Building capacity: The game changer for healing

10 years ago, I began working with veterans with PTSD as a trauma-informed yoga & meditation teacher. I had my own experience with complex PTSD and was eager to help others find peace. But I quickly hit a wall.

There was enthusiasm from administrators, but few veterans showed up to class. If they did, they rarely returned. By spending time with them outside of class, I began to understand: the practice wasn’t bringing peace—it was bringing up sensations and emotions they weren't ready for. Without a clear roadmap, yoga felt like entering a minefield while closing your eyes and putting yourself in vulnerable positions. Why would anyone do that?

Yoga had been so transformational for me that I refused to give up. I wanted to make the benefits accessible to everyone, even if they never stepped onto a yoga mat. I started breaking down certain practices into their most basic functions and holding on-campus wellness workshops for college students. But the same roadblocks appeared.

No matter how small & slow I went, many still couldn’t sit still, close their eyes, or tolerate quiet. Progress felt slow, frustrating, & almost nonexistent.

Meanwhile, I was feeling stuck too. I had built a basic platform of stability & self-care in my life. I thought the next phase of my healing was about unearthing all of the stuck emotions & experiences lodged in my subconscious mind so I could resolve those blocks for good. But the more I threw myself into catharsis, the more I found myself spinning my wheels. There was no lasting change, just a chase for the next “magic” solution.

Then, on a walk by the ocean, I had a sudden epiphany: the problem wasn’t technique; it was capacity. My veterans, my students, and all lacked the ability to process the emotions and sensations these practices brought up.

When I realized this, I dove into the developing research in the world of elite athletes. They knew how to push their mind and body to the limit—and how to build the capacity to handle that pressure.

Here’s what I discovered: Capacity has a neurobiological foundation. When we build capacity in our nervous system, we gain a foundation to process what’s been stuck for decades. We can do this much more quickly than I had ever been led to believe by my study of trauma-sensitive methods. You only need to go slow when you don’t have capacity. If you focus on building capacity first, your mind and body will open up to transformational shifts.

In resilience,

Caitlin