Healing Hearts & Healing Bodies:
Unlocking the Attachment - Health Connection
Biology of Trauma® Online Summit
Polyvagal Theory and Attachment
Interview with Stephen Porges
You will learn:
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How polyvagal theory and an understanding of the autonomic nervous system can revolutionize our perspective on trauma and trauma-informed care
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How early life experiences shape the development and regulation of our autonomic nervous system, and how this impacts our physical and mental health
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The importance of feeling safe enough in the presence of predictable, trusted individuals in order to recover from stress and tune our nervous system for health, growth, and restoration
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Practical tools for recognizing trauma physiology states like the dorsal vagal response and assessing autonomic nervous system patterns
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Self-care strategies that support therapists' and health professionals' ability to build trust and facilitate clients' embodied awareness and regulation
How I Numbed My Feelings After Childhood Trauma
and Attachment Patterns
A brief video with Dr. Aimie
You will learn:
- How trauma can manifest as using exercise to numb emotional pain from childhood
- How pushing yourself physically to the point of exhaustion can trigger numbing feelings from past trauma
- The importance of understanding where triggers are coming from and being compassionate with yourself during triggered states
- How bringing up triggers with a therapist can help explore past feelings and bring more awareness and healing to your system
Chronic Functional Freeze
From Common Childhood Parenting Mistakes
Interview with Irene Lyon
You will learn:
- How societal rules and expectations unconsciously influence human biology and nervous system development
- How early childhood experiences with caregivers, such as inconsistent parenting responses, can impact nervous system development and mental health
- How even seemingly minor childhood experiences can be traumatizing to a developing nervous system
- Cultural differences in human nervous systems and their impact on mental and physical health
- What somatic work is and how it can help reverse engineer the body's trauma responses
- Techniques for building capacity in the nervous system through somatic practices like touch and movement
- How addressing the nervous system can help process and release stored childhood trauma in a sustainable way
- The importance of biology and the body's natural functions in healing trauma and chronic illness
Early Life Heart Shocks, Impact on Mind, Body and Parts
A Training with Dr. Aimie
You will learn:
- The impact of early life heart shocks on attachment and chronic disease
- How attachment trauma affects nervous system regulation and neuroception
- How infants experience medical procedures, separation from parents, and physical injury as shocks
- The effects of early life trauma on a baby's nervous system development
- How neuroception perceives danger and safety, and how early trauma wires the brain for reactivity
- How early trauma can create a biology of trauma and perpetuate grief
- How early trauma can lead to self-sabotage and chronic freeze in the body
- Techniques for building trust with trauma survivors and helping parts feel safe and empowered
How To Differentiate Between A Strong Pull
To The Freeze Response vs. Global High Intensity Activation (GHIA)
A Training with Dr. Aimie
You will learn:
- Dr. Aimie Apigian's description of a strong tendency to freeze in response to stress
- How intense stress on a global scale can increase the tendency to freeze
- Reasons for feeling constantly on the brink of freezing or going numb
- The persistent presence of the tendency to freeze and the temptation to give in
- How chronic stress and trauma can increase the inclination to freeze
- The differences between a strong inclination to freeze and an immediate freeze response like GHIA
Presentation of Clients with Global High Intensity Activation
Training with Biology of Trauma® Professionals, Becky Dawson and Anne Connor
You will learn:
- How to recognize symptoms of global high-intensity anxiety (GHIA) in clients
- Understanding that GHIA stems from profound early life trauma and the nervous system gets stuck in "freeze"
- Tips for anticipating and preparing for client "flooding" or trigger responses as a practitioner
- Techniques for going very slowly with GHIA clients to avoid overwhelming them
- Maintaining boundaries and grounding as a practitioner while holding a big space for the client
- Gently introducing parts work if appropriate and making space for all parts to be present
- Tools for self-orienting and avoiding getting triggered as the practitioner
- Containing GHIA survival mechanisms through regulation, containment, and split awareness
A Compilation of Success Stories
COLLECT YOUR HANDOUT HERE:
Steps to Identify and Heal Trauma
YOUR BIOLOGY OF TRAUMA® HOST:
Dr. Aimie Apigian
Dr. Aimie is a double Board-Certified medical physician who specializes in trauma, attachment, addictions and addressing trauma on a cellular level. She earned her medical degree at Loma Linda University and has a Masters in Biochemistry as well as a Masters in Public Health. She trained for three years as a general surgeon before changing her career path.
In addition to her medical studies, Dr. Aimie has studied with and participated in Dr. Allan Schore’s Attachment Regulation Theory Study Group. She is a highly-trained somatic experiencing practitioner, trained in NeuroAffective Touch™, Internal Family Systems (Parts Work) and the Instinctual Trauma Response Model™. She continues to attend advanced trainings in Somatic Experiencing™ with Dr. Peter Levine and acts as an editor for Somatic Experiencing International.
She is not one to sit back and talk about problems. She is a solution-focused action taker- always looking for ways to improve our current method and accelerate the healing journey back to our best health and our best selves.
