This three day training is designed for Psychosynthesis therapists who want to deepen their understanding of developmental trauma and its effects on the psyche, behavior, and therapeutic relationships. This course integrates recent trauma research—especially in mis-attunement, pre-verbal trauma, and nervous system regulation—into the Psychosynthesis model.
Participants will explore how unconscious survival strategies formed in early life influence adult behavior and limit access to the True Self and life energy (Eros). Using the Neuro Affective Relational Model (NARM), the training offers insight into identifying adaptive styles and tailoring therapeutic responses.
A key focus is how therapists’ own early experiences may unconsciously impact client work. The course blends theory, experiential practice, demonstrations, and group discussion, equipping therapists with greater self-awareness, refined skills, and enhanced trauma-informed presence in their practice.
For whom?
The training Is open to fourth year students and people having finished the training but are still
working on the client hours before graduating, To consider is that this is a Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) training environment, and less a basic training
environment. To join this training you need to feel stable enough to work on trauma and
contain yourself at the same time.
Course description
This three-day trauma training focuses on developmental trauma and the survival strategies formed in early childhood due to under- or overstimulation. Participants will explore how these strategies affect life energy and therapeutic work. The training includes theoretical lessons, exercises, demo sessions, and group discussions to address different survival adaptation styles and their therapeutic approaches.
Why this training?
Although Psychosynthesis clearly identifies the impact of early childhood on the connection between the I and the Self and Higher Self can be impacted, the original writing does not name ‘trauma’ as such. In the recent decades a lot of research has been done on the topic and in order to add on to the Psychosynthesis model, we continue to learn and develop our repertoire as Psychosynthesis practitioners.
Many researchers and practitioners have enhanced the field and work of psychotherapy, by becoming more aware of the (strong) effects of trauma on people’s lives, on their capacity to deal with life long after traumatic events have happened, including and particularly with the recognition of mis-attunement in early life as this is all pre- and non-verbal.
In addition, the new findings enable psychosynthesis therapists, to differentiate their approach as ‘one-psychosynthesis-fits-all’ is not applicable to all trauma, which doesn’t mean, psychosynthesis principles are not of use in different ways.
An important specific focus in the training will be, how the early childhood experience of care givers, including therapists, might get in the way of the therapeutic work, not from a bad-faith position but from the unawareness of one’s own survival adaptation, like the feeling of needing to take care of the client at the risk of disempowering them more, taking over the agency of the client by doing the work for the client, withdrawing from the process of the client when it becomes too overwhelming for the client and the therapist and some more possible effects from the trauma-energy in the room.
How will this training be offered and what will be covered?
The training will be a mixture of theory, experience and practice.
The following indicative program for the three days is laid out
Friday
- Landing
- Introductions, learning needs, contracting, logistics
- Introduction to the weekend and the relevance in the therapeutic work
- Introduction in Early Developmental Trauma:
- What are the developmental stages (Freud/Reich/Lowen)?
- How is there dissonance at this early and depending on care givers stage of life? And What are the effects of not being met as a young child?
- What are the five survival adaptation styles from the above?
- How do the adaptations show in life and therapy?
- One short demo session
- An experiential exercises to connect the participants with themselves and the theoretical framework
Saturday
- Awareness exercise and check in
- Introduction in Early Developmental Trauma:
- What are the five survival adaptation styles?
- How do the adaptations show in life and in therapy?
- An experiential exercises to connect the participants with themselves and the theoretical framework
- The layered approach of therapy
- A demo session
- Practice and apply the material
Sunday
- Awareness exercise and check in
- The importance of and rationale of proper contracting in the therapeutic relationship
- Practice and apply the material
- The possible interference from the therapists’ adaptation survival style(s)
- Demo session with blended learning from the experience
- Integration
- Closure
Results
What you can expect to take away from this training is:
- More awareness on the effects of early developmental trauma from the NARM-perspective
- A map of the territory and what are helpful steps in working with this type of trauma
- How to contract professionally, clearly and helpfully for both therapist and client
- Various experiences of how this working model works and how it might inform your therapeutic approach and practice
- A chance to explore your own qualities and pitfalls when working in trauma-energy.
Course fee:
2720 Skr ( including VAT and exclude food and accommodation)
Prices for board & lodging (including VAT):
3 nights/person in a single room: 4432 SEK
3 nights/person in a double room: 3832 SEK
The price includes breakfast, coffee, lunch and dinner.
Registration is due by October 10th and is binding. Last time Giels was here, places went quickly so first come, first served!
Click here to registrate:
If you have any questions, please contact:
Ulla Andrén:
or
Malin Tappert Thurdin
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