What's In the Course
In this experiential training, you'll go inside the therapy room with Dr. Abi Blakeslee as she demonstrates her somatic methods with actual people with attachment trauma.
Every step of the way, she'll share real-time insights into her decisions and interventions, based on the best integrative somatic approaches, giving you a clear understanding of how to apply these powerful interventions with your clients.
In each module, you'll see her work with a variety of attachment trauma...
...so you can confidently use these techniques with the flexibility you need to address your client's unique needs, including:
Neglect, Depression/Anxiety, and Persistent Isolation
Hannah endured years without consistent access to food, safety or affection. As an adult, she carries a pervasive sense of loneliness and disconnection. In this module, you'll learn how to:
- Ease guardedness and build a safe, trusting connection — fast!
- Read your client's body cues to uncover the root of their attachment trauma
- Use consistent signals of somatic relational repair to rewire patterns of dissociation and depression (freeze/collapse)
Generational Trauma, Systemic Trauma, and Assertive Boundary Challenges
Maria's childhood was shaped by the trauma and instability of the Salvadoran Civil War. She grew up in a rural community that faced, like her, collective trauma. Now, she explores how to more clearly set and keep healthy boundaries in her relationships. In this module, you'll learn how to:
- Ask the right questions to get straight to the heart of your client's needs
- Use somatic boundary practices to help clients protect themselves without shame
- Build emotional capacity through exercises that address the intersections between individual and collective trauma
The Crossroad Between Physical and Emotional Abuse, Abandonment, and Chronic Pain
Adrian experienced ongoing abuse from her father while her mother remained passive. Today, she suffers from chronic pain rooted in long-term nervous system dysregulation. In this module, you'll learn how to:
- Prepare clients to confront painful memories without getting overwhelmed
- Give your clients an embodied experience of being safe with someone who cares
- Ease chronic pain by addressing the nervous system's response to relational and emotional trauma, giving your clients the relief they can feel right away
Sibling Abuse Contributing to Insecure Attachment in Romantic Relationships
Kevin was subjected to prolonged bullying by his brother, with no protection from his parents. He struggles with feeling guarded and uncertain about signals of trust and consistency in romantic relationships. In this module, you'll learn how to:
- Quickly identify and interact with your client's attachment style by reading and working directly movement and procedural attachment-based memory
- Teach clients how to stay connected in moments when they'd normally pull away or shut down
- Use interventions combining somatic-based inner child and competent protector work to support a felt sense of safety internally and in a relationship by reconnecting to the agency after shut down
Severe Parental Mental Illness Interventions to Both Sooth and Challenge the Global High Alert to Relational Danger
Alicia's life was profoundly impacted when her mother developed late-onset schizophrenia. She now lives with chronic emotional dysregulation and struggles with trusting others. In this module, you'll learn how to:
- Spot subtle signs of overwhelm and use gentle somatic interventions to help soothe
- Help clients notice when they are slipping into freeze or dissociation — and guide them to gain skills to return to internal reconnection and external relational connection
- Handle relational ruptures as a part of the process of attachment discovery through somatic survival and attachment exploration
A Couple's Journey Navigating Attachment Trauma in Their Intimate Relationship
Alicia and her husband, Travis, are working together to heal the residual effects of her early attachment wounds, which continue to influence the dynamics of their marriage. In this module, you'll learn how to:
- Use the safety of current relationships to help heal old attachment wounds
- Teach couples how to co-regulate so they can feel safe and connected even during conflict
- Use somatic exercises and activities to change the couple's reactions against each other and align to conquering issues together
