainings for trauma survivors, the book’s guidance all seems quite workable. But, otherwise, I had to wonder to what degree one could accommodate those with these needs without losing those who feel they benefit from the existing approach. [e.g. Many dojos I’ve been in used a rotation scheme so that everybody trained with everybody else, and in virtually all there was an expectation of a certain level of decorum and discipline of behavior on the mat -- e.g. not wandering off in the middle of practice, not holding side conversations, and not picking / choosing what techniques one will practice. (All of which, were activities mentioned that could happen in the trauma-sensitive school, and all of which I feel I benefited from having trained out of me.)]
There was a tremendous amount of useful information in the book. How to recognize an individual has been triggered. How to best respond. It’s certainly worth reading for those reasons alone, and – maybe – they’re onto something.
July 26, 2024
3They can make a case for "transformers twama woth Jew-I-Sue" without denigrating striking martial arts & self-defense in the process.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson
"Punch a black belt in the face, he becomes a brown belt. Punch him again, purple..." — Carlson Gracie
How do you turn a black belt into a yellow and brown belt?
Punch them in the mouth.
If a woman doesn't know what it's like to be properly punched in the face by an average male who is not holding back in anyway, they can't talk about how grappling is better than striking. As they literally have no idea of what comparison they are even attempting to make without that single reference point.
Same with an average male using pure strength and basic striking without any grappling technique and not holding back against a woman who knows either or both striking and grappling and has average female strength.
The story in Ch 3 emphasizes this perfectly, where because the training partner wasn't treating her with kid gloves a technique done in TRAINING took her out for a year.
I've trained in striking for a long time, I've a little previous experience in grappling, and am currently training in it 3x weekly until I can manage 5x-7x. That said, their arguments for grappling over striking don't hold water and reek of Brazilian bullshido.
Stop constantly saying "if you're super close punches don't work, striking is useless in grappling range."
Say you've never been headbutt, elbowed in the skull, short range uppercut/hooked, or kneed in a clinch, without saying you've never experienced these things.
The jiu jitsu being effective for a larger and stronger opponent is a MYTH, authors clearly have drunk too much of the Kool-aid. No martial art is, period. With enough skill vs an unskilled opponent some arts and techniques may close the size and strength gap to make it a more even fight, but you still would be fighting with 100% effort and intensity to keep up with them.
Physical strength, size, and extra mass make vastly more difference than some martial arts/artists want to admit.
When someone can literally deadlift 3x your bodyweight, overhead press 1.5x your BW, and power clean & push press 2x your bodyweight (compared to an average female or small male's bodyweight, those are not very high numbers, a novice to weight training can hit them in around a year), what do you think will happen when a bigger stronger opponent can get a grip on your upper and lower body and then lift you over their head? They will be deciding whether to overhead slam you, or break you on their knee like Bane did Batman.
No belt, no grappling training, no leverage, just more strength and size - with a touch of brutality.
If you've never been slammed or had a larger and stronger opponent with zero grappling experience fight you outside of your dojo's jiu jitsu training rules you would believe strength and size don't matter, but that isn't true. Authors need to get into some real fights with real opponents to learn the truth and stop peddling this BS.
"Embrace the suck" and "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" are NOT original Jiu Jitsu phrases, they are military mantras, specifically Navy SEALS ie special forces.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson
"Punch a black belt in the face, he becomes a brown belt. Punch him again, purple..." — Carlson Gracie
How do you turn a black belt into a yellow and brown belt?
Punch them in the mouth.
If a woman doesn't know what it's like to be properly punched in the face by an average male who is not holding back in anyway, they can't talk about how grappling is better than striking. As they literally have no idea of what comparison they are even attempting to make without that single reference point.
Same with an average male using pure strength and basic striking without any grappling technique and not holding back against a woman who knows either or both striking and grappling and has average female strength.
The story in Ch 3 emphasizes this perfectly, where because the training partner wasn't treating her with kid gloves a technique done in TRAINING took her out for a year.
I've trained in striking for a long time, I've a little previous experience in grappling, and am currently training in it 3x weekly until I can manage 5x-7x. That said, their arguments for grappling over striking don't hold water and reek of Brazilian bullshido.
Stop constantly saying "if you're super close punches don't work, striking is useless in grappling range."
Say you've never been headbutt, elbowed in the skull, short range uppercut/hooked, or kneed in a clinch, without saying you've never experienced these things.
The jiu jitsu being effective for a larger and stronger opponent is a MYTH, authors clearly have drunk too much of the Kool-aid. No martial art is, period. With enough skill vs an unskilled opponent some arts and techniques may close the size and strength gap to make it a more even fight, but you still would be fighting with 100% effort and intensity to keep up with them.
Physical strength, size, and extra mass make vastly more difference than some martial arts/artists want to admit.
When someone can literally deadlift 3x your bodyweight, overhead press 1.5x your BW, and power clean & push press 2x your bodyweight (compared to an average female or small male's bodyweight, those are not very high numbers, a novice to weight training can hit them in around a year), what do you think will happen when a bigger stronger opponent can get a grip on your upper and lower body and then lift you over their head? They will be deciding whether to overhead slam you, or break you on their knee like Bane did Batman.
No belt, no grappling training, no leverage, just more strength and size - with a touch of brutality.
If you've never been slammed or had a larger and stronger opponent with zero grappling experience fight you outside of your dojo's jiu jitsu training rules you would believe strength and size don't matter, but that isn't true. Authors need to get into some real fights with real opponents to learn the truth and stop peddling this BS.
"Embrace the suck" and "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" are NOT original Jiu Jitsu phrases, they are military mantras, specifically Navy SEALS ie special forces.
May 29, 2025
I feel like this is a great book for those just starting their trauma healing journey, or those who are very new to jiu jitsu. I also feel like this is a GREAT tool for therapists to read to be able to recommend JJ to clients that may benefit from its practice.
However, as someone who has been on their healing journey for years now, has read many self help books, and is a year into their JJ journey, this didn’t really provide a lot of new information for me. I did get some new takeaways, and it did confirm that I chose an amazing gym for myself.
However, as someone who has been on their healing journey for years now, has read many self help books, and is a year into their JJ journey, this didn’t really provide a lot of new information for me. I did get some new takeaways, and it did confirm that I chose an amazing gym for myself.
November 8, 2023
As someone dealing with trauma, a psychology major focusing on mental health, and a BJJ blue belt, I figured this book would be perfect for me. I learned quite a bit. Some things I plan to add to my jiu-jitsu game. A big thing I noticed was the difference in street/self-defense jiu-jitsu and the jiu-jitsu I have been training for mixed martial arts.
June 27, 2024
This book breaks down the benefits of jiu-jitsu for trauma survivors. It is something many of us within the jiu-jitsu community have known for years, but the book breaks it down with research and case-study. Beautiful tribute to our great art and encourages many to get the help they need and offers a non-traditional approach to healing.
April 27, 2024
Reading this book has been empowering; I feel confident communicating with my coach/training partners what I need when learning BJJ.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews