Expert Series - Trauma in the Body: Conversations on Somatic Transformation

Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., is a pioneering clinician, researcher, and teacher in posttraumatic stress, integrating developmental, neurobiological, and interpersonal aspects of trauma. His bestselling The Body Keeps the Score transformed how we understand trauma. With 150+ peer-reviewed articles, he has studied neuroimaging, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theater, and EMDR. He is founder of the Trauma Research Foundation, past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University, and PI of the MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study.

Dr. Scott Lyons (DO, PhD, MS, MFA, CHT, BMCP/T, RSMT, SME, BMCP, IDME, SEP, CST, BFA, RYT-500) is a Clinical Psychologist, Osteopath, and Mind-Body Medicine practitioner who specializes in therapies for infants, youth, and adults. Additionally, Dr. Lyons holds a BFA in Theater/Psychology, and an MFA in Dance/Choreography. Scott is the creator of The Embody Lab — a hub for embodied education, self-discovery and healing— and developer of Somatic Stress Release™ — a processes of restoring our biological adaptation system.

Diane Poole Heller, PhD, is an internationally recognized speaker, author, and expert in Attachment Theory and Trauma Resolution. Her signature approach—DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning experience)—offers therapists and individuals practical skills for healing attachment and trauma wounds. As Senior Faculty for SETI, Diane studied with Dr. Peter Levine and taught Somatic Experiencing® internationally for over 25 years. She is the author of The Power of Attachment, Crash Course, and the audio book Healing Your Attachment Wounds. Her film Surviving Columbine aired on CNN, supporting community healing after the shootings.

Gabor Maté, MD, is a retired physician and internationally renowned speaker known for his work on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship between stress and illness. After years in family practice and palliative care, he spent over a decade working in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with people facing addiction and mental illness. He is the bestselling author of five books, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and The Myth of Normal, and a recipient of the Order of Canada.

Peter A Levine, Ph.D., is the developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma. He holds doctorates in both Biophysics and Psychology. He is the Founder and President of the Ergos Institute for Somatic Education and the Founder and Advisor for Somatic Experiencing International. Dr. Levine is the author of several best-selling books on trauma, including Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma (published in over 29 languages). He has received Lifetime Achievement awards from Psychoth erapy Networker and from the US Association for Body-Oriented Psychotherapy. He continues to teach trauma healing workshops internationally. Learn more at somaticexperiencing.com.