Complex Trauma, Dissociation & Flashbacks (Nov 4 - 5, 2025)

Complex Trauma, Dissociation & Flashbacks 2025 is organized by PTSD Trauma Workshops and will be held from Nov 04 - 05, 2025.

Description:
Childhood trauma leaves a profound imprint — not only in memory but in the biology of the nervous system, brain and body.
Complex trauma is not simply a psychological story to be told; it is a lived, somatic reality. It rewires stress responses, disrupts attachment systems, fragments sensory processing, and embeds patterns of disconnection and dysregulation deep within the body's physiology.

This 2-day CPD workshop offers a compassion-focused, neurobiologically grounded, and somatically attuned approach to understanding and treating the lasting impact of developmental trauma.

It goes beyond standard CBT models, offering a sophisticated integration of compassion-focused somatic therapy, attachment-based formulations, and current neuroscience to equip practitioners with actionable, real-world strategies for working with complex trauma in a safe and effective way. It is suggested that you attend the PTSD Master Class prior to attending this workshop.

They Will Cover:
1. Neurobiology and Somatic Impact of Developmental Trauma

• How age of trauma, neglect vs abuse, and cumulative adversity affect development
• How developmental trauma shapes nervous system calibration
• The chemical cascades — cortisol, adrenaline, acetylcholine — that drive survival responses
• Hormonal and inflammatory biomarkers in complex trauma

2. Dissociation, Body-Based Symptoms and Clinical Complexity

• Dissociation as multiple phenomena — depersonalisation, derealisation, memory fragmentation
• Pseudo-hallucinations, perceptual distortions, medically unexplained symptoms
• The difference between Freeze response and Tonic Immobility — and why it matters
• How trauma traps the body in survival patterns and how to intervene somatically

3. Attachment, Trust and the Social Engagement System

• How early relational trauma affects trust, shame, and connection
• How to work when a client’s social engagement system "goes offline"
• How interpersonal neurobiology helps map client stuckness and relational reactivity

4. Live Observational Skills and Real-Time Clinical Decision Making

• Live clinical skills practice with a professional actor portraying "Rachel" — a trauma-exposed client
• Observe relational interventions for dissociation, overwhelming affect, and shame in real time
• Discussion of therapy pitfalls, stuck points, and the need for difficult clinical decisions

5. Strategies for Trauma-Sensitive, Body-Aware Practice

• Breathwork, posture, and vision-focused interventions to regulate dissociation and affect
• Building resilience and activating client resources safely
• Safe and effective use of narrative exposure for complex trauma
• Integrating body-focused interventions into trauma-focused therapy sessions.