Contents of this Newsletter

1. News
2. Upcoming Events and Trainings
3. Featured Article
4. Self Regulation Therapy Supervision Questions and Answers

News

Spring is just around the corner. As it is a time of renewal, we’ve included an article on the top 15 things you can do to promote healthy brain functioning: neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. The SRT with Couples  course in Mexico went extremely well and was very enjoyable.  There are a number of interesting courses coming up.  We are doing a new two-day workshop in Winnipeg called Survivors of War and Political Violence which is sponsored by the Aurora Family Therapy Centre at The University of Winnipeg.  We are also doing lectures in Philadelphia and Northern Ireland called Learning the Language of the Nervous System.  As well, we will be presenting a one-day seminar called The Psychophysiology and Treatment of Pain Syndromes at Ryerson University in Toronto. 

We have been asked in train 250 school counselors in Jerusalem in Self Regulation Therapy.  The agency that has made the request is committed to healing trauma and stopping hatred and the cycle of violence in school children.  This in addition to the request to do a training in Rwanda is keeping Allie Huggins our grant writer very busy. If anyone has tips or ideas that might be helpful in this regard, please contact her at huggins@cftre.com

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Upcoming Events and Trainings

For more information about all of the events listed below please call 250-860-8860, toll free 866-387-3863, web: www.cftre.com, email: info@cftre.com.

Self Regulation Therapy® Practitioner Training

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, social workers, massage therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and nurses.

Foundation Level is nine days and is taught in three modules during which you will learn basic psychophysiological treatment skills that include:

• Research on the psychophysiology of trauma and neurobiological development
• Understanding and treatment of traumatic symptoms from the perspective of the autonomic nervous system
• Somatic skills of containment, grounding, centering, resourcing, boundaries, attunement
• Assessment and treatment of developmental derailments that impede self-regulation
• Tracking and titration skills to renegotiate unresolved fight, flight, and freeze
• Integration of psychophysiological work into your current therapeutic approach

2009 Self Regulation Therapy Practitioner Training: Foundation Level

Kelowna, BC
March 27-29, 2009
April 17-19, 2009
May 8-10, 2009

Philadelphia, PA
June 12-14, 2009
September 11-13, 2009
October 9-11, 2009

Belfast, Northern Ireland
June 17-19, 2009
September 16-18, 2009
September 21-23, 2009

Winnipeg, MB
October 5-7, 2009
October 26-28, 2009
November 16-18, 2009

Toronto, ON
Fall 2009 dates TBA

View SRT brochure for North America on the CFTRE website.

View SRT brochure for the United Kingdom on the CFTRE website.

2009 Self Regulation Therapy Practitioner Training: Advanced Level

Kelowna, BC
November 6-8, 2009
January 22-24, 2010
March 26-28, 2010
May 14-16, 2010

View SRT brochure on the CFTRE website.

Learning the Language of the Nervous System: An Introduction to Self Regulation Therapy™

This three hour seminar is designed to give health-care practitioners a deeper understanding of the neuropsychological sequelae of trauma and why traditional approaches fail in restoring the client to former or even better states of health and happiness. An introduction to an effective psychophysiological deactivation approach, Self Regulation Therapy™, will be presented. Psychophysiological treatment approaches with case studies and demonstrations are presented that includes a discussion of the plasticity of the brain in transforming trauma, categories of trauma, and symptoms of trauma.

This lecture is recommended for individuals who work with symptoms of trauma including: counselors, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, social workers, massage therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.

Philadelphia, PA March 31 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Coleraine, Northern Ireland April 22 from 9:30am-12:30pm

View Introduction to SRT brochure for North America on the CFTRE website.

View Introduction to SRT brochure for United Kingdom on the CFTRE website.

Survivors of War and Political Violence: Winnipeg April 7-8, 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.

University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg MB
April 7 & 8 from 9am-4pm

View Survivors of War and Political Violence brochure on the CFTRE website.

The Psychophysiology and Treatment of Pain Syndromes: Toronto - May 23, 2009

This one-day seminar will explore the current trends in pain research and treatment modalities with an emphasis on the psychophysiological basis of pain syndromes. Current treatment modalities do not sufficiently address and correct the dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system, a significant factor in perpetuating pain syndromes. A new integrative treatment modality, Self Regulation Therapy®, that effectively addresses both the physical and psychological aspects of pain syndromes, will be introduced through case studies, current research and demonstrations with participants. Pain syndromes to be discussed include: chronic back and neck pain, whiplash pain, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, headaches, migraines,gastrointestinal pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, post-surgical pain, phantom limb pain, chest pain. Practitioners will begin to learn the language of the nervous system so that it can be integrated into their work with patients in pain.

