5.4 Examples From the Field

Title: 

Trauma-informed exercise for women survivors (United Kingdom)

Context: Rape Crisis centers in England reported that many women who had experienced sexual violence were struggling with severe anxiety, dissociation, body disconnection, and avoidance of traditional gyms or mixed‑gender sport environments, despite expressing a wish to “feel strong again” and reclaim their bodies.

Action: A specialist trauma-informed group exercise program was developed and delivered in partnership with local fitness professionals: sessions were women-only, held in a consistent, private space, and led by instructors trained in trauma awareness, consent, and boundary-setting; participants could choose their level of intensity, opt out of any exercise, and were never touched without explicit permission, and sessions combined simple strength and aerobic work with grounding, breathing, and opportunities to notice body sensations safely.

Outcome: In a mixed‑methods evaluation, participants reported reduced fear of movement, increased feelings of strength and safety in their bodies, improved mood and sleep, and greater confidence in going out in public and engaging in other activities; many described the program as a key step in reconnecting with their bodies and rebuilding trust after violence, and several continued exercising independently or in other community programs afterwards.

Transferability: This is a real, evaluated program demonstrating that trauma-informed, choice-based, gender-sensitive exercise can be safe and beneficial for highly traumatized women in a European context, and its core elements, predictable structure, women-only spaces where relevant, explicit consent around touch, multiple participation levels, and collaboration between psychosocial services and sport professionals, can be directly adapted for survivors of trafficking in EU settings.