Trauma Training

Understanding the Autonomic Nervous System and Trauma Healing

Trainer: Rebecca Kase
On-Demand: Available with lifetime access for asynchronous learning. | This course was recorded on March 1st, 2024. 

Polyvagal Theory has become one of the most referenced frameworks in trauma therapy. It is also one of the most frequently misunderstood. Therapists encounter it in consultation, in the literature, and in their clients' responses in session, and often feel like they almost understand it, but can't quite translate the neuroscience into something they can actually use.

This six-hour polyvagal theory training with Rebecca Kase, author of Polyvagal Informed EMDR, is designed to close that gap. You will learn the core principles of the model in language that is clinically grounded and immediately applicable, without having to become a neuroscientist to use it. From the three autonomic pathways and the concept of neuroception to vagal tone, the vagal brake, the Preparation Hierarchy, and the social engagement system, you will leave with a coherent framework for understanding your clients' nervous system responses and working with them rather than around them.

This is not an EMDR training. It is open to therapists, healers, and helping professionals of any modality who want to apply polyvagal concepts to their work.

In this polyvagal theory training for therapists, you'll learn how to:

• Understand the vagus nerve and its role in healing, trauma recovery, and therapeutic outcomes, including why vagal flexibility matters and how to track autonomic symptoms in your clients
• Map the three autonomic pathways and identify the physical and psychological symptoms associated with each, so you can recognize where a client is in their nervous system at any given moment
• Create an autonomic blueprint with clients that supports their healing journey and gives them a framework for understanding their own nervous system responses
• Apply the concept of neuroception as a body-based surveillance system, and use this understanding to explain why clients respond the way they do in and outside of session
• Build vagal tone and vagal flexibility using the Preparation Hierarchy, including specific neural exercises and techniques that promote autonomic resiliency
• Leverage the social engagement system in your clinical work, understanding why therapeutic presence matters on a neurobiological level and how it directly supports healing
• Apply polyvagal concepts to case conceptualization, intervention planning, and outcome tracking across client presentations and modalities

Trauma Therapist Institute Founder Rebecca Kase is recognized as one of the foremost EMDR trainers and trauma experts in the U.S. She is an LCSW, professional EMDR consultant and trainer, registered yoga teacher, and author of Polyvagal Informed EMDR: A Neuro-Informed Approach to Healing (2023). Rebecca has been practicing in the field of trauma counseling since 2006. She’s an expert in working with complex trauma and dissociation and has practiced in both nonprofit and private practice settings. In her own therapy practice, Rebecca incorporates yoga therapy, ego states, somatic approaches, Polyvagal Theory and EMDR into her work with clients, which includes veterans and adults with Complex PTSD. Rebecca is known as a skillful, clear and enthusiastic teacher. She’ll keep you engaged and make you giggle, even in an online trauma training course!