INTEGRATIVE SOMATIC
TRAUMA THERAPY CERTIFICATE
“Thriving is our birthright. Healing individual and collective trauma is the deepest embodiment of this truth.”
— DR. SCOTT LYONS
PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE
Are you ready to help heal trauma from a holistic and body based unified approach? Are you committed to transforming pain and challenges into growth, meaning, change and resilience?
Then we wholeheartedly invite you to our first-of-its-kind 60-hour Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate Program.
This unique 3-month online certificate program is designed for individuals, practitioners and educators wanting to explore a unified somatic approach to trauma-informed care: including a deeper understanding of the body’s relationship with social, environmental, developmental, relational, spiritual, and cultural wounding and healing. This program brings together world renowned somatic trauma therapy teachers into one training. The intention of this program is to offer a holistic framework for understanding and working with trauma from a body-centered perspective. This extraordinary program offers a collection of practical tools that will help access the innate wisdom that guides the healing process for yourself and your work with others.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR THE 2025 PROGRAM
Enter your details below to be the first to hear about the next Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate program.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
This unique 3-month online certificate program is designed for individuals, practitioners and educators wanting to explore a unified somatic approach to trauma-informed care: including a deeper understanding of the body’s relationship with social, environmental, developmental, relational, spiritual, and cultural wounding and healing.
Bringing together world renowned Somatic Trauma Therapy teachers into one program, our intention is to offer a holistic framework for understanding and working with trauma from a body-centered perspective. This extraordinary program offers a collection of practical tools that will help you access the innate wisdom that guides the healing process for yourself and your work with others.
What is trauma?
A holistic approach to trauma defines trauma not as an event, but rather as a disruption and overwhelm to our body-mind’s capacity to adapt, thrive, and flourish.
Trauma can occur when:
There is too much too soon
There is too much for too long
There is not enough for too long
Power and agency have been taken away from the person or collective
The stressors outweigh the resources available to navigate them
When our primal protective instincts, intuitions, and responses are thwarted
There is not enough time, space, or permission to heal
It is essential that we consider social, developmental, and cultural factors when reflecting on a client’s trauma history. By not acknowledging these contextual factors we do the individual a disservice.
The symptoms of trauma may occur immediately or emerge over time from the compounding stress and challenges of processing and adapting to the experiences of life. Symptoms of trauma emerge as the body and mind attempt to cope with and resolve the stressors.
The effects of trauma may include:
Physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, tightness in the body, muscle tension, digestion challenges, and constrictions around the breath.
Emotional symptoms such as flatness / inability to feel, fear, anxiety, panic, overwhelm, loss of choice, difficulty feeling comforted, anger, and shame.
Psychological symptoms such as dissociation, mental rumination, low self worth, negative self talk, self blame, memory challenges, depression, and loss of interest in activities.
Relational / Social symptoms such as isolation, loneliness, relational and attachment reenactments.
Trauma can lead to feelings of powerlessness, helplessness, and groundlessness. It interferes with our ability to feel real in body and mind, it disrupts our very sense of existence, and takes us away from the present moment. However, as Dr. Peter Levine, creator of Somatic Experiencing says “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not have to be a life sentence.”
Symptoms are the gateway to healing trauma. Our job as practitioners and educators is to listen and hear the messages and wisdom encoded in the body.
Join the revolution of coming home to the body and rediscovering how it can truly transform our lives and the world!
MEET THE 2024 INSTRUCTORS
Internationally recognized leaders bring to life a holistic and unified somatic trauma therapy curriculum.
SOMATICS HELP HEAL
‘Soma’ is a Greek word for ‘the living body known from within’, or known to the Self. This ‘knowing’ signifies wholeness. Somatic therapy is an experiential approach towards mindbody integration. The pain, overwhelm, and coping responses manifested by trauma take us away from feeling at home in our body, and as a result there is often a split within ourselves.
