While Dissociation is traditionally understood as the human equivalent of the primal/innate “freeze” or “feigning death” response in the face of a threatening or unsafe situation, there are many activities at play in the human brain that allow us to leverage Dissociation for meeting a need or protecting the self and/or one’s system of selves. At the same time, genetic, developmental, neurobiological and psychological studies have supported a model where repeated chronic trauma, such as childhood maltreatment, intimate partner violence and/or abusive relationships may lead to a dissociative response to stressors, threats, and other traumatic experiences. Essentially, Dissociation is a multi-layered phenomenon, and this webinar will help us to make sense of it in as humanistic a way as possible.

Yet in many trauma-focused modalities, a great deal of fear still abounds on working with various manifestations of Dissociation due to lack of clarity on the subject and a prevalence of number of myths surrounding clients suffering from this condition. For example, that people suffering from DID are violent or that dissociative disorders are very rare or ‘fabricated’.

At this practically-oriented workshop, we confront these myths and work towards a practical and sensitive orientation to how the dissociative mind works. Drawing on Trauma-informed practice; key tenets from Expressive Arts therapy and Mindfulness-Informed approaches will be used to deepen our understanding of working with Dissociation in clinical settings. Participants will be engaged to expand their internal knowledge of conceptualizing and healing dissociation within a trauma-focused lens for clinical practice by considering their own relationship with dissociative behaviours and responses. Participants will also be given a primer on working with grounding skills in preparation phases of trauma work so that they can work with confidence towards safely concluding the trauma work. Key areas which may further build their skill set and competence will also be highlighted.

Agenda:

First Half of the Course

• Dissociation: Meanings, Myths, and Misconceptions
• How to Make Addressing Dissociation Simpler in Clinical Settings
• Listening to Those with Dissociative Disorders on the Therapeutic Journey

Second Half of the Course

• Developing a Practical Collection of Skills for Grounding and Anchoring
• Best Practices in Treatment Planning
• Addressing Your Fears and Expanding Your Skill Set in Working with Clinically Significant Dissociation 

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