Welcome

The Canadian Foundation for Trauma Research & Education (CFTRE) was created to further the understanding of the fields of neurobiology and psychophysiology, through education and research, as they pertain to the treatment of traumatic conditions.

To this end, we are committed to conduct research and to train professionals in effectively treating people who suffer from symptoms of trauma and other forms of dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system.

Coming Soon...

Working with Couples in Ixtapa Mexico - February 02, 2009

This new course is designed for SRT therapists working with dysergulated couples. The course will build on the skills learned in the the SRT training and Psychological Anatomy to regulate two interconnected nervous systems. There will be a focus on identifying and working with developmental derailments that impact attachment and intimacy in dysregulated couples. Specific strategies to interrupt procedures and hypercoupling will be addressed. There will be time to discuss the couples you are working with. DVDs are recommended but not required

Self Regulation Therapy® Practitioner Training: Kelowna - March 27, 2009

Significant overwhelming events at anytime in one's life such as motor vehicle accidents, surgeries, or exposure to violence, can result in changes in the nervous system that negatively impact the way a person feels and relates to others. Self Regulation Therapy® (SRT) is a psychophysiological approach aimed at diminishing dysregulation in the nervous system resulting from traumatic events, while increasing neural pathways connected to contentment and joy. SRT facilitates an integration of overwhelming events and returns balance to the nervous system.This training is recommended for individuals who work with trauma including: counselors, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, massage therapists, physical therapists, and nurses.

Post Advanced II Medical/Dental Trauma: Edmonton - April 03, 2009

A continuation of Advanced Medical/Dental Trauma, this course will teach practitioners how to work with cancer treatment and recovery, cardiac event and stroke recovery, labour and delivery complications for mother including C-section, multiple procedures, and amputations. Working through general anesthesia including ether and allergic or adverse reactions to anesthesia and/or medication will be discussed and demonstated. Protocols for working with post surgical complications and symptoms such as migraines, pain syndromes including phantom limb pain, gastrointestinal issues, choking and breathing difficulties, and problems with temperature regulation will be taught. The course is limited to 12 participants. Prerequisite: Must have completed Advanced Level I-IV.

Survivors of War and Political Violence - April 07, 2009

This two day workshop is designed to give practitioners a deeper understanding of the psychophysiology of trauma in survivors of war and political violence. A basic overview of neuroanatomy will be presented. The newest research on how the brain is affected by the experience of this extreme relational trauma will be presented and includes a discussion of kindling and quenching in the autonomic nervous system, and the cumulative nature and fixity of trauma in the brain. For traumatized individuals, any change is perceived as a threat by the limbic brain. Survivors, in their compromised, dysregulated state, are required to deal with numerous overwhelming life changes such as geography, culture, language, employment, and discrimination. Being able to fully participate in their new life requires the capacity to self regulate, complete arousal cycles connected to trauma, and to adjust to change. Aspects of Self Regulation Therapy, a psychophysiological treatment approach will be taught to deal with the most troublesome symptoms of survivors of war, including survivor guilt. In addition, the importance of psychobiologically attuning to the strength, resilence, and hope of the client will be addressed, as this is key in helping clients deeply connect with the experience of survival, and increase their capacity for joy and nurturing relationships. This workshop is didactic and experiential so that participants will have the opportunity to deepen their practical and emotional capacity to work with this population. This workshop will be of value to counsellors, social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, teachers, and any other professionals helping people work through the after effects of trauma, in particular persons who have experienced war-related violence and trauma.

Psychological Anatomy: Developmental Neuromuscular Affective Integration in Winnipeg: Winnipeg - May 26, 2009

This seminar integrates the work of Allan Schore, Joseph Ledoux, Bruce Perry, Norman Doidge and other developmental neuroscientists with clinical and practical applications for professionals. Therapeutic progress may be slowed or stalled as a result of unresolved developmental challenges that are often misinterpreted as resistance, attention seeking and help-rejecting behaviour, interpersonal conflict, malingering, or character disorders. These misinterpretations lead to frustration, re-wounding of the client, and ultimately premature termination. In this exciting six-day course we will explore stages of development starting in utero and extending to the teen years. The concomitant conflicts that may arise within the therapy as a result of derailments at any given stage will be discussed. The psychological function of the neuromusculature initiated within each stage will be explicated. In addition, utilizing the most recent psychophysiological research, attachment and the cognitive, and emotional aspects of stage-specific brain development, will be explored. Affective development and its centrality in the capacity to self regulate will be discussed. Strategies for helping clients work through developmental derailments will be presented through experiential and didactic modalities allowing individuals to integrate what they have learned directly into their work on Monday morning

Self Regulation Therapy® Practitioner Training: Philadelphia - June 12, 2009

Self Regulation Therapy® Practitioner Training: Belfast Northern Ireland - June 17, 2009

Significant overwhelming events at anytime in one's life such as motor vehicle accidents, surgeries, or exposure to violence, can result in changes in the nervous system that negatively impact the way a person feels and relates to others. Self Regulation Therapy® (SRT) is a psychophysiological approach aimed at diminishing dysregulation in the nervous system resulting from traumatic events, while increasing neural pathways connected to contentment and joy. SRT facilitates an integration of overwhelming events and returns balance to the nervous system. This training is recommended for individuals who work with trauma including: counselors, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, massage therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and nurses.

Advanced Psychological Anatomy: Developmental Neuromuscular Affective Integration in Vancouver - July 07, 2009

This course will further the learning acquired in Psychological Anatomy by focusing on practical applications of SRT to specific difficulties that arise as a result of derailment in development. This will include working with thought disorders (including pre and post psychosis), bi-polar disorder, attachment difficulties, eating disorders and gastrointestinal difficulties, depression and neurogenesis, addiction, aspergers spectrum disorders, learning difficulties, ADD, borderline personality disorder, OCD, phobias, anxiety disorders and chronic pain syndromes, chronic fatigue and dyregulation of the neuroendocrine and immune system.

Applicants must have been using SRT in practice for a minimum of 2 years and be actively working with clients presenting with a range of the above symptoms. Participants are required to bring two or three case studies of clients who present with one or more of these symptoms. A DVD of a session with a client or clients is required and must be submitted by June 1, 2009.

Canadian Foundation for Trauma Research and Education