Somatic Therapy helps:
• Restore the body as a place of safety while helping to expand the capacity to process body (preverbal and nonverbal) memory
• Metabolize unprocessed emotions
• Complete thwarted (incomplete) stress responses
• Restore our optimal relationship to our self and the world around us
Somatic trauma therapy offers techniques for clients to sense and regulate their own physiology and states of being. This includes building more internal and external resources, building trusting and co-regulatory relationships, learning to turn inward with compassion, being invited deeper in the body, and given time and space to process the trauma. These somatic techniques unwind trauma and restore well being.
A Unified Approach to Somatic Trauma Therapy
While trauma is processed and stored through the body, the ramifications of it shows up in many places including our relationships to other people, the environment, the collective, and a multitude of systems (education and political structures).
Through a unified Somatic Trauma Therapy approach we are able to assist individuals to integrate an understanding of their developmental and attachment experiences as well the culture, structural inequities, transgenerational trauma, and systemic forces of oppression they have been subject to.
Somatic Trauma Therapy encompasses a wide range of approaches to restore well-being. Each of these are based on the foundational principle that healing and integration happens through our bodies' primal language of movement, breath, and sensation. Additionally, body awareness helps us access an internal source of wisdom that guides the healing process and builds resilience.
Each of these therapeutic approaches use different techniques to support the unwinding of trauma. The intention of a unified approach is to embody the foundational principles of somatic trauma therapies and utilize the many tools and techniques to support ourselves and others.
The Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate will explore and integrate many different somatic therapy approaches including:
• Hakomi Method
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
• Applied Polyvagal Theory
• Focusing, Dance/ Movement Therapy
• Somatic Stress ReleaseTM
• Internal Family Systems
• Somatic Attachment Theory
• Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
• and Embodied Social Transformation
“Healing is never complete until we have been truly heard. May the universe send you someone who will sincerely care to listen.”
- ANTHON ST. MAARTEN
“Healing is like an onion. As you process through one layer of trauma to release the pain and heal, a new layer will surface. One layer after another layer will bring up new issues to focus on. Pace yourself. Only focus on one layer at a time.”
- DANA ARCURI
“The body stores the trauma of our lives in muscular rigidity, thereby keeping us stuck in the past. When we release the tension in the body and align ourselves with gravity, we take a new stand in life. This allows us to be at ease with ourselves and in harmony in our relationship to others and to our planet.”
- JOSEPH HELLER
“Sometimes the people around you won't understand your journey. They don't need to, it's not for them.”
- JOUBERT BOTHA
CURRICULUM
The 2024 60-hour certificate program included 29 two-hour modules offered over 11 weeks. In addition to the below, a Student Orientation session and 3 Community Connection sessions were also be offered. Classes and optional Community Connections were on weekdays.
THE FOUR SECTIONS OF THE PROGRAM WERE:
1. Befriending The Body
• Overview - Somatic Psychology and Trauma Recovery for the Individual Body
• Towards an Alchemical Resilience: Foundations and Inspirations
• Shadow Work and Navigating Shame
• Polyvagal Theory and Pathways to Connection - Part I & 2
• Foundations of Trauma and Healing in Children
• From the Individual to the Systemic: Sites of Trauma and Healing
• Introduction to Embodiment
• Embodying Ancestral Wisdom
2. TRAUMA REPROCESSING (The Building Blocks & Tools of Trauma Healing)
• Hakomi - Core Principles
• Trauma and the Internal Body Mind Family - Part 1 & 2
• Integration Session
• Trauma & Embodied Movement - Part 1 & 2
• Closing Your Eyes to See: Focusing, Active Imagination, and Inner Dialogue
• Healing Collective Trauma
• Practicum and Integration
• Balancing Individual and Collective Transformation
• Addiction, Trauma and Healing
3. APPLICATIONS / POPULATIONS
• Diversity of Embodiment
• Structural Embodiment: Somatics for the Collective Body
• Treating Shock Trauma and Repeated Complex Trauma: Integrating Somatic Psychology and EMDR Therapy
• Mending the Bodily Roots of Developmental Trauma
• Psychedelics and Somatics
4. Integration (Post Traumatic Growth)
• Embodied Practitioner Skills
• Post-Traumatic Growth: Mind-Body Tools to Foster Resilience & Awaken to your Potential
• Integration Session
The 2024 certificate program included a 6-hour Master Workshop "The Path to Healing Trauma with Peter A. Levine PhD” valued at $215 at no extra cost!
