Examining the benefits of unconventional fitness programs through a trauma-informed lens with Certified Personal Trainer & Wellness Coach Justin Brown

Author: Nastasia Freeman, LMHC, LPCC, LPC

Coping with trauma in a mental and/or physical capacity requires an understanding of not only how trauma affects one’s mental health but also how symptoms of trauma manifest physically.

Following exposure to trauma, our “fight-or-flight” biological instincts and stress responses are often activated and intensified (NAMI, 2017). This response often presents as an increase in heart rate, shortness of breath, hyper-arousal, irritability, anxiety, muscle tension, a rise in body temperature, and even pain (The Center for Integrated Healthcare, 2013). Developing ways to proactively cope with these responses can influence an overall feeling of safety, empowerment, and self-awareness.

Safety + Empowerment + Self-Awareness

For individuals with a history of trauma and trauma-related symptoms, an alternative to traditional fitness programs may improve feelings of safety, empowerment, and self-awareness. Exposure to traumatic events can stifle creativity, mindfulness, and emotion regulation. Finding a fitness program that improves awareness, emotion regulation, and confidence is essential for those also navigating symptoms related to trauma. Unconventional fitness programs and other wellness activities can be a therapeutic tool that can assist individuals in coping with stress and symptoms related to trauma by increasing awareness around the mind and body connection (Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services, 2014).

Justin Brown + Steel Mace Flow

I sat down with Justin Brown, owner of Flow Life Wellness, to explore an unconventional workout (Steel Mace Flow) that encompasses mindfulness-based stress reduction practices and cultivates awareness and acceptance. Justin Brown’s certifications include Black Swan - 200HR CYT, FRC - Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist, ONNIT Academy—Barbell, Kettlebell, Steel Club, Steel Mace, Durability, Foundations, Animal Flow - Certified Flow Instructor Level 1, Box N Burn - Level 1 & 2 Certified Boxing Coach, Gold's Gym - CYCLE, FIT, BURN, NASM - Certified Personal Trainer, NASM - Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Trigger Point, TRX, GYM JONES - Level 1 Workshop, & CPR/AED & FIRST AID.

Justin Brown, Certified Personal Trainer + Wellness Coach

Mindfulness + Steel Mace Flow

Mindfulness and the practice of Steel Mace Flow go hand in hand. Mindfulness, like the practice of Steel Mace Flow, is a state, not a trait. According to Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003), “Mindfulness is defined as the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment,”

Justin emphasized, “Steel Mace Flow is an art form. It promotes creativity and fluid movement; it puts emotion in motion.”

“In my practice, I primarily utilize Steel Mace Flow to assist my clients in healing and achieving goals in both a physical and emotional context. The goal is to create space between a person’s thoughts and create awareness of the correlation between emotion and motion.” -Justin Brown

Targeting Stress Responses + Steel Mace Flow

The practice of Steel Mace Flow can assist clients in learning to identify, understand, and respond to their emotions, body signals, and the environment around them rather than reacting. When engaging in Steel Mace Flow, Justin Brown agrees, it can be a grounding experience. Steel Mace Flow places emphasis on your movements, the rhythm of your breathing, and any other emotional and physical sensations you are feeling. Steel Mace Flow can be helpful in removing any worry and discomfort caused by excessive thoughts, as it disrupts those thoughts with movement. Steel Mace Flow acts as a way to break the cycle, ground, and relieve emotional and physical tension. The mind and body are intertwined. The practice of Steel Mace Flow can disrupt unwanted physical sensations often felt in stress responses while consequently calming the mind by interrupting the flow of distressing thoughts. Steel Mace Flow can ground an individual back into their body in times of physical and emotional stress.

Individualizing Fitness

According to Justin Brown,

“It is important to sit down with your client and meet them where they are at. I get to know my clients on a personal level. I want to know where they are both physically and emotionally. This allows me to modify and customize where necessary and develop a plan to help my client based on their individual needs.”
Justin conveyed, “Everyone’s journey is different, and rather than trying to apply what works for all, I want to make sure I am developing plans that work for my individual client.”

