Description:

Historically, psychotherapy has focused on the internal world of the client with a strong emphasis on exploring thoughts and feelings. With the onset of somatic therapies, the mind-body-spirit connection encourages therapists to ask questions such as: What’s happening in your body right now? Or What do you notice physically? These inquiries build somatic awareness in our clients as they identify their regulated vs. dysregulated states. Talk therapy engages the neocortex—sometimes referred to as the thinking brain—while somatic therapies access the subcortex where trauma and distress is stored. Neuroscientific research reveals that unpleasant, painful memories often get stuck in the non-verbal, non-cognitive subcortical brain which takes away from the capacity to live fully in the here and now. As a result, some people experience such dysregulation as panic attacks, rage, or dissociation or just the sense of not feeling like themselves. On the other hand, somatic therapies such as Brainspotting helps clients process experiences that were too much to process at the time of the event—a healing opportunity to provide relief and perspective.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the role of trauma in addictive, compulsive behaviors.
2. Examine the use of invitational language.
3. Distinguish between regulated and dysregulated states.
4. Compare and contrast Brainspotting and EMDR.
5. Observe a Brainspotting demonstration to understand its applicability.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Andrew Susskind is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Brainspotting and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Group Psychotherapist and Author based in Los Angeles since 1992 specializing in trauma and addictive, compulsive behaviors. His books include It’s Not About the Sex: Moving from Isolation to Intimacy after Sexual Addiction (Central Recovery Press, 2019), The It’s Not About the Sex Workbook (Routledge Press, 2024) and From Now On: Seven Keys to Purposeful Recovery (2014).