Trauma and Somatics is a live, in-depth professional training program designed specifically for educators, helping professionals, and individuals to deepen their awareness of trauma physiology and build the skills necessary for their work with clients who have a history of trauma.

This unique program provides a solid foundation to support your clients using the simple and often overlooked wisdom inherent in each of us – the wisdom of the body. 

What is trauma?

A somatic approach to trauma defines trauma not as an event, but rather as the living memory of that which was too much or too overwhelming for the body to process. This living memory disorganizes our body-mind’s capacity to adapt to changing circumstances, heal and grow, and otherwise cultivate resilience.

Trauma can occur when:

• There is an overwhelming threat to our safety, belonging, or dignity.

• Something happens that is too much, too soon for us to process (i.e. car accident).

• Something happens that is too much, and continues for too long (i.e. abuse for years).

• There is too little for too long (i.e. chronic neglect).

• Power and agency have been taken away from the person or community (i.e. economic oppression).

• Long-term stressors built over time without adequate resources to meet one’s needs (i.e. poverty, war, chronic economic crisis).

• When our primal self-protective instincts and responses are prevented (i.e. the need to fight back is suppressed).

• There is not enough safety, social acceptance, or cultural support to heal.

It is essential that we consider the multiple layers of experience that shape our client’s lives, including developmental, relational, institutional, and cultural factors. By acknowledging the many different contexts, we are able to offer greater support to the people we serve.

Traumatic symptoms may show up immediately, or potentially emerge across time from the compounding stress and challenges of processing and adapting to normal circumstances in life. Symptoms of trauma emerge as the body and mind attempt to cope with, and resolve, the stressors around the individual, while their system oftentimes becomes overwhelmed or overloaded by this compounding sensory input.

The effects of trauma may include:

• Physical symptoms such as sensitivity to light/sound, autoimmune disorders, muscle tension, GI problems, trouble sleeping, hyperactivity, and what's often considered "Type A" personality traits. 

• Emotional symptoms such as low affect (flatness / inability to feel, minimal facial expressions), over/under achievement, anxiety, overwhelm, conflict avoidance, difficulty feeling comforted, and shame.

• Psychological symptoms such as dissociation, perfectionism, low self worth,  negative self-talk, needing to be in control, memory challenges, depression, and 'personality disorders'. 

• Relational / Social symptoms such as social isolation / 'codependancy', learning difficulties, relational and attachment disorganization.

Unintegrated trauma leads to experiences of powerlessness, hopelessness, and lack of presence. Lingering symptoms interfere with our ability to feel fully alive, connected with and belonging to Life. Somatics offers a gateway to a new way of moving in our environment and relating to the world around us. However, as Dr. Peter Levine, creator of Somatic Experiencing says, “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not have to be a life sentence.”

Symptoms are simply the alarm system that points to the need for healing trauma to take place. Our job as practitioners and educators is to listen and hear the messages and wisdom that the body continues to share with us.

Let's Create a Trauma-Informed World, Together.

‘Soma’ is a Greek word often used in medical and spiritual communities to refer to "the body." In Ancient Greece, there was no differentiation between the body and the mind— in fact, the body-mind is one intrinsically interconnected system. When we use the word 'Soma,' we are referring to ‘the living wholeness of our being’, or that which is known to the Self. This ‘awareness’ points to a 'Wholeness of Being' that is formed from within. Trauma and Somatics is an experiential approach to bodymind integration. The internal discomfort, overwhelm, and survival strategies triggered by trauma keep us from feeling at home in our body. As a result, trauma prevents us from living in this present moment, causing a splitting or fracturing from ourselves to occur.

