Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE)

What Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE) does

Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE) is an independent 501(c)(3) educational organization headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, that prepares mental health professionals, movement practitioners, community leaders, and care providers to deliver body-based trauma interventions. Formally established in 2018 and incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 2025, CFTE is the institutional home for Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), described as the world's first yoga-based intervention for complex trauma, alongside a portfolio of adjunct programs including Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting (TIWL), Trauma-Informed Mindful Eating (TIME), Trauma-Informed Improv and Play (TIIP), ReScripted group drama therapy, Trauma-Informed Physical Therapy (TIPT), and The Embodied Workplace. The organization's protocols are grounded in over 20 years of original clinical research and more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, anchored by a 2023 JAMA Network Open randomized clinical trial in which TCTSY outperformed Cognitive Processing Therapy on symptom improvement and retention rates among women veterans and survivors of military sexual trauma.

CFTE generates revenue through a tiered training catalog delivered via a Kajabi-based self-paced online learning platform and a global licensed trainer network: introductory courses at $85, TCTSY Foundations (20 hours), the 300-hour TCTSY Certification at $3,600 plus a $125 processing fee, and the TIWL Certificate Program at $1,695, with TIWL self-paced courses priced $29-$297. Programs qualify for continuing education credits across six professional bodies (Yoga Alliance, ASWB pending, NASM, IAYT, NCBTMB, MaMHCA), and the organization runs an annual International Conference on Trauma and Embodiment with sliding-scale $79-$119 ticket pricing plus on-demand access. The Community Leader Program represents a distinct distribution channel that trains local facilitators in conflict zones, displacement camps, and Indigenous communities (active across SWANA, Pakistan, and First Nations Canada) with paid stipends, supported by culturally adapted tools including the Two Cedars Yoga Deck and Modern Standard Arabic terminology. Donations, monthly recurring gifts, and grants (DAF-accepted) provide a third revenue stream, with over $200,000 in cumulative scholarships awarded since 2018.

The organization's go-to-market blends product-led growth through low-cost introductory online courses, event-driven community building via the annual conference and quarterly roundtables, community-led international expansion through the Community Leader Program, and enterprise field sales targeting organizations seeking trauma-informed culture change through the Embodied Workplace framework. CFTE's research credibility is reinforced by partnerships with Emory University, the MindBody Trauma Care Lab at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the National Institute of Psychology at Quaid-i-Azam University, and the Vancouver Association of Survivors of Torture (VAST). With 1,000+ certified facilitators across 50+ countries engaging 40,000+ people annually, CFTE occupies a differentiated position as the most clinically validated and globally distributed body-first trauma care provider, though its nonprofit structure constrains capital intensity and growth velocity relative to venture-backed digital health entrants.

Name

Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE)

Legal name

Center for Trauma and Embodiment

Website

https://healwithcfte.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE) is an independent nonprofit educational organization that trains mental health professionals, yoga teachers, fitness coaches, and community leaders in evidence-based body-based trauma interventions, anchored by the TCTSY protocol with 1,000+ certified facilitators across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trauma-Informed Professional Training and Certification

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Trauma-informed training programs
• Body-based trauma therapy
• Professional certification programs
• Somatic trauma care
• Embodied mental health training

Headquarters

HQ city

Needham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Programs: Revenue from certification programs, foundational trainings, and introductory courses for mental health professionals, yoga teachers, fitness coaches, and community leaders. Includes the 300-hour TCTSY Certification ($3,600), TIWL Certificate Program ($1,695), and various self-paced courses.
2. Continuing Education Credits (CECs): Accredited continuing education credits offered through Yoga Alliance, IAYT, NASM, NCBTMB, MaMHCA, and ASWB. Revenue generated through training programs that qualify for professional continuing education.
3. Annual Conference: International Conference on Trauma & Embodiment generates revenue through ticket sales and on-demand content access. Sliding scale pricing from $79-$119, with content available through September 2026.
4. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations support DEI scholarships, needs-based tuition assistance, scaled tuition for Latin American countries, and ongoing development of evidence-based trauma care programs worldwide. Monthly Mover recurring donation program available. DAF donations accepted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CFTE is an educational nonprofit that develops and delivers body-based trauma care interventions and the professional training programs that certify practitioners in them. Its core offerings are the TCTSY, TIWL, TIME, TIIP, ReScripted, TIPT, and Embodied Workplace care models, sold via certification programs (e.g., 300-hour TCTSY Certification, TIWL Certificate Program), self-paced introductory and foundations courses, cohort-based online training, the Annual Conference, and the Community Leaders Program for global grassroots delivery.

