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Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting

A gentle, body-based approach that supports healing by helping you reconnect with strength, safety, and control through intentional movement.
Sound like you?
"I feel disconnected from my body after trauma, grief, or chronic stress."

"I notice tension, exhaustion, or a sense of overwhelm that doesn’t fully shift through talking alone."

"I sense that my body is holding something my mind has already worked hard to understand."
Life doesn't have to stay this way. We can help!
At Creating Space Therapy, many clients come to us feeling disconnected from their bodies after trauma, grief, or prolonged stress. While talk therapy has helped, they often sense there is a deeper layer of healing their body is still longing for.

Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is offered not because you enjoy exercise, not because you want a fitness program, but because trauma affects the body just as much as the mind. Healing often needs a pathway that gently invites the body back into the process.
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What Is Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting?

This is not traditional weight lifting. Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is a therapeutic, mind-body approach designed specifically for trauma survivors. It uses slow, controlled, intentional movement to help the nervous system settle and to support reconnection with strength that may have felt lost.

Sessions are offered entirely online, allowing you to participate from the privacy and comfort of your own home. You do not need equipment. You do not need experience. You do not need to enjoy exercise. You only need curiosity and a desire to feel more at home in your body.

What to Expect

Each Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting session takes place online, allowing you to participate from the comfort and safety of your own home. From the beginning, the focus is on creating an environment that feels grounding, supportive, and manageable for your body.

Sessions begin with a gentle check-in, centred on how your body feels that day. This helps guide the pace and structure of the session. From there, you’ll be guided through slow, intentional, resistance-based movements that are adapted in real time to match your needs. Movements are simple, controlled, and never rushed.

Throughout the session, there are frequent pauses to notice physical sensations and emotional responses. You’ll be invited to reflect on what feels supportive and what doesn’t, ensuring that your body is never pushed beyond what feels safe or comfortable. There is no pressure to perform, no competition, and no expectation to “do it right.”

Each session is collaborative and responsive. Many clients leave feeling calmer, more grounded, and more connected to their bodies, having built strength in a way that supports healing rather than overwhelms their system.

How Do I Know If I Need Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting?

If you’re noticing that your body still feels tense, overwhelmed, or disconnected despite your efforts to heal, Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting may offer a supportive path forward. This approach can be especially helpful if you sense that your body is holding stress or trauma that talking alone hasn’t fully reached. Here are some signs that Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting may be a good fit for you:
You feel disconnected from your body
Your body holds tension or overwhelm
You want to feel more grounded and safe
You want a healing experience you can do from home
You are curious about integrating your body into your therapy work
Traditional exercise settings feel intimidating
It may feel difficult to imagine right now, but it is possible to feel safer and more at home in your body again. Healing does not have to feel forced or overwhelming. With the right support, you can reconnect with strength, steadiness, and trust in yourself — and we are here to support you every step of the way.
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Our Compassionate Approach to Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting

Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is not a fitness program and not a replacement for therapy. It is a therapeutic, body-based approach that works best when guided by a trained trauma clinician who understands the nervous system and the vulnerability involved in returning to the body.

Intentional, trauma-informed movement

Sessions use slow, controlled, resistance-based movement designed to support safety, choice, and control. Movements are never rushed or forced and are always adapted to what feels manageable for your body.

Nervous system–aware guidance

Each session is guided with ongoing attention to how your nervous system responds. We pause often, check in about physical sensations, and adjust in real time so your body is never pushed beyond what feels safe.

A safe and collaborative space

Sessions are collaborative, compassionate, and pressure-free. You are met exactly where you are, with respect for your pace and your experience, allowing strength to emerge in a way that feels supportive rather than overwhelming.

How Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting Can Help

01

Rebuilds connection with your body

Trauma can create distance between you and your body, leaving you feeling tense, shut down, or overwhelmed by physical sensations. Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting offers a gentle way to reconnect with your body in a safe and steady way, without pressure or performance.
02

Supports nervous system regulation

Through slow, mindful, resistance-based movement, your body receives new messages of choice, control, and safety. Instead of bracing for danger, your nervous system begins to settle, supporting emotional regulation and resilience over time.
03

Restores a sense of strength and agency

This work is not about lifting heavy weights or pushing limits. It is about experiencing effort alongside control and choice. As you move intentionally, you begin to rebuild trust in your body and rediscover strength in a way that feels supportive rather than overwhelming.
04

Encourages grounding and embodiment

Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting helps you notice small but meaningful shifts, such as deeper breathing, greater ease in your posture, or feeling more present during stressful moments. These experiences support grounding and help you feel more at home in your body.

