CARBONDALE -- Dawn Prince is using what she learned watching snow monkeys on the Shiga Mountains in Japan to help kids and adults in Carbondale dealing with trauma.

The Muay Thai second degree black belt teaches three classes at the First Christian Church of Carbondale in Snow Monkey Martial Arts, helping her students work through trauma experienced through abuse and drug or alcohol addiction.

"Once I was starting to watch what the monkeys were actually doing I thought, 'Wow, those were all really martial arts moves,'" Prince said. "Those are clearly the way that a primate body was designed to move everyday. They're so playful, and I thought, 'What a great light-hearted way to move through your day.'"

Prince, who struggled herself with drugs and alcohol and was homeless for five years, said life is often a traumatic experience that locks people up in their own bodies.

The holder of a Ph.D. in anthropology said people tend to move through life in very guarded ways and her mix of Muay Thai and the natural movements of Snow Monkeys helps free people, allowing them to "move" naturally through their trauma.

"If you move your body and stimulate the centers of your body that are shut down from trauma, you actually will learn to get better," Prince said. "There are actually a lot of scientific studies that show martial arts are great treatments for PTSD, past physical trauma and abuse you've done to your body with drugs and alcohol."

Kids particularly enjoy the classes that allow them to actually act like monkeys, performing moves such as "monkey grabs branch," "monkey reaches around a tree" and "monkey hangs on the rail."

The kids' class provides time for the kids to have a snack and talk about their experiences.

With some of the kids coming from troubled backgrounds, many are hesitant about the class and assume they won't enjoy it. But she said their defenses often break down as the class develops.

"Pretty soon, you see them lightening up, starting to smile and you can visibly see they're literally moving through trauma, they're digesting these things that have happened to them and really embracing the idea that it's a richness in their lives they can learn from," Prince said. "They don't have to stay stuck in the anger, embarrassment and shame."

See the article here:
Martial arts class helps kids and adults work through trauma