Treating Emotional Trauma: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Interventions that Work - Mary NurrieStearns

Course Content Summary

This highly practical and experiential seminar focuses on increasing understanding of emotional trauma, its lasting effects, and effective healing methods. Mary NurrieStearns, drawing from 37 years as a mental health professional and 27 years of meditation and yoga practice, integrates current research, clinical case examples, and hands-on practice.

Target Audience: This course is primarily designed for clinicians (e.g., therapists, counselors, social workers, psychologists) seeking to enhance their skills in treating emotional trauma. However, individuals interested in personal healing and growth using mindfulness and self-compassion will also find immense value.

Main Course Content:

• Understanding Emotional Trauma: Gain a deeper understanding of emotional trauma and its profound, lasting effects on the mind and body.
• Mindfulness Interventions: Learn practical mindfulness strategies to regulate emotional distress, observe thoughts without reactivity, and foster present-moment awareness. Techniques include concentration, observation, and breathwork for nervous system soothing.
• Self-Compassion Practices: Discover how to cultivate self-kindness, common humanity, and balanced awareness to address self-blame, shame, and distrust often associated with trauma. This includes practices for self-love, truthful statements, affirmations, and mantras.
• Brain-Based Protocols: Explore how evidence-based interventions improve emotional regulation, restore healthy nervous system functioning, and cultivate healthier thought patterns.
• Experiential Learning: Engage in hands-on practice, clinical case examples, and a review of cutting-edge research to integrate new skills effectively.
• Body-Based Grounding: Utilize grounding techniques in the body for emotional regulation and to diffuse reactivity.
• Integrating Expert Work: Understand how Mary NurrieStearns pulls together the work of experts like Bessel van der Kolk and Jon Kabat-Zinn, who champion mindfulness and compassion in trauma treatment.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Identify the importance of concentration, distancing, observation, and distraction in managing cognitive distress.
• Apply self-compassion practices to resolve feelings of betrayal and distrust.
• Incorporate mindfulness and compassion techniques for emotional regulation.
• Utilize truthful statements, affirmations, and mantras in healing.
• Address the “stain of shame” and self-blame with self-love practices.
• Implement grounding techniques for emotional regulation.
• Develop the capacity to observe rather than react to distressing emotions.