The Master Series Trauma Edition
September 23rd - 25th 2021
Presented by Collectively Rooted & the Middle East Psychological Association (MEPA)
Translation in Arabic
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The Master Series brings together experts, originators, innovators, and ground-breakers that have changed the dialogue around their areas of expertise.
Each quarterly program focuses on one Big Idea to unearth the nuances of theoretical frameworks, explore concepts, and reframe our thinking about the world we all live in and the experiences we have in it, and this quarter, it’s Trauma.
Designed to challenge what you thought you knew about trauma concepts and healing, along with how you view the world and your experiences in it, The Master Series is your opportunity to gain access to some of the greatest minds in the world of trauma theory and healing.
Schedule Overview
The Series brings together Doctors Bessel van der Kolk, Peter A Levine, and Stephen Porges, leading lights in the field of trauma research and treatment. Their work focuses on different aspects of trauma, informed by years at the top of their game but with a common observation that the answer to the effective treatment of trauma lies in unlocking the physical aspects which get "locked-in" by the body. Healing those previously resigned to a life of misery, having been thought of as untreatable, they have collectively changed the lives of countless trauma sufferers around the world.
Thursday, September 23 - Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Developmental Trauma
Dr van der Kolk believes that our experience of trauma leaves an imprint on our bodies, keeping trauma survivors linked to the injustices of the past and preventing them from reclaiming full ownership of their bodies and consequently leading fulfilling lives. With a research career spanning 30 plus years, a key theme of Dr van der Kolk’s work is that "exposure to abuse and violence fosters the development of a hyperactive alarm system and molds a body that gets stuck in fight/flight, and freeze." Author of New York Times Best Seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Dr. van der Kolk spends his career studying how children and adults adapt to traumatic experiences and has translated emerging findings from neuroscience and attachment research to develop and study a range of treatments for traumatic stress in children and adults.
In 1984, he set up one of the first clinical/research centers in the US dedicated to study and treatment of traumatic stress in civilian populations, which has trained numerous researchers and clinicians specializing in the study and treatment of traumatic stress, and which has been continually funded to research the impact of traumatic stress and effective treatment interventions. His work is so important, it has been congressionally mandated. This session is a must-see.
Friday, September 24 - Peter A Levine, PhD, Somatic Experiencing® and Trauma
Dr. Levine believes that "trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering." Having personal experience of childhood trauma, Dr Levine says he was "guided by his own compelling need to heal" and refers to his research as "me-search". As the developer of Somatic Experiencing® (SE), a naturalistic body-awareness approach to healing trauma, which he teaches all over the globe, his work is a testament to his lifelong investigation into the connection between evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and animal behavior, and draws on more than 40 years of clinical experience in the healing of trauma.
Dr. Levine holds doctorates in both medical biophysics and psychology. An accomplished author, he penned the bestselling book, Waking the Tiger and In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, a testament to his lifelong investigation into the connection between evolutionary biology, neuroscience, animal behavior, and more than 40 years of clinical experience in the healing of trauma. Attending this session will help you to understand why Dr. Levine was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Body Psychotherapy and hopefully, he’ll bring along his famous multi-colored slinky.
Saturday, September 25 - Professor Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory: Claiming Our Evolutionary Heritage as a Social Species
In 1994, Professor Stephen Porges proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of the physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.
Dr. Porges is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. He is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton, 2011), The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, (Norton, 2017), and co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies (Norton, 2018).
He is the creator of a sound-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol™, which currently is used by more than 1400 therapists to improve spontaneous social engagement, reduce hearing sensitivities, improve language processing, and reinstate regulation. The seminal work of Professor Porges has been a game-changer for helping to shine a light on why people may struggle with emotion regulation and that there is hope for their treatment and regaining control of their lives. He is what the Master Series is all about.
Through their wisdom and guidance, we will explore the ways unresolved trauma reverberates through our lives and how we can restore ourselves and our patients to a sense of safety and mental health.
Please visit the Master Series Trauma Conference 2021 website for more information and we look forward to welcoming you to the conference in September.
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This program is presented by Collectively Rooted and the Middle East Psychological Association (MEPA). Translation in Arabic. Please contact them at the link below with any questions.