This training is recommended for individuals who work with pain and trauma including: counselors, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, social workers, massage therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, and nurses.

Ryerson University, Toronto ON
May 23, 2009 from 9:30-4:30pm

View Psychophysiology and Treatment of Pain Syndromes brochure on the CFTRE website.

Psychological Anatomy: Developmental Neuromuscular Affective Integration: Lake Winnipeg - May 26-31, 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.

Gimli Lake Winnipeg, MB
May 26 - 31, 2009
9:30am - 1:00pm
4:00pm - 6:30pm

Advanced Psychological Anatomy: Developmental Neuromuscular Affective Integration: Vancouver - July 7-12, 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 completed Advanced SRT and Psychological Anatomy and have been using SRT in practice for a minimum of 2 years 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.

Vancouver, BC
July 7 - 12, 2009
9:30am - 1:00pm
4:00pm - 6:30pm

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Featured Article

15 Simple Ways to Increase Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis
by Lynne Zettl, PhD, RPsych

If you’re looking to improve mental cognition, increase your memory, and enhance your alertness, here are 15 easy ways to help out your brain.

1. Exercise: More than 20 percent of your body’s blood and oxygen go directly to your brain. Research indicates that exercise may encourage the brain to work at optimum capacity, by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF, which triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. Even simply adding BDNF to neurons in a lab causes them to rapidly grow and sprout branches. BDNF has been shown to have direct benefits on brain functions, including learning, and slowing or repairing neural illnesses. Exercise increases neurogenesis, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. Benefits extend to diseased and damaged nerves, which could result in new treatments for those with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or spinal cord injuries. Exercise, particularly cardio training, effectively increases the flow to your brain, which is optimal for brain health. In addition to cardio training, many Yoga poses, like Downward Facing Dog, are specifically engineered to get blood to your brain faster. One other big benefit of exercise is that neurotoxins such as mercury are secreted through perspiration.

2. Hydrate: If you’re looking for a little pick-me-up, don’t reach for your usual double espresso. Instead try drinking water. The caffeine in coffee and soda may temporarily make you feel more alert, but in the long run will make you even more tired by dehydrating your muscles and constricting your blood vessels. Water, on the other hand, is a simple way to keep your mind alert and refreshed. An easy way to calculate how much water you need: Multiply your body weight by .55. The number you get is the number of ounces of water you need to stay hydrated per day.

3. Stimulate: By decorating your work area brightly or switching your font color to something more vivid, you can work through boredom and fatigue. For example, the color pink is a visual aphrodisiac. The arousal will dilate your pupils, increase blood flow, and set off pleasure centers in the brain - all of which will make you more alert and focused. Aromatherapy can also be enormously effective: lemon, peppermint, and cypress are several scents known to stimulate the brain. Writing notes by hand instead of typing, will help you retain the information more effectively, as the pressure points activated by holding a pen are linked to the creative and memory centers of the brain.

4. Eliminate stressful influences from your life and workplace: Your brain, particularly your memory, doesn’t respond well to stress. Cortisol, a major stress hormone, is toxic to the brain, especially the hippocampus, one of our main memory structures. Chronic stress causes the dendrites in the hippocampus to shrivel. If you’re tense, overwrought, or unhappy, you’re much less likely to retain information or stay alert. Constant conflict also slows your metabolism, is bad for your heart, decreases immune function, and makes you prone to wrinkles.

5. Play Games: Studies with dementia patients have shown that playing word games and puzzles like crossword puzzles and Sudoku can increase and even restore mental cognitive abilities. Probably the best brain games are those with strategic goals like Chess and Risk, as the objectives are in a constant flux, and require more activity from the brain. Recent research suggests that playing ping pong may be the most conducive game to increase speed of information processing. And the best part is that you don’t actually need to be good at the activity. This is one instance where winning doesn’t matter, because your brain responds to the attempt to solve the problem or do the activity.

6. Google: A recent study at the University of California Los Angeles found that searching the Web stimulated centers in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning. A simple task like searching the Web appears to enhance brain circuitry.

7. Eliminate the neurotoxins: MSG, aspartame, fluoride (found in toothpaste, some teas and water) and mercury (found in high fructose corn syrup which is in everything, and big fish like tuna and swordfish).

8. Eat Brain Food: If you want to get peak mental performance from what you eat, here are a few things to remember. Protein is the main source of fuel for your brain. Your brain also needs foods rich in crucial vitamins and minerals.

