The Emergence of a Polyvagal-Informed Therapy (1 CE Credit)

Trauma resolution is not about thinking. Healing depends, instead, on the work undertaken at the level of the autonomic nervous system, which shapes our clients’ experiences of safety and influences their capacity for connection. Traumatic events have a far-reaching impact on this system. Autonomic pathways trigger survival responses that often lead our clients on a painful journey into a state of shutdown, collapse, and dissociation. How can we help our clients find their way back to safety, and how do we prevent it from happening in the first place?

• Characterize and critique the principle features and foundation of the Polyvagal Theory.
• Describe how the Polyvagal Theory may explain behavioral features related to psychiatric disorders and other behavioral problems.
• Explore how maladaptive behaviors, which may accompany several psychiatric disorders, may reflect adaptive responses triggered by survival mechanisms.