4-Day: 28th Annual International Trauma Conference: Psychological Trauma: Neuroscience, Identity and the Transformation of the Self - Seminar
4-Day: 28th Annual International Trauma Conference: Psychological Trauma: Neuroscience, Identity and the Transformation of the Self
- Where:
- BOSTON, MA
- When:
- Wednesday, May 31, 2017 - Saturday, June 3, 2017
The Main Conference is SOLD OUT for Friday and Saturday.
Walk-ins are welcome for the Pre-Conference Workshops on Wednesday and Thursday.
All four days of the conference are also available via our live video webcast.
All four days of the conference are also available via our live video webcast.
For almost three decades this conference has examined the evolving knowledge of how trauma affects psychological and biological developmental processes, and how the damage caused by trauma and neglect can be reversed. This year we will explore new frontiers in this work, frontiers that transcend old paradigms of explaining, fixing troublesome behaviors, or administering drugs.
The study of psychological trauma has been accompanied by an explosion of knowledge about how experience shapes the central nervous system and the formation of the self. Developments in the neurosciences, developmental psychopathology and information processing have contributed to our understanding of how brain function is shaped by experience and that life itself can continually transform perception and biology.
The study of trauma has probably been the single most fertile area in helping to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship among the emotional, cognitive, social and biological forces that shape human development.
Starting with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults and expanding into early attachment and overwhelming experiences in childhood, this endeavor has elucidated how certain experiences can “set” psychological expectations and biological selectivity.
We have learned that most experience is automatically processed on a subcortical level, of the brain; i.e., by “unconscious” interpretations that take place outside of awareness. Insight and understanding have only a limited influence on the operation of these subcortical processes. When addressing the problems of traumatized people who, in a myriad of ways, continue to react to current experience as a replay of the past, there is a need for therapeutic methods that do not depend exclusively on drugs and cognition. In this conference we will pay particular attention to physical self-experience, finding one's voice to speak the truth of experience, and the transformative potential of action, mind altering medications and theater.
The study of psychological trauma has been accompanied by an explosion of knowledge about how experience shapes the central nervous system and the formation of the self. Developments in the neurosciences, developmental psychopathology and information processing have contributed to our understanding of how brain function is shaped by experience and that life itself can continually transform perception and biology.
The study of trauma has probably been the single most fertile area in helping to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship among the emotional, cognitive, social and biological forces that shape human development.
Starting with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults and expanding into early attachment and overwhelming experiences in childhood, this endeavor has elucidated how certain experiences can “set” psychological expectations and biological selectivity.
We have learned that most experience is automatically processed on a subcortical level, of the brain; i.e., by “unconscious” interpretations that take place outside of awareness. Insight and understanding have only a limited influence on the operation of these subcortical processes. When addressing the problems of traumatized people who, in a myriad of ways, continue to react to current experience as a replay of the past, there is a need for therapeutic methods that do not depend exclusively on drugs and cognition. In this conference we will pay particular attention to physical self-experience, finding one's voice to speak the truth of experience, and the transformative potential of action, mind altering medications and theater.
Conference Director:
Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD
Keynote Speakers
Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD
Wendy d’Andrea, PhD
Alexander McFarlane, MD
Ed Tronick, PhD
Richard C. Schwartz, PhD
Michael Mithoefer, MD
Carol Gilligan,PhD
Stephan Wolpert
Eve Ensler
Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD
Keynote Speakers
Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD
Wendy d’Andrea, PhD
Alexander McFarlane, MD
Ed Tronick, PhD
Richard C. Schwartz, PhD
Michael Mithoefer, MD
Carol Gilligan,PhD
Stephan Wolpert
Eve Ensler
Cancellation Policy: An administrative fee of $75 is deducted for cancellation. Refund requests must be made in writing, fax or email to PESI, and must be postmarked by May 1, 2017. No refunds will be made thereafter.