• Vitamin A is needed to protect brain cell membranes
• B Vitamins are essential for neuronal growth and vitality
• Vitamin C is so vital for brain function that its levels in your brain are 15 times higher than anywhere outside your brain
• Vitamin E prevents and actually reverses brain deterioration
• Magnesium maintains the metabolic viability of neurons
• Zinc rids your brain of impurities
• Distilled Fish Oil: The omega -3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil keep the dopamine levels in your brain high, increase neuronal growth in the frontal cortex of the brain, and increase cerebral circulation. BiOmega from Usana is an excellent source of mercury free omega-3.
• Eat Weeds (not smoke weed): There are about a dozen or so ‘brain-boosting’ herbs, but the two most important are Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng. Ginseng helps your brain adapt to stress agents by heightening the productivity of your adrenal glands.

9. Learn Something New: Very few people find the time to master new skills or even read a new book that isn‘t for work or class. But learning a foreign language, a new handcraft or recipe, or challenging yourself with an unfamiliar subject all increase brain growth. Learning to play a new instrument or a new piece of music uses more of the brain than any other activity.

10. Simplify your life: Albert Einstein, gave us the Theory of Relativity, and some very good advice: "Make everything as simple as possible." The best way to organize your mind is to de-clutter your life which instantly reduces HPA activation. Maximize your time with a few personal alterations. Make and keep a list of daily and long-term priorities, and don’t let your focus wander when you are trying to complete a task. Research shows that multi-tasking is extremely inefficient. Learn to shut off your Crackberry.

11. Actively Improve Your Memory: The most effective way to remember facts, is by forming multiple associations. After that, repetition is a tried and true method of memorization. Memorize a poem, song lyrics, phone numbers, credit card numbers just to get your brain working.

12. Sleep: Almost nothing is as crucial to proper and efficient brain functioning as sleep. If it takes you a long time to fall asleep, ease into sleep by reading a book. But make sure it’s fiction. While you might think non-fiction would be more boring, studies show that non-fiction triggers forward thinking in the brain, which prevents sleep. If you wake up tired, it might not be because you didn’t get enough sleep. It could be because your brain is starved from fasting while you slept. Trying eating a low sugar, 100 calorie snack before bed. This won’t be enough to keep you awake, and it may prevent that tired-head in the morning. If, despite your best efforts, you don’t get enough sleep, seriously consider a nap. Naps throughout the day won’t repair hours of sleep debt, but it will stave off the exhaustion that leaves your brain utterly useless. If you keep your naps to under 2 hours, they will not interfere with nighttime sleep.

Most people think of the sleeping brain as similar to a computer that has “gone to sleep” -- they believe that it does nothing productive. But this is incorrect. Sleep enhances performance, learning and memory. Sleep also improves the creative ability to uncover novel connections among seemingly unrelated ideas.

13. Have Sex: A lot happens to your body during sex, and much of it goes on in your brain. There is no activity that increases more blood flow to your brain, enhancing cognitive capabilities. Having sex also produces hormones that dramatically improve brain functioning. One example includes the hormone oxytocin, which increases your ability to think of original solutions to a problem. Serotonin and dopamine, which surge after sex, help your creative thinking and support calm, logical decision-making.

14. Breastfeed (probably too late for anyone reading this): Breastfeeding has been shown to improve baby’s brain function. The nutritional properties of breast milk are not only good for the newborn’s immune system, they are also good for the brain. Breastfed infants tend to have higher intelligence than formula-fed infants. This may be due to certain compounds found in breast milk, including omega-3 fatty acids.

For instance, one study found that the verbal IQ of 7 and 8-year-old children who had been breastfed was about 10 points higher than those who were not. Another 18-year study of over 1,000 children found that those who were breastfed had higher intelligence and greater academic achievement than children who were formula-fed as babies. It is interesting to note that babies who are breastfed naturally spend more time in what is known as the "quiet alert" state, which is not only soothing for parents but also it is the state most conducive to the newborn’s learning.

15. Avoid Cell Phones whenever Possible: Tumor immunologist Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, has recently issued warning about cell phone usage especially in children. He has directed his staff to stop using cell phones as his research strongly indicates a link between brain tumours and cell phone usage. Dr. Herberman’s complete article, which was sent out with his advisory, includes a summary analysis of the recent studies that form the basis of his decision to issue precautionary measures. His research found that the electromagnetic radiation from a cell phone can penetrate the entire brain of a 5-year old child.

