Professional Development Training Workshops

Understanding and implementing Mindfulness and Attention Training for clients with complex-PTSD

Understanding and implementing mindfulness and attention training for clients with complex-PSTD is designed for clinicians and therapists who work with people of all ages who suffer from the debilitating and confusing symptoms related to the complex nature of repetitive threat and developmental trauma.

Working with survivors of complex trauma is a both demanding and rewarding. The application of mindfulness as an integral part of therapy is a tricky process but very effective when the goal of therapy is long term and persistent change for the client. This change involves a loss of the fight, flight and freeze system evaluating every social interaction, every decision, and dominating the waking and sleeping moments of our client’s lives.

DAY 1: Developing trust through the experience of change:

• Will describe the use of mindfulness through the trauma lens and how this diffentiates from both the Eastern and Western versions of the practice. The use of neurobiology and developmental frameworks will explain and explore why and how mindfulness and attention training is effective.
• Will identify and practice techniques of assessing tolerance to ensure both safety and develop biofeedback practices for the client. The importance of developing of the client’s ability to observe themselves is a critical part of mindfulness therapy, and is most often inadequate or lacking in our clients who have past repetitive states of trauma.
• Will explore what psycho education at the initial stages of therapy looks like and developing personal ways of doing this.
• Exploring the clinician’s presence and interaction in the process of applying the therapy.
• Balancing the ‘exposure’ work of mindfulness and the ‘sanctuary’ work of empathy and listening.

Day 2:  What to do when…

• The exploration of what to watch for and adjust when the practice is not working.
• The exploration of the journey your clients will enter in to when the practice is working including:

                                     o Bubble up of “the muck”

                                     o Increase of flashbacks/ dreams/ panic symptoms

                                     o Emotional release

                                     o Sabotage

                                     o Motivation

• How to assess and respond to outcome