Creating a Nurturing Environment

You want your client to feel relief when they leave a training; you never want them to feel discouraged or defeated. The importance of understanding a client’s emotional and mental health is that it allows the trainer to modify their approach to promote attainable goals and responses that construct an atmosphere of safety, acceptance, encouragement, and confidence.

Justin Brown’s Approach to Fitness

Justin’s goal is to create a safe and empowering space for his clients to heal and meet their personal goals. Steel Mace Flow can be tailored to assist clients in beginning or continuing their fitness journey utilizing a mind-body focus. The tone, the environment, and the goals in Justin’s approach to fitness take away the competitive nature of fitness and place emphasis on improving self-esteem, acceptance, adaptability, relationship with self, and emotion regulation.

Benefits

Justin reflects on his client’s growth.

“Not only have my clients benefited physically from participating in Steel Mace Flow, but I have found that my clients tend to benefit from increased awareness and concentration, as well as improved emotional expression. This is brought on by the learned ability to identify and silence outside static and noise influenced by the outside world. This has allowed my clients to tune into their self more. The results of utilizing Steel Mace Flow go far beyond only physical improvements; these practices promote awareness, emotion regulation, and influence a sense of empowerment.”

Justin Brown’s Personal Experience

“Utilizing Steel Mace Flow has brought relief from emotional pain and traumatic loss that I have experienced”.

Not having the words to express the emotional pain and grief he was feeling or knowing how to respond to it, Justin found movement as a way to do so.

Justin reflects,

“It is healing; it has and still does allow me to release emotions and physical tension stored in the body from the emotional pain and grief I experienced and still often do. I felt not just emotional pain but physical manifestations of that pain as well.”

Grief can be and often is ongoing. It is complex, and finding ways to mange grief and emotional pain associated with traumatic loss is essential in the healing process.

Following the traumatic loss of his daughter, Justin shifted his lens. Justin transformed his practice of personal training from focusing primarily on physical fitness goals to a practice that places emphasis on emotional relief through movement.

Justin reflects on his experience.

“Steel Mace Flow gave me the tools to release the emotional pain I was experiencing and tap into how I was feeling. I was able to express my emotions through movement. It was like all of my trauma and emotions that weren’t being accessed were sitting in a well, and the practice of Steel Mace Flow was the water spout that was able to pull up those emotions and release them.”

Video Provided by Justin Brown

Steel Mace Flow is an affordable, accessible, and adaptable alternative to traditional workouts. Justin brings his practice to others both in person and online.

To learn more about Justin Brown’s services, contact him here.

Justin Brown confirms the practice of Steel Mace Flow in conjunction with mental health therapy and other mental health support services can help alleviate and manage symptoms of trauma by promoting a shift in attention to the present time, increased openness, nonjudgmental acceptance, and connection and awareness to somatic sensations.

Justin Brown also provides education on the importance of nutrition in managing both physical and mental health.

Notice: The services and information provided are not intended for crisis situations and urgent needs. If you are in need of immediate attention and are in the U.S. please call now 1-800-273-TALK (24-hour hotline). If you or anyone else might be in danger and/or you are outside the U.S., please call 911 and/or go to the nearest emergency room.

Disclaimer: Exercise provides great benefits, but only you know your own body and limits. Like any exercise, please consult your health care professional with any questions or concerns before starting any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. Not all exercises are suitable for all persons. Nastasia Freeman, LMHC, LPCC, LPC & Hello Healed®, is not affiliated with Justin Brown, and the information within this article is not meant to be a recommendation, nor is it an endorsement of the content or interviewed participant.

References

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg016

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health). (2017). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Posttraumatic-Stress-Disorder

The Center for Integrated Healthcare. (2013). The Stress Response and How it Can Affect You. Retrieved from: https://www.mirecc.va.gov/cih-visn2/Documents/Patient_Education_Handouts/Stress_Response_and_How_It_Can_Affect_You_Version_3.pdf

Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. (2014). Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 57.) Chapter 3, Understanding the Impact of Trauma. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/

Trauma + Fitness