Reclaiming Wholeness: A Relational Gestalt Understanding of Trauma and Addiction

Description

Traumatic childhood and life events shape how individuals see themselves and the world, which directly impacts relationships, self-perception, coping skills, self-esteem, etc. Unfortunately, a common and initially effective way of managing the impact of trauma and adjusting to the world is through addictive behaviors. They provide temporary relief and anesthetize emotional and relational pain. This workshop offers a deep exploration of how traumatic experiences can contribute to addictive patterns and behaviors while also examining how addiction can serve as a coping mechanism for unresolved trauma.

Through experiential exercises, group discussions, modeling sessions, and theoretical insights, this training will focus on teaching a clinical model of treatment for Trauma and addiction through a Compassionate/Relational Gestalt approach to help clients develop their ability to explore the contact boundary and build new experiences that may lead to growth opportunities and recovery.

Two-day in-person training in San Diego, CA, includes lectures,  experiments, modeling, and practice.