| This
exciting new workshop will provide the latest research findings and
treatment approaches for dealing with complex trauma and related
disorders.
DAY ONE:
During
the past decade an enormous amount has been learned about the
differences between memories of everyday experiences and those of
overwhelming events. These memories are different, depending on the age
at which the trauma occurs and the social support systems of the
victims.
Recent
neuroimaging studies suggest where in the brain these memories are
stored and what the mechanisms might be of the recovery of traumatic
memories. While ordinary memory is an active and constructive process,
traumatic memories are stored in ways that are different from the
memories of everyday experience, namely as dissociated sensory and
perceptual fragments of the experience.
Using
both research studies and clinical examples, Dr. van der Kolk will
present data on the nature of traumatic memories and will examine the
implications of this knowledge for clinical practice. He will also
review appropriate standards for approaching traumatic memories in
clinical work.
Dr.
van der Kolk will explore the effects of trauma on cognitive,
psychological and interpersonal functioning. He will review the
research on the profound effects of trauma on cognition, affect
regulation, and on the development of self and interactions with
others. We will discuss how trauma and disruptions in attachment bonds
affect the development of people's identity, and how this is expressed
socially as difficulties in affect modulation, destructive behavior
against self and others and in negotiating intimacy.
DAY TWO
Today
Dr. van der Kolk will review the effects of childhood trauma on
development of self-esteem, the capacity to identify and negotiate
personal needs, and the ability to relate effectively with others. The
balance of the day will be spent on the exploration of treatment
alternatives.
In
the wake of recent insights into the neurobiology of trauma, a range of
new approaches to treatment have been developed. Research on the effect
of trauma on affect regulation, perception and other brain functions
inevitably leads to conclusions regarding treatment that can be
considered fundamental shifts from earlier therapeutic paradigms.
Preoccupation with the trauma and learned helplessness require a
variety of interventions aimed at restoring active mastery and the
capacity to attend to current experience.
Given
the fragility of the interpersonal bonds following disruptions of
trust, issues of empathy, interpersonal repetition and boundaries
within the therapeutic relationship require scrupulous attention. In
this context we will examine the role of Dialectical Behavior Therapy,
Model Mugging and therapeutic work programs.
Since
traumatic memories often are dissociated and may be inaccessible to
verbal recall or processing, attention should also be paid to the
somatic re-experiencing of trauma-related sensations and affects which
may serve as engines for continuing maladaptive behaviors. Hypnosis,
body-oriented therapies and EMDR are often helpful here. Dr. van der
Kolk will present research data evaluating each set of interventions,
show videotaped clinical examples, and discuss the integration of these
approaches during different stages of treatment.
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