Product overview

CFTE is an educational organization offering a portfolio of body-based trauma care programs, not a traditional software product. The core ecosystem includes TCTSY (Trauma-Sensitive Yoga), TIWL (Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting), TIME (Trauma-Informed Mindful Eating), TIIP (Trauma-Informed Improv & Play), ReScripted (Group Drama Therapy), TIPT (Trauma-Informed Physical Therapy), and The Embodied Workplace. These are complemented by professional training and certification programs, the 'On Trauma & Power' podcast, quarterly roundtables, an annual conference, and the Community Leaders Program. Programs are grounded in over two decades of original clinical research and are validated as evidence-based interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TCTSY (Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga): The world's first yoga-based intervention for complex trauma, found to be as effective as talk therapy. Features certified facilitators in more than 50 countries and is the most established and widely researched program in the CFTE ecosystem.
• TIWL (Trauma-Informed Weight Lifting)
• TIME (Trauma-Informed Mindful Eating)
• TIIP (Trauma-Informed Improv & Play)
• ReScripted (Group Drama Therapy)
• The Embodied Workplace
• Community Leader Program

Products and services

• TCTSY Certification Program A 300-hour certification program for yoga professionals, mental health practitioners, healthcare providers, and community workers, offered fully online with cohorts based on major time zones (North America, Europe, Australasia) and entirely in Spanish. Total cost: $3,600 USD plus a $125 one-time non-refundable processing fee, payable as $725 initial payment plus $600 monthly auto-pay. Approved by Yoga Alliance as a 300-hour training; awaiting ASWB approval for social work continuing education credits.
• TIWL Certificate Program

Quantifiable outcome

• TCTSY found to be equally effective as Cognitive Processing Therapy (gold-standard PTSD treatment) in JAMA Network Open 2023 landmark RCT. Completion rates significantly higher for TCTSY.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VAST (Vancouver Association of Survivors of Torture)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018UN- and Canadian government-funded organization serving as ongoing supporting partner throughout Community Leader Program development. Conducted first formal TCTSY program evaluation at UN Aida Refugee Camp in West Bank — the first time TCTSY outcomes have been formally documented in an active conflict zone.
• MindBody Trauma Care LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch lab directed by Dr. Viann Nguyen-Feng at University of Minnesota Duluth. Conducts program evaluation and research alongside Community Leader Program. Published findings in Voices Against Torture Journal 2024.
• National Institute of Psychology at Quaid-i-Azam UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for Urdu language adaptation of TCTSY methodology in Pakistan. Current partnership in development alongside work with acid survivors through Voices Against Torture, Islamabad.
• Roy Henry VickerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nations artist, storyteller, and elder from Laxgalts'ap Nation. Multi-year collaboration producing the Two Cedars yoga deck — a culturally grounded yoga deck for First Nations communities combining Indigenous knowledge with trauma-informed somatic care through concept of two-eyed seeing (Etuaptmumk).
• First Nations Communities (British Columbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive collaboration with Laxgalts'ap community and Simshim Nation on British Columbia's west coast since 2018. Central project: Two Cedars yoga deck with Roy Henry Vickers. Also worked with Maaqtusiis First Nations in Ontario.
• Voices Against Torture, IslamabadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Urdu language adaptation and work with acid survivors in Pakistan. Ongoing collaboration in development phase of Community Leader Program in Pakistan.
• Domestic Abuse Project (Minneapolis)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSite of first study examining TCTSY in community-based setting (2014). Established that trauma-sensitive yoga could be meaningfully integrated into existing community organizations, not only clinical treatment programs.
• Emory UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for landmark 2023 JAMA Network Open study comparing TCTSY to Cognitive Processing Therapy. Dr. Ursula Kelly (Associate Professor, School of Nursing) and Dr. Melinda Higgins (Director, Biostatistics) involved in research.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PESI: Continuing education provider for mental health professionals offering courses across trauma therapy approaches. Comparable to CFTE's certification and continuing education revenue model targeting the same professional audience.
• NICABM (National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine): Provides continuing education and training programs for mental health professionals across multiple therapeutic modalities including trauma treatment. Comparable to CFTE's professional training and certification business model.
• EMDR Institute: Established trauma therapy training organization offering EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) certification. While EMDR is a different modality, this is the incumbent standard in trauma therapy training that TCTSY now competes against as a body-based alternative.

Direct peers

• Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute: Trains mental health professionals and body-oriented practitioners in Somatic Experiencing, a body-based trauma therapy. Directly comparable to CFTE's TCTSY in offering somatic/body-based trauma intervention training with certification programs.
• Breathworks: UK-based nonprofit providing mindfulness-based pain and illness management training including trauma-informed approaches. Comparable to CFTE in offering structured training programs for professionals working with trauma and chronic conditions through body-based practices.
• Trauma Center at JRI: Former parent organization of CFTE's founders and original research home where TCTSY was developed. Direct peer and historical institutional affiliate with shared research lineage and overlapping clinical population focus.
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute: Provides training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a body-oriented approach to psychotherapy for trauma. Directly comparable to CFTE in emphasizing body-based interventions and offering professional certification for working with trauma survivors.
• Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM): Nonprofit organization providing training in mind-body medicine and trauma-informed approaches to health professionals and community leaders globally. Highly comparable to CFTE in mission, training model, and population focus on trauma-affected communities.

Emerging players

• Veterans Yoga Project: Nonprofit training yoga teachers and clinicians in trauma-sensitive yoga specifically for veterans and military populations. Closely comparable to CFTE's TCTSY with similar focus on veterans with PTSD and similar training/certification model.
• Polaris Insight Center: Trains mental health professionals and yoga teachers in trauma-informed mindfulness and contemplative practices. Comparable to CFTE in offering certification programs for trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness with similar professional audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/ontraumaandpower
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL7qrVp9-_f-N9QtRwt6Hm7gsG4PLJ4K9O
• Instagraminstagram.com/ontraumaandpower
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healwithcfte

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Trauma and Embodiment (CFTE)