LIVE & ONLINE: November 16th, 17th, 23rd, and 24th, 2024
from 2-3:30pm ET (U.S. Eastern Time) each day
• Social Workers
• Mental Health & Pastoral Counselors
• Yoga Therapists / Yoga Teachers
• Movement Therapists
• Coaches
• Physicians (MD, DO, ND, DC & others) & Physician Assistants
• Nurses & Nurse Practitioners
• Psychologists
• Emergency Medical Personnel
• Meditation Teachers
• Educators
• Massage Therapists & Body Workers
• Acupuncturists
• Hypnotherapists
• Kinesiologists
• Complementary & Alternative Medicine Professionals
• Clergy & Religious Leaders
• Other Wellness Professionals
This is an education program and not a licenser program.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Recognize and embody the key principles of somatic trauma healing approaches.
Understand the interconnections between individual trauma healing and collective liberatory practices.
Explore the latest evidence-informed approaches to treating and healing individual and collective trauma.
Understand how to engage practical mind-body therapy tools to resource and prepare for trauma processing.
Gain a deep understanding of how Polyvagal Theory provides an essential foundation in trauma reprocessing.
Discover and experience techniques to offer co-regulation, a key precursor to self-regulation in working with trauma individually and collectively.
Practice and apply tools that strengthen emotional and sensation tolerance.
Discover how “top-down” and “bottom up” interventions can speed up or slow down the pacing of trauma treatment.
Explain how trauma can lead to holding patterns and survival responses within the individual and collective body.
Understand the dynamics of post-traumatic hyper-arousal or hypo-arousal states, especially in ecological and cultural contexts.
Gain a road map to facilitate resilience.
Identify self- and collective-care practices to navigate boundaries, energy sustainability, and vicarious trauma.
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Join the Somatic Practitioner Mentorship program mentors Dr. Peter Levine, Deb Dana, Diane Pool Heller, Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Nkem Ndefo, Dr. Scott Lyons, Kai Cheng Thom, Manuela Mischke-Reeds, Staci Haines and more for this 26-hour Mentorship Program designed to enhance your capacity to bring the power of somatic therapies into your work with others.
Mentorship (and somatic supervision) are a vital way to enhance and refine your skills as a practitioner and receive guidance and support in the challenges and journeys you are facilitating with your clients.
To inspire and prepare participants for practice and integration of somatic trauma treatment tools.
To foster a deep understanding of both somatics and trauma from psychological, social, environmental, cultural, and historic perspectives
Explore the foundations of somatics, while providing a breadth of tools offered by various somatic therapy practices in relation to working with trauma. This will be done by highlighting the main practices in each modality as well as examining the intersection points between somatic trauma modalities.
Integrating an understanding and treatment of trauma on the individual and the collective levels.
Create opportunities for participants to connect as a community and connect via shared interest of applications.
Sessions will include at least two practical skills that can be applied to integrate the educational material.
2024 PROGRAM DETAILS
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
The 2024 program ran live from September 29th to December 13th, 2024. A detailed schedule was provided when registering. All live sessions were recorded so students could watch in their own time:
STUDENT ORIENTATION: Sunday, September 29, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET
WEEKLY CLASSES: September 30th through December 11th, 2024 on:
Monday, September 30th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Monday, October 7th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Monday, October 14th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, October 16th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Monday, October 21st, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 from 4 - 6pm ET
Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Monday, October 28th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, October 30th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Monday, November 4th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, November 6th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Friday, November 8th, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
Monday, November 11th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Monday, November 18th, 2024 from 10am - 11:30am ET and 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Thursday, November 21st, 2024 from 1 - 2:30pm ET
Friday, November 22nd, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
Monday, December 2nd, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, December 4th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Monday, December 9th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Friday, December 13th, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
Because of the complexities with international time zones, we have only listed U.S. Eastern Time (ET) above. See how this translates into your timezone.