Our Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting Therapist

Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is facilitated by Thelma, a trauma therapist certified in Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting. She understands how trauma affects the nervous system and how movement can become part of healing.

Returning to the body can feel vulnerable. Thelma will never push you or ask you to perform. She meets you exactly where you are and remains deeply attuned to both your emotional and physical experience throughout each session.

Her goal is to help you feel safer and stronger in your body in a way that feels grounded, supportive, and empowering. For many clients, this work feels like discovering a new way back to themselves.
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Thelma Razo
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
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Partnering With Your Primary Therapist
Enhance Your Therapy with Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting
Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is not a standalone replacement for therapy. It is designed to work alongside your primary therapeutic work, supporting healing in the body while your therapist supports healing through insight, processing, and relational repair.

Many clients find that while talk therapy helps them understand their experiences, their bodies continue to hold tension, overwhelm, or disconnection. Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting offers a way to gently engage the nervous system and physical body, helping integrate the work you are already doing in therapy.

When combined with trauma-informed therapy, this approach can support regulation, grounding, and a growing sense of safety and control in the body. The slow, intentional movement helps reinforce experiences of choice and agency, which can deepen and stabilise progress made in therapy.

Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting complements your therapeutic process by addressing healing on both a physical and emotional level, allowing your body and mind to work together rather than separately.
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Still unsure about Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting? We understand.
It’s completely normal to have questions or hesitations about trying a body-based approach like Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting. Because this work is different from traditional exercise and traditional therapy, we want to address some of the most common concerns so you can feel informed, supported, and confident as you consider this part of your healing journey.

Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting FAQ

No. Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is not a fitness program and not focused on performance, strength goals, or physical conditioning. It is a therapeutic, mind-body approach designed specifically for trauma survivors. The focus is on safety, nervous system regulation, and reconnecting with your body through slow, intentional movement.

 

Yes. Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is intentionally designed to be offered online. Practicing from your own home often increases feelings of safety, control, and comfort — all of which are essential for trauma-informed work. Being in a familiar environment allows you to move at your own pace, stay connected to your body, and engage in the process without the added stress of travel or unfamiliar settings.

Not at all. You do not need to be athletic, strong, or enjoy exercise. You do not need prior experience with weight lifting. This work is designed for people who may feel disconnected from their bodies or intimidated by traditional exercise settings. What matters is curiosity and a desire to feel more grounded and safe.

 

You do not need any special equipment. Many clients use simple household items instead of weights. The emphasis is not on how much you lift, but on the experience of slow, controlled movement that supports choice, agency, and regulation.

Sessions take place online and begin with a check-in focused on how your body feels that day. From there, you are guided through gentle, intentional movements that are adjusted in real time based on your needs. The pace is slow, collaborative, and flexible, with frequent pauses to notice sensations and ensure your body never feels pushed.

No. Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting is not a replacement for therapy. It is designed to complement trauma-informed therapy by supporting healing in the body. Many clients find it helpful alongside talk therapy, EMDR, somatic therapy, or other approaches, especially when they sense their body is holding stress that talking alone hasn’t fully reached.

The approach is intentionally designed to avoid overwhelm. Movements are slow, choice-based, and always adapted to what feels manageable. While emotions or sensations may arise, you are never pushed to go beyond your limits. The goal is to build safety, trust, and regulation — not to relive or intensify trauma.

You Deserve Support That Honours Your Body
Living with the effects of trauma, chronic stress, or disconnection from your body doesn’t have to be something you simply learn to live with. You deserve the time, space, and a healing approach that honours both your emotional and physical experience. At Creating Space Therapy, we believe your body’s story matters just as much as your thoughts and memories, and your path toward healing deserves personalised, compassionate care.

Through Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting, we support you in gently reconnecting with your body in a way that feels safe, intentional, and empowering. This work is guided by a trained trauma therapist who understands the nervous system and meets you exactly where you are. You don’t have to push, perform, or figure this out on your own. Healing can happen at your pace — and we’re here to walk alongside you every step of the way.
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