Objectives:
The objective of this conference is to present current research findings on how people’s brains, minds, and bodies respond to traumatic experiences; how they regulate emotional and behavioral responses; and the role of relationships in protecting and restoring safety and regulation.
We will explore post-traumatic responses at different developmental levels, as well as the treatment implications of these findings. We also will explore how affect regulation and the interpretation of innocuous stimuli as threats require interventions aimed at restoring active mastery and the capacity to focus on the present. Traumatic memories often are dissociated and may be inaccessible to verbal recall or processing. Therefore, close attention must be paid to the development of inner resources to deal with dysregulation and helplessness, as well as to the careful timing of the exploration and processing of the traumatic past.
The objective of this conference is to present current research findings on how people’s brains, minds, and bodies respond to traumatic experiences; how they regulate emotional and behavioral responses; and the role of relationships in protecting and restoring safety and regulation.
We will explore post-traumatic responses at different developmental levels, as well as the treatment implications of these findings. We also will explore how affect regulation and the interpretation of innocuous stimuli as threats require interventions aimed at restoring active mastery and the capacity to focus on the present. Traumatic memories often are dissociated and may be inaccessible to verbal recall or processing. Therefore, close attention must be paid to the development of inner resources to deal with dysregulation and helplessness, as well as to the careful timing of the exploration and processing of the traumatic past.
- Show current research findings on how people’s brains, minds, and bodies respond to traumatic experiences.
- Breakdown how they regulate emotional and behavioral responses.
- Explain the role of relationships in protecting and restoring safety and regulation.
- Examine cutting-edge treatment interventions for various trauma-based symptoms.
PRE-CONFERENCE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017
Workshop 1: Development Trauma Disorder (DTD): Emerging Science and Best Practices
PRE-CONFERENCE: THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017
Workshop 3: How to Engage the Body to Disrupt Entrenched Patterns
MAIN CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017
Self and Identity in Traumatic Stress: From “Fixation on the Trauma”, to Resuming the Arc of One’s Life
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS: FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017
Workshop 1: From the Lab to the Clinic and Back: Integrating Psychophysiological Measurement and Interpretation into Experience and Intervention
MAIN CONFERENCE: SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2017
Attachment, Meaning Making & Self-Regulation
Over 23 million living veterans have been wired for war but never re-wired to come home: Cry Havoc, a one-person play by a military veteran, seamlessly interweaves Shakespeare’s most famous speeches with personal experience
*Transformative Power of Theater
Aside from presenting the latest advances in neuroscience and the most up-to-date evidence based therapeutic interventions for traumatized children and adults, this conference will highlight the transformative power of theater. Stephan Wolfert will give a live performance of his critically acclaimed Off Broadway play “Cry Havoc”, using Shakespeare’s texts to portray the impact of combat trauma, and Eve Ensler, the author of, among many plays, The Vagina Monologues, and In the Body of the World, will illustrate the liberating effects of giving voice to the traumatized body.