INTEGRATION SESSION WITH CO-DIRECTORS:
Friday, November 8th, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
Friday, December 13th, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
COMMUNITY SESSIONS: Two types of community connections were offered:
After each module - Option to stay 30 minutes after the class ends to connect with students and discuss the class in small breakout rooms. Breakout rooms will include: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, General / All Students and others.
Community Connections with Directors - General/All Students, BIPOC and WhiteBodied.
HOMEWORK
There were no homework assignments during the program. Please see Certificate of Completion below for more information.
LEARNING PLATFORM FORMAT
ZOOM: The live portion of the certificate program was offered online using the video conferencing platform Zoom, in meeting format, to allow instructors and students to interact, ask questions and participate in breakout sessions.
ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM: The online learning platform hosted all the information about the course including:
• Detailed schedule and reminder emails of upcoming sessions
• How to access via Zoom
• Monday recordings will be made available 24 hours before Wednesday's session. All other recordings will be available within 48 hours of the end of the live event.
• Supporting materials such as PDFs of the reading material and presentations
ACCESSIBILITY
VIDEO / AUDIO: Within the online learning platform, students could watch the video within their online library or download the video or audio to their computer. They have lifetime access to the content.
LIVE CAPTIONING / TRANSCRIPTS: Captioning during live sessions and transcripts was offered in English.
READING LISTS: Each instructor provided required or recommended readings.
• Required readings were available freely online or in PDF format.
• Recommended readings were optional and for futher exploration. They may have included books, online articles etc.
• PDFs of the instructor’s presentation were also provided.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Below are the requirements to receive the Certificate of Completion:
• Attend the live sessions or watch the recordings
• Final Integration Activity (Optional)
• Complete the Self Evaluation
REGISTRATION / ENROLLMENT / TUITION
Enroll for the certificate program by choosing one of the two payment options— full payment, or a two-month payment plan. A scaled pricing structure was offered starting from $987 for the Supported Plan to $1487 for the Rebalancing Plan. REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR THE 2025 PROGRAM HERE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
+ Who is this program designed for?
This program is a certification process that distills an educational methodology to integrate into a variety of modalities such as:
Social Workers, Mental Health & Pastoral Counselors, Yoga Therapists / Yoga Teachers, Movement Therapists, Coaches, Physicians (MD, DO, ND, DC & others) & Physician Assistants, Nurses & Nurse Practitioners, Psychologists, Emergency Medical Personnel, Meditation Teachers, Educators, Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists & Body Workers, Hypnotherapists, Kinesiologists, Complementary & Alternative Medicine Professionals, Clergy & Religious Leaders, other Wellness Professionals.
This is an education program and not a licenser program.
+ What are the dates, schedule and time commitment?
The 2024 60 hour certificate program ran liv from September 29th to December 13th, 2024. A detailed schedule was provided when registering. All live sessions were recorded so students could watch in their own time:
STUDENT ORIENTATION
Sunday, September 29, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET
WEEKLY CLASSES
September 30th through December 11th, 2024 on:
- Monday, September 30th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Monday, October 7th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Monday, October 14th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, October 16th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Monday, October 21st, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Monday, October 28th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, October 30th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Monday, November 4th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, November 6th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Monday, November 11th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Saturday, November 16th, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET
- Sunday, November 17th, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET
- Monday, November 18th, 2024 from 10am - 11:30am ET and 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Thursday, November 21st, 2024 from 1 - 2:30pm ET
- Friday, November 22nd, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
- Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET
- Sunday, November 24th, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET
- Monday, December 2nd, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, December 4th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
- Monday, December 9th, 2024 from 7 - 9pm ET
- Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 from 12 - 2pm ET
Because of the complexities with international time zones, we have only listed U.S. Eastern Time (ET) above. See how this translates into your timezone.
