The Boston Harbor Distillery in Neponset will host a fundraiser event on Friday (May 3) to benefit The TIMBo Collective, a non-profit dedicated to healing women who have experienced trauma.

Today Elaine, a facilitator for the organization, says that all proceeds from the event will benefit the operation and promotion of TIMBo (Trauma-responsive Innovations for Mind and Body), a therapeutic program designed specifically for women that incorporates mindful coping skills and basic yoga elements to heal trauma.

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Since the program was developed by founder Sue Jones in 2009, it has become a globally recognized method shared in Haiti, Kenya, and Iran. In the Greater Boston area, TIMBo has helped thousands of women at the Pine Street Inn in the South End, at the Lynn Shelter Association, and at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham, as well as at other homeless and domestic abuse shelters across the region.

While TIMBo often engages in public service work with shelters to combat the traumatic effects of addiction, homelessness, and the opioid crisis, it also holds workshops for groups of individuals, such as teachers and first responders. In 2013, paramedics and law enforcement personnel who responded to the Boston Marathon bombing completed a TIMBo program as a way to cope with symptoms of PTSD.

According to Elaine, the organization’s work “has produced significant increases in scores of wellness measures, including lower rates of anxiety and depression and increases in self compassion and resilience.” She added that the scientific curriculum-based nature of the program makes it accessible and easy to replicate in group settings or individually.

“Ideally, our goal is to train staff within these agencies so that it can be a self-sufficient program,” she explained. “We’re teaching you the tools to do something on your own so that you don’t need the group...and there’s no pharma involved, no medication prescribed, which can often be costly.”

The roughly hour-long sessions include discussion sessions, breathing exercises, meditation, and some basic yoga movements, with an emphasis on psycho-education meant to empower survivors to take action in addressing their own trauma and healing processes.

Elaine noted the significance of the Boston Harbor Distillery, a woman-owned business, hosting the event. Friday’s fundraiser will feature a brief speaking portion from a TIMBo participant and a facilitator. The event will include live music from R&B band East Coast Soul, a food truck serving pasta and wood-fired pizzas, craft beer and wine, raffle prizes, and a silent auction for a private breakfast with Mayor Martin Walsh. Local photographer Michaela Timmons has also volunteered her services for the event. Tickets are available for purchase online at events.blackbirdrsvp.com/the-light-gets-in or at the door. For more information, contact info@yhtimbo.org.

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