 Trauma Treatment Course
Trauma and the Body
Trainer: Alison Leslie
 Available on-demand
How well do you understand the ways in which trauma manifests in the body? The Trauma & the Body course, led by Alison Leslie, LCSW, offers a deep dive into the physiological impact of trauma and how it can shape your clients’ physical and mental health. This course is designed to help therapists recognize and address the complex interplay between trauma and the body’s survival mechanisms. You’ll learn about the critical role of the autonomic nervous system in trauma responses and how unresolved trauma can lead to chronic health issues and emotional dysregulation.
In this course, you’ll gain practical strategies for helping clients navigate the physical aftermath of trauma, from understanding the threat response cycle to working with implicit memories that are stored in the body. This course equips you with the knowledge to support your clients in healing from the inside out, promoting recovery that integrates both mind and body. Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise or expand your therapeutic toolkit, this course is essential for any therapist committed to addressing the full impact of trauma.
This course was recorded on May 22, 2024.
Available for asynchronous on-demand.
This course is an individual module from our Foundations of Traumatology: Key Skills for Trauma Therapy program, which is a 20 CE, 9 module program. You can get access to this module, and 8 more modules with the entire comprehensive program!
COURSE DETAILS
The Trauma & the Body course, presented by Alison Leslie, LCSW, explores the profound connection between trauma and the physical body. The course begins by explaining that trauma is not just the event itself, but rather how the body responds to overwhelming experiences. Trauma can manifest as a disruption in the body’s ability to process and release stress, leading to a range of physical and psychological consequences. The course emphasizes that these responses are deeply embedded in the body’s physiology, often resulting in chronic health issues and dysregulation of the nervous system.
A significant portion of the course is dedicated to the concept of the threat response cycle, detailing how the body’s survival mechanisms—fight, flight, freeze, and collapse—are activated during traumatic events. These responses are not just psychological but are rooted in the body’s autonomic nervous system, which can become stuck in a state of hypervigilance or shutdown if the trauma is not resolved. The course also covers the importance of memory in trauma, distinguishing between explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious) memories, and how unprocessed traumatic memories can continue to affect the body and mind long after the event has passed.
The course further explores the impact of trauma on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a central part of the body’s stress response system. Chronic activation of the HPA axis can lead to an array of health problems, including inflammation, insulin resistance, and memory issues. The course emphasizes the importance of understanding these physiological processes to effectively address the long-term effects of trauma on the body.
Finally, the course discusses strategies for healing from trauma, focusing on the importance of creating supportive environments that allow for co-regulation and the development of new, adaptive behaviors. It highlights the potential for change and recovery, noting that with the right therapeutic approaches, the body’s set points can be recalibrated, leading to improved physical and emotional health. The course provides therapists with practical tools and insights to help clients heal from the deep-seated effects of trauma, offering a holistic approach that integrates mind and body.
AGENDA
- Intro
- Research and history
- Implicit and explicit memory
- Self Protective Response Cycle
- Putting it all together
- Conclusion
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Describe implicit memory and its connection to trauma and healing.
- Assess how trauma impacts the body.
- Appraise the threat response cycle.
ABOUT YOUR TRAINER, ALISON LESLIE
Alison is a licensed clinical social worker who lives in Bloomington, IN and owns her own private practice, Empower Healing.
Alison approaches therapy through the lens of presence and attunement and believes in being a guide to help clients find their own internal healing powers. She has a background in animal-assisted services and includes the human-animal bond and nature in the therapeutic experience. Alison Leslie is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Transforming Touch Therapist as well as an EMDRIA-approved therapist and consultant, advanced trainer, Basic Training facilitator, and EMDR Basic Training trainer-in-training with Trauma Therapist Institute.
In consultation, Alison likes to meet the consultee where they are at and support helping the consultee become embodied in the work they are doing and lean into their own internal guide as she supports growth in EMDR skills and Somatic Therapy through openness, curiosity, and compassion.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
