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The workshop teaches Traumaphor Associations, a technique for using the client’s inner representation of the traumaphor as a key to discover the neural network containing the archaic adversity or trauma. The workshop teaches techniques for opening the neural network containing the traumatic material, uncovering that material, and resolving it. These techniques are called Traumaphor Focused Processing. Traumaphor Focused Processing comprises basic, structured interventions for resolving the traumatic material once it is uncovered. These interventions include the Abreactive Intervention and the Redemptive Intervention. The workshop also teaches participants how to identify Symptom-expressing Ego States (SESs), the split off parts of the self that have engaged in the disordered behavior. The workshop teaches techniques for transforming the SES into a helper through negotiating a new, adaptive function for it. Finally, the workshop teaches tools that integrate the newly emerging self structure into a program of relapse prevention.

The ACT techniques can be applied to many Axis I and II psychopathologies besides the ingestive disorders (personality disorders, self-injury, compulsive gambling). ACT constitues a unique psychotherapy orientation that clinicians will be able to integrate into a psychodynamic, family systems, or other orientation. ACT appears to enhance the hemispheric integration begun with AMST and results in improved, more positive functioning and a decrease in symptoms. The ACT protocol is supported by extensive clinical impressions and by limited but promising empirical evidence.

ACT Workshop Outline

Day One

The etiology of ingestive disorders. Didactic. 90 min.
Traumaphor associations. Didactic and demonstration. 45 min.
Practicum: Traumaphor associations. 45 min.
Traumaphor focused therapy, uncovering: Didactic, case presentations, demonstration, 90 min.
Practicum: Traumaphor focused therapy, uncovering, 90 minutes

Day Two

Traumaphor focused therapy, resolution, Abreactive Intervention, Redemptive Intervention: Didactic, case presentation, demonstration, 90 min.
Practicum: Traumaphor focused therapy, uncovering and resolution. 90 min.
Resolution of Symptom-expressing Ego States: Didactic, case presentation, demonstration, 45 min.
Practicum: Resolution of SES, 45 min.
Relapse prevention, didactic, case presentation, demonstration, 45 min.
Practicum: relapse prevention, 45 min.

ACT Workshop Learning Objectives

Objective 1. To describe the etiology of ingestive disorders in deficit experience and adverse and/or traumatic experience
Objective 2. To describe how the abused substance (drugs, alcohol, food, nicotine) facilitates emotion regulation, trauma reenactment, and reexperiencing of unresolved, trauma coded emotions
Objective 3. To describe and practice a process for eliciting cognitive and affective associations to the abused substance
Objective 4. To describe and practice a technique of uncovering adverse and traumatic associations to the abused substance
Objective 5. To describe and practice two interventions for resolving adverse and traumatic associations to the abused substance
Objective 6. To describe and practice resolution of Symptom-expressing Ego states.
Objective 7. To describe and practice techniques for relapse prevention