2 INTEGRATION SESSIONS WITH CO-DIRECTORS
- Friday, November 8th, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
- Friday, December 13th, 2024 from 3 - 5pm ET
+ Was there an orientation session?
Yes, there was an orientation session on Sunday, September 29, 2024 from 2 - 3:30pm ET.
+ Do I need to attend live or am I able to watch recordings?
All live sessions were also recorded so students could watch in their own time (more information below). Please note, captioning is only available during live sessions.
+ How can I interact with the instructors? Will I receive guidance?
During each of the live sessions, the instructors had a Q&A period where students could ask questions. Three community connections were also offered with one of the co-directors of the program and special guests. A private online community forum was provided for the certificate.
+ What are the homework requirements?
There were no homework assignments during the program.
+ Do you offer scholarships?
For every 200 enrolled students, we are able to offer:
- 10 Full Scholarships (100%)
- 10 Partial Scholarships (50%)
How to Apply:
- Thank you for your interest. The deadline for scholarships for the 2024 program is now passed. No additional applications will be accepted.
- Scholarship results were communicated by end of day Friday, September 13, 2024.
+ Is there a deadline for registration?
Registration is open until the day before the student orientation.
+ Do you offer refunds?
We offer a Registration Guarantee which means that if you register but decide the course isn’t right for you, we’ll refund your course fee - no questions asked - up to 48 hours before the course start date.
+ How can I access the online course and recordings?
ZOOM FOR LIVE SESSIONS: The live portion of the certificate program will be offered online using the video conferencing platform Zoom, in meeting format, to allow instructors and students to interact, ask questions and participate in breakout sessions.
ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM: Once you register, you will receive access to our online learning platform which will include all the information about the certificate, including:
- Detailed schedules
- How to access the live sessions via Zoom
- Recordings of all live sessions uploaded within 48 hours of the end of the live session
- Supporting materials provided by your instructors
ACCESSIBILITY | Video / Audio: Within our online learning platform, you may watch the video within your online library or download the video or audio to your computer. You will have lifetime access to the content.
ACCESSIBILITY | Live Captioning / Transcripts: Captioning during live sessions and transcripts will be offered in English.
ACCESSIBILITY | Reading Lists: The reading list will include items available at the public library or will be provided as a PDF where possible. PDFs of the instructor’s presentation will also be provided.
+ Is this a summit?
No, this is an integrated curriculum co-created by the faculty. The faculty are colleagues in this program. They are working together to make sure each individual module is cohesive with the entire curriculum. Every teacher is informed about what is coming before and what is coming after and integrating their curriculum based on that information.
+ Is this a theoretical or practical (experiential) program?
While some theory will be presented to support the learning, the primary focus of the practice is experiential, giving practical tools for the participants.
+ Will I receive a certificate?
You’ll receive a certificate of completion once you have completed attending the live sessions or watching the recordings, and full payment has been received.
+ Will Continuing Education Units (CEUs) be offered?
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
More information will be provided on the number of CEs available for this program and how to register. Please note - *Live* attendance is required.
To register your interest for CE credits for this program and more detailed information, please visit this link: https://forms.gle/76mwhjgG5vnzVw9BA
Below is more information on the health professionals which may be eligible for CEs through the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program.
- CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by sponsors of CE who are approved by the American Psychological Association.
- LCSW, LPCC, LEP and LMFTs, and other professionals from outside of California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept credits from programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
- SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes. Nurses outside of California must confirm acceptance with their licensing boards.
- For questions about your certificate or the content, logistics, or other support issues regarding this course, please contact The Embody Lab at info@theembodylab.com.
- For questions about whether APA CE is valid for you, contact your licensing board directly.
- For general questions about APA CE, contact SCA at ce@spiritualcompetencyacademy.com.
FROM A DIFFERENT STATE OR COUNTRY?
Health professionals from a state or country outside of California need to check with their licensing boards as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education by the American Psychological Association (APA).
DIFFERENT CREDENTIAL?
If your credential is not listed, please check with your licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education by the American Psychological Association (APA).
The SCA and The Embody Lab are not able to determine your eligibility.