To date, several countries including France, Germany and India have issued recommendations to limit your exposure to electromagnetic fields. Additionally, Toronto’s Department of Public Health is now advising teenagers and young children to limit their use of cell phones, to avoid potential health risks. Another noted brain cancer authority who has recently voiced his concerns is Australian Dr. Vini Gautam Khurana. He is a Mayo Clinic-trained neurosurgeon with an advanced neurosurgery Fellowship in cerebral vascular and tumor microsurgery. In February 2008, Dr. Khurana issued a paper titled: Mobile Phones and Brain Tumors after 14 months of independent research, reviewing more than 100 sources of recent medical and scientific literature.

Guidelines for Cell Phone Usage:

1. Children Should Never Use Cell Phones: Barring a life-threatening emergency, children should not use a cell phone, or a wireless device of any type. Children are far more vulnerable to cell phone radiation than adults, because of their thinner skull bones.
2. Reduce Your Cell Phone Use: Turn your cell phone off more often. Reserve it for emergencies or important matters.
3. Use A Land Line (not portable phones) At Home And At Work: Although more and more people are switching to using cell phones as their exclusive phone contact, it is a dangerous trend.
4. Use Your Cell Phone Only Where Reception Is Good: The weaker the reception, the more power your phone must use to transmit, and the more power it uses, the more radiation it emits, and the deeper the dangerous radio waves penetrate into your body. Ideally, you should only use your phone with full bars and good reception.
5. Turn Your Cell Phone Off When Not In Use: As long as your cell phone is on, it emits radiation intermittently, even when you are not actually making a call.
6. Keep Your Cell Phone Away From Your Body When It Is On: The most dangerous place to be, in terms of radiation exposure, is within about six inches of the emitting antenna. You do not want any part of your body within that area. Use shielded headsets.

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Self Regulation Therapy Supervision Questions and Answers

Question 1

I have an adolescent client who is constantly getting into fights. How should I work with him?

Answer 1

It is important to have a systemic context to determine what is fueling his impulse to fight. What is his home-life like? Does he get into fights with his parents or siblings? How are they resolved? Often adolescents will "act-out" their thwarted fight from home conflict by starting fights at school. The thwarted fight may stem from either actual physical altercations at home or the threat of physical force in the case of over-controlled hostility. The adolescent’s response may also be triggered by shame and humiliation. As a result, there may also be a fair degree of dissociation.

Work with the same as we have learned in SRT. Track the sensations, allow for the dissociation, stay grounded and track the breath until there is some resolve. You can invite some eye contact as it resolves if there isn’t any spontaneous reconnection. Work with the thwarted fight through using animal images. Watch for signs of sympathetic arousal discharging from the system.

Sometimes it is important for the therapist to suggest strategies that will help the adolescent in negotiating conflict with difficult parents. If the parents are willing to do some family work, it can be helpful to work with interrupting toxic family procedures that predictably result in arguments and fights. Feelings of empowerment that develop as the adolescent becomes more aware of his options, will markedly reduce or eliminate aggressive acting out. Focus on stimulating him up by activating the ventral tegmental circuit, which together with increased ventral vagal tone, will enhance his capacity to develop healthy relationships.

Question 2

I am working with a 12-year-old girl who is being bullied by other girls. She has a lot of somatic complaints that seem connected.

Answer 2

Children who are bullied often have a very poor sense of self. They often have a huge dorsal vagal overlay (freeze response), which is reads like a "kick me" sign to other children. They move through the world with a nonconscious expectation that their boundaries will be challenged or violated. They may come from homes where they have been abused or have witnessed abuse.

Having a familial context is important. Working with the ventral tegmental pathway is important. What is she good at? When does she feel a sense of pride or accomplishment? These are areas that need to be developed by the therapist especially at this stage in development. She is learning how to balance her performance with that of a group. This stage is all about figuring out how to belong. Ask her about her friends now or in the past? What does she like about them? What does she notice now when she talks about them? Track sensations. Help her to differentiate between kids she feels safe with and kids with whom she does not feel safe.

It is important that the bullying stop as soon as possible. Constant stimulation of her stress pathways (HPA) are contributing to her somatic complaints. Common complaints are stomach and headaches. You can suggest plans for realistic help that can involve interventions without her name being used, that alerts the school or police about the bullying situation. Most schools now have active anti-bullying campaigns and programs to report and stop bullying.

You will have to work with shame and dissociation (see Question 1), boundary repair, and freeze, fight and flight. Remember that it is really common to see a huge amount of sympathetic arousal underneath the freeze response (dorsal vagal response). It is a sign that you are moving in the right direction. Keep the titrations as tight as possible as relational trauma is extremely activating.

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