Workshop 1: Development Trauma Disorder (DTD): Emerging Science and Best Practices
- Joseph Spinazzola, PhD; Margaret Blaustein, PhD; Elizabeth Warner, PsyD; the JRI Trauma Drama Ensemble; Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD
- Lou Bergholz; Sean Rose, M.Ed.; Megan Bartlett, MA
PRE-CONFERENCE: THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017
Workshop 3: How to Engage the Body to Disrupt Entrenched Patterns
- Pat Ogden, PhD
- Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD; Amy Speace; Licia Sky; Mary Judd; Robert Spohr; Jose Hidalgo, MD
- Richard C. Schwartz, PhD; Michael Mithoefer, MD
MAIN CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017
Self and Identity in Traumatic Stress: From “Fixation on the Trauma”, to Resuming the Arc of One’s Life
- Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD
- Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD
- Wendy D’Andrea, PhD
- Alexander McFarlane, MD
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS: FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017
Workshop 1: From the Lab to the Clinic and Back: Integrating Psychophysiological Measurement and Interpretation into Experience and Intervention
- Wendy D/Andrea, PhD; Friends
- Hilary Hodgdon, PhD; Ainat Rogel, PhD
- Peter Bayley, PhD
- Richard Jacobs, PsyD
- Elya Steinberg, MD
- Elizabeth Warner, PsyD; Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD; Sherain Haricharan, PhD
MAIN CONFERENCE: SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2017
Attachment, Meaning Making & Self-Regulation
- Ed Tronick, PhD
- Michael Mithoefer, MD; Richard C. Schwartz; PhD
- Lou Bergholz
Over 23 million living veterans have been wired for war but never re-wired to come home: Cry Havoc, a one-person play by a military veteran, seamlessly interweaves Shakespeare’s most famous speeches with personal experience
- Stephan Wolfert
- Eve Ensler; Kevin Coleman; Carol Gilligan, PhD
*Transformative Power of Theater
Aside from presenting the latest advances in neuroscience and the most up-to-date evidence based therapeutic interventions for traumatized children and adults, this conference will highlight the transformative power of theater. Stephan Wolfert will give a live performance of his critically acclaimed Off Broadway play “Cry Havoc”, using Shakespeare’s texts to portray the impact of combat trauma, and Eve Ensler, the author of, among many plays, The Vagina Monologues, and In the Body of the World, will illustrate the liberating effects of giving voice to the traumatized body.
BESSEL A. VAN DER KOLK, MD
Bessel A. Van der Kolk, M.D., is a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of post-traumatic stress. His work integrates developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment.
Dr. van der Kolk and his various collaborators have published extensively on the impact of trauma on development, such as dissociative problems, borderline personality and self-mutilation, cognitive development, memory, and the psychobiology of trauma. He has published over 150 peer reviewed scientific articles on such diverse topics as neuroimaging, self-injury, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theater and EMDR.
He is founder of the Trauma Center in Brookline, Massachusetts and president of the Trauma Research Foundation, which promotes clinical, scientific and educational projects.
His 2014 #1 New York Times best seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma, transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring – specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, somatically based therapies, EMDR, psychodrama, play, yoga, and other therapies.
Dr. van der Kolk is the past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and professor of psychiatry at Boston University Medical School. He regularly teaches at conferences, universities, and hospitals around the world.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is a professor at Boston University School of Medicine, the Director of the Trauma Center, and the National Complex Trauma Network. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. van der Kolk receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has no relevant non-financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Breakdown for Continuing Education Credits by Event
[-] Wednesday - Workshop 1: Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD)
[-] Wednesday - Workshop 2: Harnessing the Competitive Spirit
[-] Thursday - Workshop 3: How the Engage the Body to Disrupt Entrenched Patterns
[-] Thursday - Workshop 4: Synchrony, Music, Rhythms & Voice to Restore Connections, Enhance Imagination, and Create New Possibilities
[-] Thursday - Workshop 5: The Internal Family System Model
[-] Main Conference - Friday & Saturday
[-] Main Conference and Friday Workshop: From the Lab to the Clinic and Back
[-] Main Conference and Friday Workshop: Neurofeedback for Affect Dysregulation and Impairment of Executive Functioning
[-] Main Conference and Friday Workshop: Meditation as Trauma Therapy
[-] Main Conference and Friday Workshop: Mending Broken Souls
[-] Main Conference and Friday Workshop: Getting In-Touch with Touch
[-] Main Conference and Friday Workshop: The Vestibular Network, Multisensory Integration & Psychotherapeutic Work with Traumatized Children and Adolescents
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Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to PESI, P.O. Box 1000, Eau Claire, WI 54702-1000 or call (800) 844-8260.
ADA Needs
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at (800) 844-8260.
Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to PESI, P.O. Box 1000, Eau Claire, WI 54702-1000 or call (800) 844-8260.
ADA Needs
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at (800) 844-8260.
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