MORNING SESSION:

Affective neuroscience--the study of how emotions actually grow the brain and nervous system--shows that most of our psychological, intellectual, and even physical growth depends on attachment patterns we (or more correctly, our brains and bodies) learn during infancy. It also demonstrates how early developmental or relational trauma hurts not just our feelings but our cognitive and behavioral capacities as well, making us susceptible later to psychopathology. With hobbled capacities for self-regulation, self-reflection, self-differentiation, somatic awareness, and insight into self or others, traumatized people often can’t tolerate long-term intimacy. Truly being known by another (lover or therapist) threatens to bring back the shame and self-loathing experienced in repeated losses of emotional attunement with their caregiver. These findings allow us to understand and treat trauma survivors as regulation-impaired due to a fundamental attachment disorder. A holistic model for healing that includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and affect regulation therapy (ART) will be presented.

 

The course will briefly review regulation theory and the healing power of dyadic, relational psychotherapy. Emphasis will be on actual clinical work based on interpersonal neurobiology, the dyadic interaction between therapist and patient and the co-regulatory processes occurring that begin to increase the capacity for human relatedness and dissipate vulnerability for facing pain. Video taped sessions will illuminate examples of different attachment styles.

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Morning Session Learning Objectives, participants will:

 

1. Understand modern attachment theory as regulation theory

2. Be able to formulate the difference between cognitive behavioral therapy and affect regulation therapy

3. Define the different attachment categories that sex and love addicts usually fall under

4. Understand the importance of working with somatic transference and countertransference in order to increase their capacity for patient co-regulation

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AFTERNOON SESSION:  

Building upon regulation theory as examined in the morning session, the KIST© Model takes a psychobiological approach to assisting those who struggle with sex and sexuality  in defining optimal sexuality. Therapists will find guidelines for assisting patients towards his or her conceptualization of a healthy, pleasurable sex life from a body/mind perspective.  The goal of this collaborative model between patient and therapist is to awaken the patient to 5 dimensions of healthy sexuality (physical, affective, cognitive, interpersonal-intrapsychic, spiritual) as defined by the KIST© Model. As such, the patient is invited to take stock of his or her sexual health, to examine in great detail his or her sexually “addictive” or compulsive behaviors (or fantasy behaviors), to pluck out sexually arousing and enjoyable behaviors, to track sensations in the body, to illuminate his or her personal values, sexual arousal templates and preferred sex acts, to imagine conversations about sex with his or her partner, and to consider where or if, there is a place for his or her spirituality in sexuality. Through a guided process, the patient’s preferred sexual behaviors come into alignment with what the patient both thinks and feels they want without shame.

Participants are encouraged to bring cases for role-play purposes.

 

Afternoon session Learning objectives, participants will:

 

1. Be able to define the components of sexual health

2. Understand how to use the 10 basic components of a psychobiological model to track affect, somatic transference and somatic counter-transference

3. Have experience using the KIST© Model for guiding those whose sexuality has been impaired toward optimal sexuality