AVAIYA University hosted a free online class, Healing Childhood Trauma, July 29 – August 12, 2019 that featured 18 of us including other physicians, therapists, psychologists & more who share life-changing strategies to understand and heal from childhood trauma.
AVAIYA is an organization that produces webinars, lectures and workshops that focus on self-enlightenment.
My session was called “Childhood Trauma is a Risk Factor for Chronic Illness: How Healing Trauma Can Help Heal Chronic Illness & Why It’s Not in Your Head.”
Classes may still be available, click here to see if you can still register for free.
Speakers of Special Interest for Chronic Illness
Three of the speakers who may be of greatest interest to those of you specifically seeking support for healing chronic illness include founders of excellent somatically based trauma therapies I recommend:
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy with Pat Ogden
Internal Family Systems (IFS) with Dick Schwartz
Somatic Experiencing (SE) with Dave Berger.
Others talk about additional helpful approaches I’m not familiar with but that are helpful for many because there are many ways of healing the effects of trauma.
Additional speakers with relevance for chronic illness & trauma
- Dr. Dan Siegel on “Trauma & Mindfulness”
- Jane Stevens, founder of ACEs Too High on “What Do ACEs Have To Do With Childhood Trauma? Everything!”
- Podcaster Amee Quiriconi with whom I’ve talked here at Chronic Illness Trauma Studies about rheumatoid arthritis and also about trauma’s role in identifying, preventing and healing flares and triggers
- and see the many others in the full list below whose work and tools are so relevant to healing chronic illness
Full List of Speakers
Dan Siegel, MD: Clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute.
Dick Schwartz: Founder of the Center for Self Leadership and Faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Pat Ogden, PhD: Founder and Education Director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute.
Laura Reagan, LCSW: Integrative trauma psychotherapist and podcast host.
Dave Berger: Somatic psychotherapist, bodyworker and senior faculty with the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute.
Richard Miller, PhD: Clinical psychologist, author, and founding president of the iRest Institute, and co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
Amee Quiriconi: Writer, researcher, speaker, and podcast host.
Jamie Marich, PhD: Author and international speaker on topics related to trauma, EMDR therapy, addiction, expressive arts and mindfulness
Dr. Anna Baranowsky: Canadian Clinical Psychologist and founder and CEO of the Traumatology Institute.
Dr. Laurence Heller: Founder of the NeuroAffective Relational Model, a specialized psychobiological approach to working with developmental trauma.
Ann Kelley & Sue Marriott: Psychotherapists and co-hosts of the top-rated podcast and online community, Therapist Uncensored.
Michelle Chalfant: Therapist, holistic life coach, author, speaker, podcaster and developer of The Adult Chair Model.
Jerry Wise: Marriage and family therapist, author, ACOA expert, and addictions therapist.
Riana Milne: Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and Certified Life, Dating and Relationship Coach
Andrea Brandt: Marriage and family therapist emphasizing the mind-body-heart connection as a key to mental, physical and emotional wellness.
Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW: Social worker, psychotherapist and author specializing in the treatment of severe trauma and PTSD.
thank you very much
You’re so welcome – I hope you get some (many) helpful things from it!
I am an infant mental health specialist and play therapist. I was wondering Which is the best therapeutic relationship approach for infants born with sickle cell disease. Due to the chronic pain, I feel that the education has to occur during pregnancy with the parents since infants function in the context of their environment and relationships. I live in Miami Florida where CPP is focused on however internationally which other relationships therapeutic modalities are utilized.
Hi Nathalie,
So glad to hear of such a great question for this population. I don’t know what might be best although I’m sure there are many good tools and ideas from clinicians in the trenches. Some thoughts that come to mind:
Perhaps looking at profiles of other clinicians at APPPAH as one potential resource. I agree that starting prenatally sounds like an important way to support and promote more bonding, which could be very helpful for both the baby and the parents.
One person who’s work I learned about at the conference is a retired clinician who has videos that might be helpful, see Michael Trout. His approach is to create a narrative for the baby that helps them understand what is happening and that creates a stronger relationship with the parents so they can be in this together.
Another could be the prenatal memory project in Japan, which finds that babies understand much much more than we expect or realize and this is part of how a conversation, even beginning prenatally, could be helpful. Perhaps even asking the baby if they have prenatal memories and why they came – which is something many children express (see their documentary as another option).
I also wonder about techniques for working with pain – including the mother working at calming her system and talking to her baby a lot during pregnancy and afterwards as a way to help build this in.
Maybe others will read this comment and respond as well. Let me know what you come up with. Wishing you all the best and so appreciative to know of a clinician thinking in this way.
warmly,
Veronique