The Psychophysiology Of Trauma & Trauma Treatment
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. • 6 C.E. Hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION

PTSD is an indicator that the body and mind have not yet recognized that a traumatic incident is over. As a result, the body's nervous system responds by continuously mobilizing the muscles and other systems for defense (fight/flight) and/or numbing (freeze). Those with PTSD become overly attentive to interoceptive reminders of past danger, while losing their connection to extroceptive cues (the "five" senses) that appraise the present environment. This introductory course will provide participants with neurophysical and psychophysical theory, principles, and tools for understanding, reducing, containing, and halting traumatic hyperarousal. The result will be safer trauma therapy—regardless of the model applied. This course is consistent with and a beneficial adjunct to any method of psychotherapy or specialized trauma therapy (e.g. analytical, dynamic and somatic approaches, cognitive-behaviorial, and EMDR).

TOPICS
-Introduction and overview
-Terminology overview
-Taking a trauma history
-Distinguishing client types
-Putting on the Brakes with visual demonstration
-Sensory Nervous System and Dual Awareness
-Reading the Autonomic Nervous System
-Muscle Tone and Calm

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this course, you should be better able to:
1. Define trauma, traumatic stress, post traumatic stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder
2. Distinguish clients who are good candidates for processing trauma memories from those who are not
3. Discuss the structure of the body's nervous system
4. Employ the sensory nervous system to mediate flashbacks and nightmares
5. Exploit the autonomic nervous system to moderate arousal levels
6. Discern relaxed (a muscular state) from calm (a nervous system state)

SPEAKER PROFILE

  Babette Rothschild, M.S.W. is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (#LCS 6799). She has been a practitioner since 1976 and a teacher and trainer since 1992. She is the author of three books, all published by WW Norton: The Body Remembers--The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Trauma Treatment (a bestseller); The Body Remembers CASEBOOK--Unifying Methods and Models in the Treatment of Trauma and PTSD; and Help for the Helper--The Psychophysiology of Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma. After living and working for nine years in Copenhagen, Denmark, she returned to her native Los Angeles where she maintains a private practice while continuing to lecture, train, and supervise professional psychotherapists worldwide.