Jacinda Gilligan

Human advocate l Speaker l Somatic Coach   Trauma Educator l  Trauma-informed yoga facilitator

Jacinda Gilligan is a dynamic presenter and an engaging trauma educator. With 30 years experience facilitating in a range of settings, she has developed the fine art of creating safe spaces : inclusive, non-coercive and responsively held with attuned care. 

Specialising in metabolising trauma in the body, applied polyvagal theory and embodied leadership, she is an innovator in her work as an embodiment facilitator and somatic coach, working with individuals, groups and leaders of organisations.

For many years she has worked in prisons nationwide teaching about the science of safety and it's necessity for secure relationship with our tamariki.  She currently delivers her programme "The Resilience Kete: trauma-informed body-based tools to reclaim safety in the body"  in a therapeutic unit in the Christchurch Women’s Prison.

She has facilitated trauma-informed yoga for 15 years in the community, under the ACC Sensitive Claims contract and in prisons.

In 2025 she founded SOMA, the first Centre of Somatics in Aotearoa. SOMA is an extension of her commitment to making trauma-informed somatic modalities accessible across our  communities & connecting individual healing with collective change.