There are people who are working hard, day in and day out, to discover the breakthroughs that can improve trauma treatment . . . And then there are the people, including many of you, who work hard to learn the latest so you can make a difference in the lives of your patients – trauma survivors who just want to get their lives back. As this year’s Treatment of Trauma series comes to a close, I’d like to take a moment to look back and reflect on what we’ve learned. It has been quite a journey as we added to…

Your body is constantly in motion, but how often do you pay attention to what these movements convey? Focusing on the way people move their bodies can actually show us a lot about the trauma they’ve experienced. But how can we help people learn to recognize what their bodies are reflecting about their trauma? By mastering the art of contact statements, we can let patients interpret their own movements. In this video, Pat Ogden, PhD explains what contact statements are and the right way to use them to open a critical crack in the door to self-awareness. Check it out…

We owe the brain a lot. Our brains are always looking out for us. They’re wired to help us survive – alerting us to threats and ramping up our amygdala to help us take action. But that same survival trigger makes healing from trauma difficult, says Pat Ogden, PhD. In fact, the very systems that are designed to keep us safe can actually stimulate trauma over and over again. Knowing how to interrupt this cycle is key to healing trauma, and Pat will show us how this Wednesday. Here’s a preview clip – I think you’ll find it fascinating, even…

Show, don’t tell. It’s a common technique practiced by most successful teachers and writers – and one we practitioners use as well. When it comes to helping patients zero in on what’s preventing them from truly healing, getting them to a place where they can see it (and even feel it) for themselves can sometimes have more impact than just talking about it. Pat Ogden, PhD adapts mindfulness exercises for her patients to reveal the obstacles that might be slowing progress to healing. She describes one example in this short (3:02 min) video below. Click here to sign up. Hearing…

You may have heard that if you put on a happy face, you’ll actually start to feel better. But did you know that the physical patterns of our body not only reflect how we’re feeling inside but can actually cause those feelings? When working with trauma patients, noticing patterns and changes in body language gives us greater insight into what patients are experiencing. We can also use these observations to develop healthy body exercises that patients can use to help control their symptoms. Pat Ogden, PhD, is the founder and director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, which provides training in…

I want to congratulate my friend Rich Simon, PhD, CEO of Psychotherapy Networker, on the 30th year of their symposium. The conference, Creating a New Wisdom: The Art and Science of Optimal Well-Being, began today in Washington, DC. More than 3,000 practitioners will be attending. Keynote speakers include Andrew Weil, MD, Dan Siegel, MD, Mary Piper, PhD, Pat Ogden, PhD, and Scott Miller, PhD. They are just a few of the 125 presenters who will take part in this four-day conference. There’s still time to sign up. You can find more information here.