Somatic Interventions help your clients:

• Cultivate a sense of body-oriented safety while helping to expand their capacity to process body memory (preverbal and nonverbal)
• Integrate unprocessed emotions in a manageable way
• Stabilize from thwarted (incomplete) stress response triggers for sustainable resolution
• Restore us to our optimal state, both internally and in relationship with the world around us

Trauma and Somatics teaches techniques that help clients to sense and regulate their own physiology and states of being, helping them to build greater and greater connection to their Aliveness. This includes building more internal and external resources, building trusting and co-regulatory relationships, learning to turn inward with compassion, being invited into deeper relationship with sensations, and cultivating an even greater awareness of one's Self. These somatic techniques help to restore an overall sense of well-being and vitality.

While trauma is processed and stored in the body, the ramifications of it show up in many places including our relationships with other people, the environment, our communities, and a multitude of systems (education and political structures).

Through a holistic approach to Trauma and Somatics, we are able to help individuals to integrate an understanding of their developmental and attachment experiences as well as the cultural, structural inequities, transgenerational trauma, and systemic forces of oppression they have been subjected to throughout their lives.

Trauma and Somatics encompasses a wide range of approaches to restore health and well-being. Each of these are based on the foundational principle that healing happens in connection, and integration happens through our body's natural self-righting mechanism. Additionally, body awareness helps us access an internal source of wisdom that guides the healing process and builds resilience.

Each of these therapeutic approaches uses different techniques to support the unwinding of trauma. The intention of a holistic approach is to embody the foundational principles of trauma and somatics and utilize the many tools and techniques to support ourselves and others.

The Trauma and Somatics Certificate is informed by many different somatic modalities including:

Let's End Global Suffering, Together.

This Trauma and Somatics Certificate Program is a complete holistic professional training system designed for individuals and professionals who want to offer safe, trauma-informed experiences for their clients, including, but not limited to:

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

The training will run live from September 23rd through Decemebr 16th, 2022. All live classes will be recorded and students will retain lifetime access to all course materials.

WEEKLY CLASSES: Live group classes are held on Wednesdays from 12 - 3pm PT / 2 - 5pm CT / 3 - 6pm ET

Please check your local Time Zone here.
 

HOMEWORK  

Homework will be due weekly. All homework submissions will be made through the online learning platform. Please see Certificate of Completion below for more detailed information about homework requirements.

LEARNING PLATFORM FORMAT

ZOOM: The live portion of the certificate program will be offered online using the video conferencing platform Zoom, in meeting format, to allow instructors and students to interact, ask questions and participate in breakout sessions. 

ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM: The online learning platform will be where you access all of your course information including:

• Detailed class schedule

• Daily Journal

• Private Sessions with Aurianna and/or Will (These sessions can be used to process anything that's coming up for you as a result of your personal life, the course materials, or to discuss client cases and receive feedback or techniques to better support them.)
• Prerecorded lectures

• Course materials such as workbooks, PDFs, MP3s

• Homework submissions

• Extensive resource library

• Live Class recordings will be made available within 48-hours after the class

• Lifetime updates and new learning materials

ACCESSIBILITY

VIDEO / AUDIO: Within the online learning platform, students may watch the video of live classes within their online library and listen to or download the prerecorded lectures to their computer. They will have lifetime access to the content.

READING LISTS: There is one book that is required to read during the training.

• Recommended readings are optional and for expanding your own understanding of trauma and somatics. They may include books, online articles etc. 
• There is also an area for additional resources referenced during the live training classes.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Below are the requirements to receive the Certificate of Completion:

• Attend every class live or watch the recordings

• Complete the weekly homework (given at the end of each live class) 

• Complete the bi-weekly self-study modules (released every other Sunday)  

• Submit your Homework + Attendance documentation by 2pm CT every Tuesday

• Receive 85% or higher on the end of course quiz

REGISTRATION / ENROLLMENT / TUITION

Enroll for the certificate program by clicking apply and filling out the application. Once your application is accepted, you may pay by choosing one of the three payment options— full payment, a monthly payment plan, or the early bird special, when available. Once you make your payment and register, you will receive a welcome email with access your materials for the certificate program.