Our Story
A TRY Global, we provide practical skills and education on mental health and trauma-informed nervous system regulation tools, through Trauma Recovery Yoga (TRY), breath work and meditation.
We envision a world in which all people have an understanding of the effects of traumatic experiences and possess the tools to heal and sustain mind-body wellness.
The TRY method was created in the United States in 2016 by Joyce and Darwin Bosen, with the assistance of Dr. Nicole Anders of the Las Vegas Veterans Affairs (VA).
When doctors saw that Joyce's symptoms were significantly improving due to her use of a healing process that would eventually become the TRY method, they asked her to teach it to other trauma survivors. Trauma Recovery Yoga was born, and the method has since been taught worldwide to survivors of all types of trauma. As research now shows, the impact has been profound.
TRY Global was founded in 2021 by Brenda Hershey in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. After several years of humanitarian work with displaced populations in the region, Brenda noticed the severe lack of both mind–body methods and holistic support for survivors of unimaginable tragedies who were also navigating poverty.
TRY Global was birthed out of this need to help vulnerable populations find a sense of peace and safety in their own minds and bodies. By incorporating the body into their recovery and educating them on the science and psychology behind the method itself, healing was able to happen. The TRY Global team now serves a wide array of individuals, including survivors genocide, orphans, refugees, elderly individuals, people with disabilities, vulnerable host-community members, and local humanitarians.
About the TRY Method
The TRY method is unique due to its grounding in neuroscience and a deep understanding of how the brain processes trauma. Studies show that, in addition to top-down approaches such as talk therapy, a bottom-up approach such as somatic (body-based) therapy is necessary to fully process or integrate unresolved traumas. This is where TRY comes in.
Consisting of more than just yoga postures, the TRY method integrates many carefully thought-out, well-researched, and proven healing techniques in a specific yoga sequence that instills a feeling of safety and connection in practitioners. The method is easily adaptable to ensure accessibility for all levels, ages, and abilities.
With regular practice, the method will help those suffering from the symptoms of trauma that are trapped in the body, including insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, shallow breath, social anxiety, hypervigilance, involuntary thoughts, and flashbacks. These techniques are delivered in a yoga sequence that rebalances the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, bringing about an overall feeling of well-being in students.
Each posture has been carefully selected, with many common yoga postures excluded due to being too triggering of past traumas or leaving students too vulnerable. The instructor always begins with a very clear explanation of what to expect, as research has found that predictability is key to helping those who have found the world to be unpredictable. Our instructors practice the method with the class and have undergone specific training on the vocabulary that can be used, how to set up the TRY space, and what touch is appropriate for vulnerable populations. The classes are calm and peaceful, without distractions such as music and incense.
The instructor guides as they teach, using constant and deliberate verbal cues, termed “micro-cues”, to keep the attention of the students away from the internal chatter that plagues the mind post-trauma. These cues not only guide the body but also the mind and spirit of the students. The method incorporates self-regulation, instruction, breath, gaze points, visualizations, and affirmations. Our mission is not to avoid all triggers, which would be impossible, but to lower the risk of triggers and to help students find a source of safety when they are inevitably triggered. If they can do this on the mat, they can do this in the world. The method concludes with a comfortable guided meditation that can be done sitting or lying down, with the eyes open or closed. The intention is to ensure a feeling of safety and help the student reconnect their disassociated body to their mind and spirit.
Our Global Partners
