April Newsletter
Good morning,
As we welcome the crispness of autumn, I invite you to join us in this April edition of the ITT Newsletter. This season, a time rich with change and reflection, can mirror our own paths through healing and growth. It's my pleasure to share with you a thoughtful selection of insights and resources. My hope is that this newsletter serves as a companion on your journey as a professional, offering support and inspiration as we embrace new ways of thinking and feeling with our clients.
Best, Tania
What's Happening at ITT
Bimonthly Peer Supervision Offering: ITT has announced its 2024 schedule for peer supervision, available both online and in-person. This initiative aims to provide a platform for professionals to engage in mutual learning and support, enhancing their clinical skills and therapeutic understanding. More details on the structure, dates, and how to participate can be found on our clinical supervision page.
https://www.integratedtraumatherapy.com.au/clinical-supervision-and-program-design
Dates
May: In person Thursday 9th May at 5pm @ the Creative C
June: Online Friday 1th June at 5pm
Professional Development:
Using Art Therapy to Explore Shame: An upcoming professional development session titled "Using Art Therapy to Explore Shame" is set for June 21st. This workshop will delve into the manifestations of shame within the nervous system, distinguishing between toxic traumatic shame and healthy shame. Utilising frameworks like Somatic Experiencing and Polyvagal Theory, the session will explore the therapeutic power of art in understanding and facilitating the repair of shame-related issues. It's an essential opportunity for professionals working with complex trauma, addiction recovery, and more.
When: Friday June 21th 2024
Where: Online
Time: 12pm -4pm
Fee: $295 + GST
Art Therapy Offerings at the Creative C: ITT also highlights its art therapy offerings at the Creative C, presenting a range of workshops designed to leverage the therapeutic benefits of art. These sessions are crafted to support individuals in expressing and processing their experiences creatively, fostering healing and personal growth. Visit the Creative C's workshops page for more information on available sessions and how to get involved.
Feature
Trauma affects us in various ways, often as a result of being overwhelmed by singular events or accumulated stresses, leading to a state of disassociation or 'functional freeze'. This condition marks a disconnection from parts of oneself and the external world. Art therapy emerges as a vital tool in the journey towards healing, offering both directed and spontaneous methods to reconcile these fragmented aspects. Techniques such as Kintsugi, the art of golden repair, or the use of magazine collages, help in the gentle reintegration process.
This healing journey, termed 'titration' in Somatic Experiencing, underlines the importance of a gradual approach, acknowledging the profound impact of reconnection and the necessity to manage the pace of recovery sensitively. Through art therapy, individuals can explore and mend the splintered parts of their psyche, facilitating a slow yet meaningful path towards wholeness and understanding.
For further reading, below you will find a link to an interesting Thesis from Lesley University: Somatic Experiencing and Expressive Arts Therapy to Support Autonomic Regulation in Trauma Treatment with Adults: A Literature Review
Therapy Insights: Understanding the Nervous System
The nervous system plays a crucial role in our well-being, acting as the communication network between our body and mind. By learning to slow down and tune into our body's signals, we can gain insights into our state of safety or danger. This awareness helps us understand our automatic responses, governed by the autonomic nervous system, and offers a pathway to recognising and addressing our reactions to stress and trauma. Further exploration into the body's signals and how to interpret them can profoundly impact our healing journey.
From a therapeutic perspective, the nervous system's regulation is foundational to addressing and healing from stress and trauma. I believe that understanding and supporting our clients’ nervous system can significantly enhance their therapeutic outcomes. Here are five ways we can help clients support their nervous system:
Breathwork Practices: Teach clients specific breathing techniques to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and decreasing stress response. Drawing or painting in time with the breath, guided drawing practice could be used here.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): Guide clients through tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups, enhancing body awareness and reducing physical tension. Clay Dough, clay or mediums that a responsive to pressure and offer some resistance.
Grounding Techniques: Employ methods such as focusing on sensory experiences or engaging with the environment to help clients anchor themselves in the present, reducing feelings of disassociation or heightened anxiety. Holding natural objects such as rocks, leaves, feathers also smells such as essential oils.
Mindfulness Meditation: Introduce mindfulness practices that encourage clients to observe their thoughts and sensations without judgment, fostering a state of calm and present-moment awareness. Exploration of different textured materials and naming sensations, natural materials, art materials, or even just house hold objects.
Polyvagal Exercises: Educate clients on the polyvagal theory and incorporate exercises designed to engage the vagus nerve, which can help in managing states of hypervigilance or shutdown. The polyvagal ladder and worksheets can be seen here.
Integrating these practices into therapy can help clients develop resilience against stress, foster emotional regulation, and support overall mental health by nurturing a more balanced and responsive nervous system.
For in-depth research on this topic, visit: Trauma Healing
Mindfulness Corner
Integrating sound awareness into therapeutic practices can significantly enhance clients' mindfulness and present-moment awareness. Try encouraging your clients to engage in orient to sounds in the environment focusing on both pleasant or neutral sounds. This practice can help them ground in the present, moving their attention away from distressing thoughts or emotions. Offer examples such as listening to natural sounds (like rain or birdsong) or urban environments (like the hum of traffic or footsteps), highlighting the contrast and variety of life's soundtrack. Guide them to notice the physical and emotional responses elicited by different sounds, fostering a deeper connection to their sensory experiences. This technique not only aids in developing mindfulness but also enhances clients' ability to stay present and engaged, offering a simple yet powerful tool for emotional regulation and self-awareness.
As professionals we can guide our clients through a set of exercises like:
Structured Sound Meditation: Lead clients in focusing on sounds from their body, to nearby sounds, and finally, to distant ones. This helps differentiate between various sound layers and their emotional impacts.
Sound Recording Tasks: Encourage clients to record sounds that evoke different emotions, then discuss these recordings to explore their emotional responses and the context of these sounds.
Directed Attention Practice: Guide clients to pay attention to specific types of sounds (e.g., natural vs. urban) and observe their reactions. This can aid in emotional regulation.
Comparative Listening Sessions: Have clients compare their reactions to recorded sounds versus live sounds, discussing how each influences their sense of presence.
Sound Mapping: Assist clients in creating a 'sound map' of their typical environment to visualise how soundscape influences their mood and stress levels.
Integration with Movement: Combine sound awareness exercises with gentle movements to explore how sound and physical sensation interact, enhancing body awareness.
Silence Awareness: Incorporate periods of silence within sound-focused practices to deepen clients' appreciation of sound and the contrast silence provides.
Exploratory Discussions: After sound-focused exercises, have an open discussion about how these practices might integrate into daily life, enhancing mindfulness and presence.
These suggestions aim to deepen clients' mindfulness practice through auditory engagement, offering a rich toolkit for professionals to support their clients in becoming more present and engaged with their environment.
Lina Trochez
Resources & Readings
In this edition, we highlight Maggie Kline’s insightful book Trauma through a Childs eyes) on addressing children’s trauma. Her materials offer valuable perspectives.
https://www.maggiekline.com/books
We’re also excited about the upcoming online Playshop by Maggie Kline, focusing on combining Somatic Experiencing skills with attachment play for children. For more details see Maggie Kline's website:
SAVE THE DATES FOR MAGGIE KLINE’S ONLINE PLAYSHOP
COMING JUNE 21-23, 2024 BY POPULAR DEMAND
A note from Maggie Kline
Dear Friends & Colleagues,
FINALLY, together with the loving collaboration of my dear SE friend Nichi Renea Aviña, 2022 CA Teacher of the Year, I will be sharing how to combine Somatic Experiencing skills with attachment play for kids on Zoom from my home in California in the Pacific Daylight Time Zone. Please join me and invite your friends. See flyer and registration information page below:
REGISTRATION LINK: TINYURL.COM/JUNE2024PLAYSHOP
Thank you for reading.
Take care,
Tania
